By Jeff Pamer
I always loved Motorcycles. From Top Gun to Terminator 2, I was infatuated. When I was 11, I had to do a presentation in front of the class on anything I wanted. Motorcycles. That’s when I learned about shaft drive, and subsequently, so did my entire class. Not sure they retained it as I did. My Mom’s friend’s husband Andy had bikes. I was always in awe. Motorbikes were not a thing at my house. Dangerous, don’t even think about it. Secretly though, sometimes I would see Andy out of his Honda VFR. It was red, with a single-sided swingarm, and white alloy wheels. I would stop and stare when he went by. When I was riding my hand-me-down Norco Mountain bike, I would twist the right grip and pedal faster, dreaming of the day I wouldn’t have to pedal.
Once 16, I was a terror behind the wheel. My hometown was Hazzard County, and my 1985 Subaru was a 1969 Dodge charger for all I was concerned. In a brief moment of self-preservation coupled with some close friends getting in motorbike accidents, I realized that my late teens and early twenties were not my time to start my official relationship with motorbikes.
Flash forward to the late summer of 2010. There was more than one flashpoint that triggered me to buy my first bike, there were like 3. One I have already detailed in another post, the order is waiting in the wings for another. The third was the day I went to a friend’s house, and he had a new bike in his driveway. It was a black and cream, 2010 Triumph Bonneville T-100. I was absolutely and completely, in love. It was perfect. In every way. I didn’t know anything about Triumph Motorcycles and knew even less about how to ride one. I just knew at that moment that was the bike that would be mine. 4 months later, I had my 2009 green, gold, and cream 2009 T-100.
That bike was one of the greatest love affairs of my life. Up until that point, I have never owned something that wasn’t bought with a committee’s approval. This was mine. I loved every curve it had, every sound it made, and the character of the underpowered for its size 865cc parallel-twin engine. It made me feel whole, at a point in my life where it was hard to feel such positivity. I loved the Britishness of it, having watched every episode of Top Gear, I had, and still have a bit of an infatuation with the Britts. It felt like it had character beyond just being a Motorbike. Every time I got off of it, I would look back and feel full. I was leaving a piece of myself in that parking lot, and I liked that feeling. What a catch that bike was, but as most torrid love affairs go, it didn’t last forever.
I had that bike for 3 years. I rode it everywhere. My new partner and I (actual human person) had only one car, and the Bonnie was my main way to get around. Eventually, I had to get another car. The bike turned into more of an indulgence than a necessity, and our household budget didn’t allow for that. I let it go. I hope it’s somewhere happy and being taken care of now. Even though I let that bike go, I didn’t let go of my love of Triumphs, and what I didn’t realize then, was that I was on a long road back to the brand.
A few years later, a tax return got me onto a 1986 Yamaha. I couldn’t stand not riding anymore. That bike was my one and only (running) bike for years. Then, I picked up an XSR900 that I have written about a lot on the site. That brings us to 2021. I started to think about dream bikes. The bikes that I lusted for in those years after I sold my beloved T-100. Ducatis and Beamers were both on the list, but so was a Triumph. Since I had my last Triumph, the company had put some effort into expanding and improving the Modern Classic lineup. The 1200cc engine launched in 2016 and stopped me in my tracks at the time but was not in the budget yet. At the time of launch in fact, at my Mom’s retirement party, the very same family friend Andy, who I used to watch ride by in his VFR, sat next to me in a corner and we ogled the Thruxton R on my phone.
While on Cycle Trader searching for Sport Classic Ducatis, R NineT Beamers, and Triumphs I came across a 2020 Thruxton RS Showcase. I had to go see it. I went down to Phoenix Triumph and lost sight of right and wrong, I made them an offer. They rejected said offer, so I made them another. They rejected that too. I thought to myself, they’ll be back, they want to move that thing. I sat as patient as I could but eventually reached out again to see if my offer looked any better now. It didn’t. They sold it to someone else. I was a bit heartbroken but was also happy for them. They did the right thing and made a sale. What they said after that was the thing that changed everything. They said they have another 2020 Thruxton RS coming up from Tucson. Not a showcase edition, but the same other than that. I wanted it. I was playing it cool, but I wanted that bike. We negotiated hard. We lost good people that day. In the end, though, I bought it. The folks at Phoenix Triumph couldn’t have been better to work with, and they are true professionals. It was mine. My Triumph Thruxton RS.
Damn, that feels good to say, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it.
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