{"id":1494711,"date":"2020-04-13T11:51:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-13T01:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeme.tv\/?p=1494711"},"modified":"2020-04-13T12:45:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-13T02:45:02","slug":"2020-triumph-rocket-3-review-missile-of-grandeur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/2020-triumph-rocket-3-review-missile-of-grandeur\/","title":{"rendered":"2020 TRIUMPH ROCKET 3 REVIEW \u2013 MISSILE OF GRANDEUR"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

That rusty old thing in the middle represents the dreams of Harley riders.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Every once in a rare while, the world produces a motorcycle that is unlike any other motorcycle ever made. Astride it, one feels supremely magnificent \u2013 like a Dothraki Bloodrider coursing into battle\u2026or maybe that\u2019s just me\u2026<\/p>\n

Anyway, that bike then instantly becomes an unforgettable and indomitable pinnacle of motorcycle design which can only be admired and desired \u2013 but not copied.<\/p>\n

And it cannot be copied because it occupies another plane of motorcycling altogether, a wild, lunatic plane of incomprehensible torque figures that look like a misprint.<\/p>\n

This is the second time Triumph has done something like this.<\/p>\n

\"\"

It descends like the Wrath of God.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The first time was when it created the original and previously-impossible-to-conceive-of Rocket III. A 2.3-litre motorcycle carved from the deep bedrock of torque; massive and elemental, with a road presence others could only envy, but that rode and handled rings around other massive bikes \u2013 and some smaller ones as well.<\/p>\n

That was back in 2004.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the bedrock of torque turns out to be deeper than we ever imagined. Triumph has doubled-down\u2026hell, it\u2019s actually gone all in, and produced another Rocket \u2013 the all-new Rocket 3.<\/p>\n

And things will never be the same again.<\/p>\n

Forget everything you think you know about powerful bikes. Nothing you have ever ridden can even compare to a Rocket 3.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Drag-starts are best done in second. First just destroys rubber.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

IT\u2019S SCIENCE, BITCHES<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s simple numerals \u2013 and they never lie. There is nothing you can buy right now, off-the-shelf, that produces these numbers. There\u2019s very little you could buy in terms of aftermarket performance parts that would deliver these kinds of numbers either. And if you tried, the cost would be ruinous, and the result unrideable.<\/p>\n

At 2500rpm, the new Rocket 3 is Tyson-punching 200Nm into the road as it hurtles its way to 221Nm at 4000rpm. And at 4000rpm in top, you\u2019re doing 178km\/h and there\u2019s till 3000 to go until redline.<\/p>\n

Think about that for a sec. Try and comprehend that number. And at what revs it is being produced.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Some of the best-looking running lights out there.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Quite suddenly everything feels like it\u2019s breathlessly panting just trying to keep up. No Harley is even in the game. Indian cannot compete either. The only two bikes that kinda feel like they could mount a challenge are Ducati\u2019s Diavel and Yamaha\u2019s V-MAX. But even they don\u2019t make those numbers in the rev-range where it counts \u2013 and in the Rocket\u2019s case, that\u2019s right off idle.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The pipework is stunning.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

This is grunt like you\u2019ve never imagined it. Inconceivable grunt that is available everywhere all the time. And I am not overstating that.<\/p>\n

I thought everyone else was overstating it when I was looking at the on-line stuff from overseas.<\/p>\n

Piss off, I thought. How\u2019s anyone even make 221Nm work on the road? It can\u2019t work. Bloor\u2019s gone mad and is just chasing numbers to impress girls or something.<\/p>\n

And then I was graced with an invite to the Australian press launch.<\/p>\n

\"\"

A proper weapons-array.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Two days later, I got off the Rocket 3 and I have spent the time between then and now working out how I was going to write this review when no-one actually has any terms of reference.<\/p>\n

The Rocket 3 really is something quite unique, as the press launch revealed.<\/p>\n

There was a bunch of Rockets, both the GT and the R versions, parked outside where the Australian motorcycle press corps was tucking into its brunch. I\u2019d inhaled my prosciutto and cheese, and rushed out to behold the monster I had only ever seen online.<\/p>\n

The bike looks and is quite different to the old Rocket 3 \u2013 which was a gargantuan act of barbaric motorcycle brutality \u2013 like a massive war-hammer.<\/p>\n

\"\"

I rode this hill so many times. It still terrified me. Which was great.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The new Rocket 3 is a sword. A big-two-handed one, for sure. But it now slices rather than bludgeons.<\/p>\n

It lets its engine do all the talking \u2013 both in terms of performance and styling.<\/p>\n

Rather than making that huge slab-sided alloy lump just part of the whole King Kong exercise like the original, everything around the donk has now been pared, tidied, and integrated to highlight one of the most brilliant motorcycle engines ever made.<\/p>\n

A TRIUMPH OF STYLING<\/strong><\/p>\n

The bike itself is far more modern and homogenous \u2013 a totally complete and thought-out new design exercise. It\u2019s sleeker. It\u2019s sharper. It\u2019s build-quality is through the roof.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a massive 40 goddamn kilos lighter (the aluminium frame is half the weight of the old unit, the engine is 18kg lighter, while the whole drivetrain has been Jenny Craiged by 32kg), and it\u2019s got some really high-end tech in it.<\/p>\n

\"\"

So much more refined than the old one.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

All eyes are, of course, on that beastly menhir of an engine. It is no longer the indifferently-piped steam-punk stove it once was. The curve of those gorgeous pipes as they exit that monolithic motor is spot-on.<\/p>\n

The barbaric brutality aesthetic of the old Rocket has been beautifully transformed into something more sleekly modern, but still menacingly broad-shouldered.<\/p>\n

Cliff, Triumph\u2019s in-house technical Yoda, came up to me as I stared in a weird rapture at the new offering.<\/p>\n

\"\"

This can be configured a few different ways. It can be a bit busy in some forms.
<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cYou know what you need to do?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n

\u201cSpeak,\u201d I whispered back. \u201cI will immediately do what needs doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to red-line it in second, third and fourth.\u201d<\/p>\n

My stupid grin was not lost on Cliff.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeriously,\u201d he intoned.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, I know you\u2019re not joking,\u201d I replied.<\/p>\n

So I did just that during the launch. A few times. Just to make sure of\u2026um, stuff.<\/p>\n

Ladies, please understand that horsepower is a wondrous thing. But torque\u2026well, torque is God.<\/p>\n

And redlining the Rocket in those gears is feeling His hand propelling you at the horizon with such ferocious intent, you\u2019ll be holding your breath and slitting your eyes. It\u2019s revelatory. And smooth. Sure, you\u2019ll feel a bit of a thrum when the revs start to climb over 5500, but that just adds to the experience rather than detracting from it.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tidier, sleeker, and more potent.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

PAY ATTENTION, AMERICA<\/strong><\/p>\n

Around corners the new Rocket 3 is a far better proposition than its previous incarnation. The weight shedding and geometry deliver solid cornering backed up by pretty decent ground clearance. It doesn\u2019t steer fast (did you expect it to? Tsk, tsk, tsk\u2026), but it steers true, and so much better than the old one \u2013 and certainly better than anything produced in the USA.<\/p>\n

The gear-change is slick (new helically-cut gears in the box and a hydraulic clutch), and shaft-drive is the right and proper thing on a bike like this. It is quite the buffed-up and modern drivetrain package.<\/p>\n

The front suspension feels far more planted than on the old one (hardly a surprise) and once I got Cliff to dial up the pre-load on the rear top-spec, fully adjustable Showa with its sexy little piggy-back booster, it was pretty good. So good, only the Diavel can play with it in the bends.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Tall trees, winding roads, and powerful motorcycles. A triple-win situation.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

The riding position of the R made it my preferred iteration. The GT and its lower seat-height (750mm) is all cruiser \u2013 feet-forward and arms relaxed \u2013 and it\u2019s certainly more disposed to\u2026um, cruising, I guess. The R, with a 773mm seat-height) is a very different ergonomic proposition. It\u2019s more aggressive riding posture lends itself to a more spirited interpretation of the Motor Traffic Act. You can cruise on it\u2026but why would you?<\/p>\n

Both seats are rather good at keeping you comfortable on longer hauls. Your pillion? Well, she wants to be a more petite model if you\u2019re to be speaking at the end of a long day.<\/p>\n

BAKED IN QUALITY<\/strong><\/p>\n

Triumph has also clearly decided its flagship monster will offer owners a level of finish that is quite amazing. This is one highly polished product. From the way the pillion pegs fold invisibly into the bike, to the tiltable and fully hectic TFT dash, to the clean, internally-wired handlebars \u2013 this is a quality motorcycle. Just look at the superbike Stylema Brembos at the front, and the brilliant radial-mounted four-piston jobbie on the 300mm rear rotor \u2013 which is, rightly so, the best rear-brake on any bike ever made.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Lots of Whoa!<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

Clever touches abound. You can adjust the footpegs on either model, or even fit the R\u2019s mid-controls to the GT or vice-versa. There\u2019s a Bluetooth system (yes, it\u2019s finally here) which will give you turn-by-turn navigation on the dash, and you can also run your phone and control your GoPro camera (that\u2019s a thing now, apparently) via the handlebar controls. You also get hill-hold control, a USB port under the seat, cruise control, top-end lean-angle sensitive ABS, and there\u2019s a range of more than 50 Triumph aftermarket goodies \u2013 heated handlebar grips (standard on the GT), tyre pressure sensors, bling, and a bunch of luggage options because you will struggle to strap anything to the stock models.<\/p>\n

I loved the old Rocket III.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Go ride one. Immediately.<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

But beside the new Rocket 3 it is as dust.<\/p>\n

Some people will buy it just to relish the expression on peoples\u2019 faces when they\u2019re told it\u2019s a 2500cc motorcycle. It\u2019s worth the price of admission just for that experience alone.<\/p>\n

Other people, with fire in their hearts and a screaming licence in their pants, will buy the Rocket 3 because it is a brilliant and unique motorcycle \u2013 the pinnacle of the engineer\u2019s craft, as it were. Polished, potent, and pleasurable at a level, few, if any bikes like this can even hope to approach.<\/p>\n

Quite simply, awe-inspiring.<\/p>\n

\"\"

“Did I leave my phone-charger at the hotel?”<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

HOW MUCH? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The R is $27,990, the GT is $28,990 \u2013 PLUS ORC<\/strong><\/p>\n

WHAT COLOURS DOES IT COME IN? <\/strong><\/p>\n

The GT comes in black, or grey with a red swoosh. The R comes in red or black.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

YOU CAN FIND THE SPECS FOR THE R HERE<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

YOU CAN FIND THE SPECS FOR THE GT HERE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every once in a rare while, the world produces a motorcycle that is unlike any other motorcycle ever made. Astride it, one feels supremely magnificent \u2013 like a Dothraki Bloodrider coursing into battle\u2026or maybe that\u2019s just me\u2026 Anyway, that bike then instantly becomes an unforgettable and indomitable pinnacle of motorcycle design which can only be [&hellip<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1494714,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[106,396,158],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494711"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1494711"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1494732,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1494711\/revisions\/1494732"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1494714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1494711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1494711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bikeme.tv\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1494711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}