With the light snowfall turning to water as it hits the ground, I straighten up the new Triumph Thruxton 900 and spin the parallel twin up to red line. The rear Metzeler keeps me honest as I dive for a gap in the fast moving traffic, keeping my eyes firmly attached to the Triumph Triton’s number plate up front.

In the saddle, Ace Café owner Mark Wilsmore is crouched low over the alloy tank and hard on the gas as we head for his flat. Filming a segment for an upcoming show on Speed, he is hell bent on making my ride as exciting as possible. He is of course succeeding, and with the last of the feeling leaving my frozen fingers, I glance down to see the Triumph’s speedometer nudging 80mph.

A line of cars means losing some speed as we cut through the narrowest of gaps, before ripping around the next roundabout. With the North Circular road’s two lanes being choked with fast moving traffic, this sort of riding is the only way to get anywhere fast.

Blasting across the old Iron Bridge, a place that brought death and injury to the ton up boy racer’s of the 50’s and 60’s, we make it through in one piece. Back on the throttle, Mark keeps my adrenaline pumping with his carve and slice maneuvering, as he does battle with the London traffic up front.

Coming to a rapid halt at the next light, inquisitive faces peer from steamed up car windows, the Featherbed framed Triumph’s open pipes alerting them to our presence. I also notice the sharp look of the new red Triumph Thruxton holding their gaze: It is highly likely they will never have seen one before.

Perfectly suited for the roads of London, my first introduction to Triumph’s newest retro was a day earlier at the famous Thruxton Race circuit, just outside the small hamlet of Andover. On a bitterly cold morning, under a blanket of grey threatening skies, Triumph’s Ross Clifford takes us on a quick three lap sighting excursion.

Stone cold tyres, frigid track surface, and no clue which way the corners are going makes this an exhilarating experience as I follow Ross. A man who only knows two throttle positions, wide open and closed, this isn’t really the best method for evaluating a new bike. But, as the Triumph staff point out repeatedly, we are just here for photos. Our real evaluation is going to take place out on the highways and byways of rural England later in the day.

Running through the fast back side of the track at over 100mph quickly shows the suspension’s limitations. The suspension has been upgraded at both ends, and the steering quickened with the use of longer and more sophisticated shocks than the original Bonneville. With the tachometer needle doing straight eights through the gears, there is not much chance to feel what the engine is doing either. It is just so much fun though, and the movement from the suspension is not unexpected or too out of hand.

The single 320mm front brake needs the assistance of the 255mm rear to make fast stops, and there is a strange twisting feeling from the fairly soft front forks if the four-piston caliper is applied too hard. Apparently in tests, the extra weight of a second disc was deemed unnecessary, as it didn’t really provide that much extra stopping power.

Coming back in from our photo sessions, the atmosphere in the Thruxton clubhouse is positive. The Thruxton, while obviously no leading edge sport bike, makes for an easy bike to learn the famous circuit. And, sat amongst pictures of past racing heroes, it is a special moment to have ridden on such a famous piece of racing real estate. Now, with the photo session over, it is time to don more warm weather equipment and go out for the real test.