Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (2016+) Maintenance Schedule and Service Intervals
This is the maintenance schedule with associated service intervals for the Triumph Thruxton R, which is also known as the Triumph Thruxton 1200 R to help disambiguate from earlier generations of the Thruxton (with the smaller 865 engine).
From 2016, all Triumph Thruxton models had a high-power 1200cc engine, a huge upgrade from the EFI Thruxtion 900‘s smaller parallel twin.
The 2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R is based on a 1200cc liquid-cooled parallel twin that produces 72 kW/ 96hp at the crank in its “high power” configuration. It’s the same engine and chassis as found in the Triumph Thruxton 1200, but there are some important spec differences:
- Higher spec suspension: Fully adjustable Showa Big Piston Fork at the front and Öhlins rear shock, whereas the standard Thruxton has Kayaba non-adjustable forks and a Kayaba preload-adjustable-only shock
- Better front brakes: Both Thruxtons have 310mm discs. The standard Thruxton 1200 has Nissin two-piston calipers, whereas the Thruxton 1200 R has Brembo four-piston, radial-mount monobloc calipers.
- Lighter weight — a total of 3kg (6 lb) lighter.
Maintenance for the Thruxton 1200 R is very similar to that for the base model Thruxton 1200, though some key parts are different.
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The maintenance schedule very similar to those for other motorcycles with similar engines in the Triumph Modern Classics, like the Triumph Speed Twin.
What you need to service a Triumph Thruxton 1200 R
Even though the majority of people who own such a new motorcycle will get it serviced at a dealer, a number of people out there will be doing their own service. Maybe you just want to do the obvious and easy stuff (or maybe you’re like me, and you enjoy it). Anyway, this guide is for you!
Here’s a list of the things you need to service your Triumph Thruxton 1200 R. It’s mostly overlapping other than brake pads.
| Triumph | Part spec (Triumph Thruxton 1200 R) |
|---|---|
| Oil | Triumph recommends 10W/40 or 10W/50 semi or fully synthetic motorcycle engine oil that meets specification API SH (or higher) and JASO MA, such as Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T 10W-40 (fully synthetic) engine oil, sold as Castrol Power RS Racing 4T 10W-40 (fully synthetic) in some countries. |
| Oil filter | Replace the oil filter every time you change the oil. Use Triumph part number T1218001. You can also use Hiflofiltro’s HF204RC (better than K&N these days). |
| Brake fluid | Triumph Thruxton 1200 R motorcycles need DOT 4 brake fluid (they have a clutch cable, so you don’t need fluid for the clutch). |
| Coolant | Triumph uses Hybrid Organic Acid Technology coolant with a 50% ethylene glycol mix. Zerex G05 is a HOAT coolant that meets this spec. |
| Front brake pads | A popular upgrade is EBC brake pads for better bite, less fade, and longer life. The part code is FA447HH for the Thruxton 1200 R. See this image from the EBC brakes catalogue if you’re not sure.  |
| Rear brake pads | Use FA214/2HH (same for many Triumph motorcycles) |
| Spark plugs | NGK code LMAR8A-9. Note they’re sold individually. Make sure they’re gapped to 0.9mm with an appropriate spark plug gap tool. |
| Air filter | The part number for the air filter is T2201122. You can also use K&N part TB-1216. |
| Cable maintenance | Protect All Cable Life is a good-quality cable maintenance product. You can also use engine oil (but it’s a bit messy) |
| Chain maintenance | A good kit to have on hand is the Motul chain care kit — including lubricant, cleaners, a brush, and so on. |
Maintenance Schedule for the Triumph Thruxton 1200 R
The following is a maintenance schedule adapted from the manual, but made a bit easier to read.
It’s broken up into multiple parts:
- Regular/daily maintenance
- Scheduled maintenance
- Chain maintenance
Regular/Daily maintenance
Do this maintenance on your Triumph Thruxton 1200 R regularly — either every day or every ride.
| Triumph Thruxton 1200 R — Regular maintenance |
|---|
| Engine – check for leaks |
| Cooling system – check for leaks |
| Coolant level – check/adjust |
| Clutch cable – check function and adjust as necessary (lubricate with Protect All Cable Life) |
| Tire wear/tire damage – check |
| Tire pressures – check/adjust |
| Wheels – inspect for damage |
| Wheels – check wheels for broken or damaged spokes and check spoke tightness (if you have spoked wheels) |
| Steering – check for free operation |
| Front and rear suspension – check for damage/ leaks/smooth operation |
| Brake pads – check wear levels (see above for part numbers) |
| Brake fluid levels – check |
| Drive chain slack – check/adjust |
| All lights, instruments and electrical systems – check/adjust |
| Fasteners – inspect visually for security |
| Bank angle indicators – check for wear |
| Side stand/Center stand – lubricate/check operation |
Scheduled maintenance
See the full maintenance schedule for your Triumph Thruxton 1200 R below.
Notes on the maintenance schedule:
- Daily checks — do these as part of the annual service
- Initial 500 mi / 800 km check — do this at the earlier of the distance or time interval of one month.
- [T] Some aspects (e.g. reading error codes) require professional Triumph tools
| mi x 1000 | 0.5 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| km x 1000 | 0.8 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 64 | Every |
| Engine oil – replace (Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T) | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Engine oil filter – replace (HF204RC) | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Air cleaner – replace (TB-1216) | • | • | • | • | ||
| Spark plugs – check | • | • | ||||
| Spark plugs – replace (NGK LMAR8A-9) | • | • | ||||
| Valve clearances – check | • | • | ||||
| Camshaft timing – check | • | • | ||||
| Cooling system – check coolant hoses for chafing / cracks / damage. Replace if necessary. | • | • | • | • | • | |
| Coolant – replace | 3 years | |||||
| Fuel system – check for leaks, chafing etc. | • | • | • | • | ||
| Throttle body plate (butterfly) – check/clean | • | • | • | • | ||
| [T] Autoscan – Carry out a full Autoscan using the Triumph Diagnostic Tool | • | • | • | • | Year | |
| Fuel filter – replace | • | • | ||||
| Throttle bodies – balance | • | • | • | • | ||
| Fuel hoses – replace | 4 years | |||||
| Evaporative loss hoses (if fitted) – replace | 4 years | |||||
| Wheel bearings – check for wear/smooth operation | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Fork oil – replace | • | |||||
| Steering head bearings – check/adjust | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Steering head bearings – lubricate | • | • | ||||
| Brake master cylinders – check for fluid leaks | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Brake calipers – check for fluid leaks and seized pistons | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Brake fluid – replace (DOT 4 fluid) | 2 years | |||||
| Drive chain rubbing strips – check | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| [T] Instruments, chassis ECM (if equipped) and engine ECM – check for latest calibration | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Side stand pivot pin – clean/grease | • | • | • | • | ||
| [T] Carry out all outstanding Service Bulletin and warranty work (if you’re a mechanic) | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| Carry out road test | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
| [T] Complete the service record book and reset the service indicator (if you can) | • | • | • | • | • | Year |
Chain maintenance
Below is the guidance on how to maintain your Triumph Thruxton R’s chain.
| Item | Every |
|---|---|
| Drive chain slack — check / adjust | Day |
| Drive chain — lubricate | 200 miles (300 km) |
| Drive chain — wear check | 500 miles (800 km) |
Also, check your chain’s lubrication every time you wash your bike or ride in wet conditions.
About the Triumph Thruxton 1200 R
The Triumph Thruxton is a retro-styled street/sports motorcycle. It has always had a minimalist design, with a classically shaped round headlight and clip-on bars that aren’t too low, but which are lower than on a Bonneville, for example.
The Triumph Thruxton 1200 was a huge change for the Triumph Thruxton, which up until that point had basically the same 270-degree offset air/oil-cooled 865 cc engine as in the Triumph Scrambler 865 EFI.
The Thruxton 1200 gained a large capacity liquid-cooled parallel twin with a lot more power.
The biggest improvement over the earlier 865cc EFI Thruxton comes in the form of the engine. Out with the air/oil-cooled parallel twin, and in with a 1200cc liquid-cooled twin. It still has a 270-degree crank.
But that’s where the similarities end. The all-new “high-power” 1200cc parallel twin makes 72 kW or 96 hp, peaking near 10,000 rpm. And its 112 Nm (82.6 ft-lb) of torque is more than 60% higher than the peak of the outgoing 865cc EFI Thruxton — and this Thruxton makes that torque over a wide band.
The Triumph Thruxton 1200 R builds on the Thruxton 1200, introduced in the same year, but adds some high-spec components to make it a premium package that will definitely be the collector’s choice in years to come.
The Thruxton 1200 R is also definitely more expensive than the Thruxton (both new and used), but the difference in value is much greater than the difference in sticker price.
Thanks to the improvements to the chassis, braking, suspension, and of course engine, the Thruxton 1200 R performs like a modern sports bike, just with a more relaxed twin-cylinder engine.
But the Thruxton 1200 R is not just a street bike — I’ve known writers (and riders) to take their Thruxton 1200 and Thruxton R to the track and have a lot of fun with it. The braking and suspension upgrades make it a lot more capable a track machine.
The Thruxton 1200 R takes the modern cafe style of the Thruxton and adds
- Better suspension – fully adjustable Showa “Big Piston” forks up front, and fully adjustable Öhlins twin shocks in the rear
- Better braking — the front 2-piston Nissin calipers are replaced by 4-piston Brembo calipers
- Lighter overall weight — from the improved components, mostly
You’d be wrong to assume that just because the Thruxton R looks good that it’s an all-show and no-go machine. It is a go-fast machine that just happens to look good doing it.
The Thruxton is still limited by ground clearance, which is in naked bike territory, but not sport bike territory. This could be addressed by repositioning a few things if you were so inclined.
The Triumph Thruxton 1200 and Triumph Thruxton 1200 R were released at the same time as the Triumph Bonneville T120, a motorcycle with which it shares a base, though the T120 is tuned for less power, and earlier torque.
The Triumph Speed Twin came years later and shares the same base, too, and with the same engine performance.
The Triumph Thruxton TFC has uprated engine internals for more power!! and so gets different treatment.
The Thruxton is an everyday sportbike that a lot of people can love, though the aggressive clip-ons and suspension aren’t for everyone.
Manual for the Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (2016+)
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Triumph Thruxton R, which is available on the Triumph website, consulting other manuals to cross reference.
