OF STYLE AND SUBSTANCE

BMW R nineT Racer

vs.

Triumph Thruxton 1200

Café racers, with their sleek lines, beautiful bodywork, classic looks, and aggressive riding position,are what first drew me to motorcycles. I didn’t grow up around motorcycles, didn’t care about going off of jumps or around racetracks—I just wanted to feel free and cool and do something that was terrifying and exhilarating and fun. Today’s café racers do that better than ever before, though this is expressed through two very different philosophies in BMW’s new R nineT Racer and Triumph’s Thruxton 1200.

When I got into motorcycles a decade ago, that meant buying a UJM from the ’70s or a (then) new air-cooled Triumph Bonneville or Thruxton. Going the vintage route didn’t work out so well, as I’m pretty inept with a tool in my hand, which left me with the same option as every other mid-twentysomething trying to figure out their individuality (by buying the same thing as everyone else).

Ten years later, motorcycle manufacturers are finally responding to consumer trends and creating motorcycles based on what you say you want, and the result is a range of available motorcycles that literally has something for pretty much everyone. Okay, we’re still waiting on a midsize adventure bike that’s truly back-country capable and a reasonably priced street-legal supermoto, but you get my point.