Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI (2008-2015) Maintenance Schedule
This is the maintenance schedule with associated service intervals for the Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI made with the previous generation air-cooled 865cc fuel-injected engine. It is/was also known as the Thruxton 900, which is what it said on the side of the bike.
These days, it’s commonly known as the Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI, to distinguish it from the former carburettor-fed Triumph Thruxton (2006-2007), which had a carburettor-fed engine. In the past it might have just been called the “Thruxton”, but that now refers to the modern one with the 1200cc motor.
The maintenance schedule for this generation Thruxton is very similar to those for other motorcycles with similar engines, like the Triumph Scrambler of the time.
Since launch, there were incremental upgrades to fuelling and style, but the Scrambler didn’t change fundamentally until 2016, when Triumph discontinued the Thruxton 900 EFI in favour of the Thruxton 1200.
In spirit, the Thruxton 900 EFI was replaced by the Triumph Street Cup, a variant of the Street Twin with twin gauges, bar-end mirrors, and blacked-out styling.
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What you need to service a Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI
When servicing the Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI, you need a similar set of reusable parts/components to the earlier generation air-cooled 865cc motorcycles.
They all share the same basic platform of an 865cc air/oil-cooled fuel-injected engine. However, some parts (like air filters) change.
The Thruxton 900 EFI had more in common with the Scrambler 900 EFI, which had the same 270/450 crankshaft.
| Part | Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI |
|---|---|
| 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. You can also use any high-grade synthetic, like Motul 7100 10W-40 which has thousands of positive reviews. |
| Oil filter | Replace the oil filter every time you change the oil. Use Triumph part number T1218001, which fits a lot of motorcycles. You can also use Hiflofiltro HF204RC which has a neat nut on the end. |
| Brake fluid | Triumph motorcycles need DOT 4 brake fluid (the 865cc range has a clutch cable, so you don’t need fluid for the clutch). |
| Front brake pads | Standard brake pads code is T2020537. The equivalent part number for EBC brakes is FA142HH. This has been for the Thruxton in all years, even with carburettors. |
| Rear brake pads | Use original part number T2020555. The equivalent part number for EBC brakes is FA214/2HH. |
| Spark plugs | NGK code DPR8EA-9. Note they’re sold individually. Make sure they’re gapped to 0.8-0.9 with an appropriate spark plug gap tool. |
| Air filter | The part number for the air filter is T2201548. You can use K&N part TB-9004. |
| Chain | Maintain your chain with a Motul chain care kit or just lube it with Motul chain paste. |
| Grease | Lubricate external pivot points (bearings, kickstand etc.) with lithium soap-based grease |
| Clutch cable | Lube your clutch cable with Protect all cable life. |
Maintenance Schedule for the Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI
The following is the list of maintenance jobs to be done on this motorcycle with a distance or time interval — whichever comes earlier. And part of the below table includes checks you should do every day.
Servicing your Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI is not complicated. It is an air-cooled motorcycle with a chain drive. It’s nearly fully exposed, which means you can see everything — if there’s a pinched wire, it takes less time to track down.
Notes:
- (T): You can only do this if you’re a Triumph mechanic with the official tools.
- Since this is for an older model, the initial 500 mile/800 km/1 month maintenance requirement is not shown.
- * Evaporative system fitted to California models only.
| Mi x 1000 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 24 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Km x 1000 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 40 | |
| Years | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Every |
| Engine and oil cooler – check for leaks | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Engine oil – replace (Motul 7100) | • | • | • | • | |
| Engine oil filter – replace (HF204RC) | • | • | • | • | |
| Valve clearances – check/adjust | • | • | |||
| Air cleaner – replace (TB-8002) | • | • | |||
| Spark plugs – check | • | • | |||
| Spark plugs – replace (DPR8EA-9) | • | • | |||
| Autoscan – carry out scan (T) | • | • | |||
| Engine ECM – check for stored DTCs (T) | • | • | |||
| Fuel filter – replace | • | • | |||
| Fuel system – check for leaks, chafing etc. | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Throttle cables – check/adjust | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Lights, instruments and electrical systems – check | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Steering – check for free operation | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Steering head bearings – check/adjust | • | • | • | • | |
| Steering head bearings – lubricate | • | • | |||
| Forks – check for leaks/smooth operation | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Fork oil – replace | • | ||||
| Brake fluid levels – check | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Brake calipers – check for fluid leaks and seized pistons | • | • | • | • | |
| Brake master cylinders – check for fluid leaks | • | • | • | • | |
| Brake fluid – replace (Castrol DOT 4) | 2 years | ||||
| Brake light – check operation | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Brake pads – check wear levels | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Drive chain – lubricate (Motul Chain Paste) | • | • | • | • | 200 miles (300 kms) |
| Drive chain – wear check | • | • | • | • | 500 miles (300 kms) |
| Drive chain slack – check/adjust | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Fasteners – inspect visually for security | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Wheels – inspect for damage | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Wheel bearings – check for wear/smooth operation | • | • | • | • | |
| Tyre wear/tyre damage – check | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Tyre pressures – check/adjust | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Clutch cable – check/adjust (Protect all cable life) | • | • | • | • | Day |
| Fuel and evaporative* hoses – replace | • | ||||
| Secondary air injection system – check/clean | • | • |
About the Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI
The Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI is a really beautiful bike to look at, just as the Thruxton 900 carburettor was before it.
Based on the same platform as the Triumph Scrambler, the Thruxton 900 has an 865cc parallel twin with a 270/450 degree firing order, giving it a slightly lumpier tone than the Bonneville with its 360-360 firing order (the pistons moving up together).
In the Thruxton 900, the 865cc twin makes a peak of 51 kW (69 hp) at 7400 rpm, and max torque of 69 Nm (50 ft-lb) @ 5800 rpm. These aren’t high numbers, but they’re definitely enough for the Thruxton’s implied purpose of darting about town and looking cool.
Triumph said that this crankshaft design gives the Thruxton unique torque characteristics, which it does — but the most obvious discernible difference to the rider is that it sounds great! The Thruxton sounds a bit like an air-cooled Ducati — with a wet clutch, mind you.
The Thruxton 900 has a lot of what counts as “retro” aesthetic. This includes
- Spoked wheels (rather than cast alloy)
- A chromed headlamp
- Minimalist dials
- No fairing — a “naked” look
- Twin rear shocks
- Low handlebars (that look like a standard handlebar, but flipped to the low position)
- Bar-end mirrors
- Details like a steering lock on the frame’s neck, throttle bodies styled as carburettors, generous chrome, etc.
So there’s a lot that goes into the style of the Thruxton. It looks the part.
The engine has a lot of character. The 270/450 firing order gives it a polite thrum out of the stock exhausts, but a distinct bark when you open them up with straight through mufflers. It can get VERY loud very quickly.
The suspension on the Thruxton 900 EFI is quite basic. The Kayaba twin shocks can be very firm, only adjustable for preload, and the 41mm fork up front is gentler but is non-adjustable. So it’s not sportbike suspension, something that Triumph sought to remedy in the high-end Thruxton 1200 R released from 2016.
In the end, the Thruxton 900 is a bike that people really enjoy as a city bike. It’s not a long-distance hauler, and it’s not a sportbike, and anyone expecting anything other than “bike that looks and sounds cool and is built very well” will be disappointed.
Like most modern Triumphs, it suffers from oil leaks (which explains why it’s the first line in the maintenance schedule below), but most of them are minor and not really something you should worry about. Just check they’re not drips onto the pristine concrete in your garage and you should be golden.
In 2015, Triumph retired the Thruxton 900 EFI. As a last hurrah, they launched the Ace Café special edition, a tribute the origin of the “café racer” moniker and design aesthetic that the Thruxton embodies.
Manual for the Triumph Thruxton 900 EFI
The above maintenance schedule comes directly from the user’s manual for the Triumph Thruxton 900, which is available here.
It’s the same manual as for the Scrambler, Bonneville T100, etc., but many details inside are different for each model.
