2010 Triumph Rocket III Roadster: holy shit, 15 percent more torque
The Rocket III was the first cruiser I ever rode. It created the unfair expectation that all motorcycles of that type would be utterly mad, way too heavy torque monsters that somehow managed to handle. I've been sadly disappointed that every cruiser I've ridden since hasn't been any of those things. Well, except heavy. The 2010 Triumph Rocket III Roadster now makes 163 lb/ft of torque -- twice that of an R1 -- 146bhp and becomes a little less of a cruiser and a little more of a streetfighter. I'm scared already.
Just in case a bike with those power and torque figures and weighing 367kg/807lbs (wet) wasn't bad ass enough for you, the Rocket III Roadster only comes in two colors: black or black. That's not a joke; you can choose between either matte or gloss black paint.
As attention grabbing as the numbers are, it's the revised suspension setup that most piques our interest. The old Rocket III (the Roadster supplants that model) was a serious handler that'd drag all its shiny bits around corners in utter composure. The new model uses 43mm upside down Kayaba forks with 120mm of travel, Kayaba twin shocks with 105mm of travel and new mid-mount foot controls. Brakes are upgraded with ABS, 320mm front discs with Nissin 4-pots (front) and a 316mm disc with a 2-pot Brembo (rear). While that still sounds decidedly cruiser-ish and there's no details on geometry, we'll let the Roadster call itself a streetfighter if it wants to.
The 2294cc inline, liquid-cooled triple makes its max power at 5,750rpm and max torque at just 2,750rpm. Up from 147lb/ft and 140bhp on the old model. That engine lends the Rocket III its utterly unique character, helping it defy categorization to become the best summation of everything you wanted motorcycles to be when you were seven.
Triumph via MCN
Wes Siler. September 28, 2009 — Permalink
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I got a chance to ride a demo Rocket III at our Triumph dealer here in Little Rock. I was just curious. It really did handle great for such a huge beast. And from some angles, this is one great looking bike...from other angles, not so much. But that engine! Wow! And to think some folks go on to turbo/supercharge these things.
After I rode the Rocket, I got back on my Sprint 1050 and it felt like a freaking Ninja 250.
Here is a great looking Rocket III:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMXH27tQiEQ
the only cruiser i would ever own,it's so mad it works
I put a couple hundred miles on one of the first ones. This thing is like owning a muscle car! Now with even more torque? Insane!
From the sound of Triumph's press statement, there's just this and the Touring version left in the Rocket III lineup.
I don't think they're near finished with this engine yet, it was very softly tuned to start with. In happier economic times they might be squeezing around 180bhp out of it and pitching the bike against the V-Max. I still expect to see a Rocket III 'Super' or 'Ultra' or 'X' (well, if they can borrow 'Roadster'...) in a couple of years.
Cruel Brittania! I've been fascinated by the Rocket III from the start. God bless Triumph.
Wow, 3 out of 4 of my cars have smaller displacement engines than that...
I own a 2008 R3 Classic. Rolling on the throttle in second is like getting kicked in the ass. It's hard to hang onto it. 0-60 in 3 seconds if handled properly (not me). It's an amazing machine. If you like the sound of a Harley you won't like the sound of the R3 engine. It kinda whistles and sounds like a tractor. I haven't heard any aftermarket pipes installed on the R3's that appeal to me.
I have been a Triumph FAN since the late 60's having been a devoted rider of the T140. However I have to recognize that TIMES have moved on and just like yesteryears, no Triumph product today is ever FINISHED or SORTED like their Japanese or German counterparts. Like it or lump it, that is the way it IS.
Years and years of research and painstaking improvements learnt from moto GP's and so on, have helped the present rulers of the motorcycle world stay where they are. People buy them in droves because they recognize this fact.
The Rocket 3, is basically a trump card, designed by Triumph to go out on a tangent because they KNOW that if they went head on with the rest, they would not only be behind by a long way, they might also fail altogether. So the BIGGEST and BADDEST DONK it HAD to BE!
Styling, well it doesn't really matter because that is secondary.
I have ridden the 09, 2.3l Rocket 3. It has nice enough slow speed handling, though not a whole lot different/better than any other cruiser. Sure the sledge hammer acceleration is marvelous, but so is sucking up the juice, high frequency vibrations at the bars and dialing in "CAUTION" when a semi tight corner is 100m away. It is BIG on IMAGE and the fact that the 2010 models only come in BLACK seems to suggest that
"Image is ALL".
The Rocket 3 sells on it's NAME, which is a very good one (at least it didn't end up with something called "Legnum!")...plus the kind of eccentricity that is designed to shock your Grannie, built along the design philosophy akin to a jet engine strapped to a Semi or a bull-dozer. You just DON'T EXPECT it to happen.
OK, does it work? Yes it does. Is it refined? No it isn't. Is it stylish? Yes.
Economical? No.
Go around corners like on rails?
Yes, flexible rails.
To sum up, yes it is MUSCLE stacked like
Arnold Swarzernneger and it could even pull a Jumbo Jet.
However, it is not elegant and agile like
Rudolf Nureyev nor quick and deadly like
Bruce Lee but like them, it's got a great NAME.
Mommy!!! I got scared lookng at it.
RIII as a street fighter, I like it. It doesn't look like it's quite made the full transformation yet, but it's a start.
To Otto, I disagree completely. Modern Triumphs are every bit as sorted as anything produced by Japan. They are building competitive, class-leading machines in several areas now.
The RIII sells on it's audacity. It has bragging rights and exploits those to no end.
The styling is funky, no matter how Triumph tweaks it. It's difficult to package what is essentially a car engine in a bike with any kind of aesthetic balance.
I think a fully performance tuned, 200 horsepower version with Speed Triple styling and a 3 into 3 pipe on one side would be the ticket. Can you say Hurricane?
Certainly by all means, disagree especially if you have OWNED and ridden a Triumph, in this context, the Rocket 3. I have.
Your last 2 paragraphs just prove that Triumph will never have a "Finished" product. By that time, ANY Japanese manufacturer will have researched, produced and re-invented about 10 products (motorcycles) each significantly improved from the previous. What Triumph buffs just don't get (and I was in love with the Bonneville for 40+ years,)
is that TIME has MOVED ON.
Apart from questionable STYLE and an unquestionable 2300cc engine the rest of the Rocket 3 is just what you BELIEVE TRIUMPH to BE.
On any given track apart from the 1/4 mile dash, WHY is there no one currently (and forever in the future) riding one to a World Championship?
Sorry, the 2010 Rocket 3 is a wanabe and you know something(?) folks in the USA have FAR exceeded this little parcel with engines (V8's) from corvettes and the like for quite some time! Even if the Rocket 3 DOUBLES it's engine size, it's still NOT THE KING the way it imagines itself to be but clearly sees itself as
wanting to be.
The original BSA/Triumph Rocket 3/Trident were FAR more honest and unpretentious. The unfortunate part is that the current Rocket 3
is making a meal out of what was truly a wonderful BSA motorcycle and trading on the PURITY of the PAST.
However, each to his taste. Some people worshipped the P76 in the same way.
LOGICAL END GAME, check out BOSS HOSS USA.
If you think the Rocket III is ugly, the Boss Hoss sets a new bar. The only thing it's got going for it in the style department is that the Chevy V8 is a better looking motor than the Rocket III. The rest of the bike looks like hammered shit.
There's always going to be something faster, better looking, better handling, better stopping, etc. Those poor suckers who bought the original 350CID Boss Hosses surely got spanked by the 502s, and they by the 572s. It never ends.
So the R3 haters can F off.
Spoken by a true gentleman with paranoia.
Who hates Rocket 3's? Who said it was ugly(???) Not me! I even said I understood why people might find it appealing. It's got a great name!
Each to his taste.
I am putting the present day "Rocket 3" in context
as a genuine wannabe,
just like their admirers.
I come from a tradition of admiring Triumphs right from the mid 60's.(Brando Wannabes...) Now, I just see them for what they ARE.
I would buy another one if I thought they actually have improved significantly and are moving to a new, fresh and modern direction.
Bonnevilles only got EFI THIS YEAR!(but minus a centre stand!)
If you think Boss Hoss is ugly, then
it's not for you, or perhaps you secretly would like one just to pose with...it's all up to you, so take your pills, though it's clearly too late.
If you actually own one and love it, then that's all that matters. Who really cares?
Whether you like Corollas or not, they are the best selling small car in the World bar none. Hondas are the best selling bikes period...(though I've never owned a Honda...)
By the same token as far as Cruisers go, the Rocket 3 is not even in the ballpark. No hate here, just fact.
Whether you spit or choke, it's up to you big man.
Hmm, Rocket III as wannabe? What exactly does it want to be? I think I get what you're saying -- in some respects it's a statement about what the Triumph name means to people as much as it is a motorcycle -- but 'wannabe' implies 'failure' or 'imitator' and the Rocket III seems like an original and successful bike to me, although I do bow to your superior knowledge of the Triumph brand.
And I do feel a little uncomfortable with their incessant regurgitation of old model names (this is the SECOND time they've re-used 'Thunderbird' already) -- they should have given the Rocket III a new name.
And yes, it probably isn't the future of motorcycling, but so what? If you're looking for Triumph's 'new, fresh and modern direction', what do you think of the Daytona 675 and Street Triple?
Chances are no new fossil-fuelled motorcycle is ever going to make as significant an impact as the best bikes of the 1960s and early 1970s did. That doesn't mean the new bikes are dishonest, it's just a different world.
The rocket 3 is not trying to be anything. It is a real motorcycle in that it's using parts designed for a motorcycle. The boss hoss is stealing a motor from a car. The quarter mile times for both are the same due to the fact boss hoss only uses a 230 rear tire and can not hook up properly. The rocket 3 also handles better then a lot of cruisers. The boss hoss really doesnt handle that great. It's also an automatic which takes away from the motorcycling experience in my opinion. The rocket is the king of real motorcycles. As far as taking it's name from an old bike, who cares they dont make it anymore so if they want to thats fine. There are only so many names bafore stealing from someone so why not yourself? It does have a 3 cylinder. It is probably put together as well if not better than jap cruisers( the rocket 3 is a cruiser despite what they want to call it). My main point is that it will not be left behind by a boss hoss or a sport bike in every day riding situations(form light to light). It wont lose to a boss hoss in the quarter mile either. The boss hoss might have a higher top speed(might). There isnt a faster or better motorcyle as far as cruisers go, so stop ragging on it and just accept that until harley puts a modern motor in their bikes or boss hoss uses a bigger tire and starts to manage their power, the rocket 3 is the king of all cruisers(better speed and handling with the capability to add saddle bags and a windshield).
I'm so tired of critics of the R3! I've had Hondas, Suzukis, Kawis and Harleys and my 5-year old R3 is the best of all worlds. I can stay with most sport bikes in the mountains, ride the highways in more comfort and style than ANY Harley, have the power to take a Hyabusa from 0-80 and still get 40 miles per gallon; all with my girlfriend on the back!!! Harleys are a cult! I was tired of having my teeth vibrated out of my mouth by 40-year old technology! My GPZ-1100b2 is fast but not good for both of us on a long ride. You get the picture. If Triumph had the R3 and the Thunderbird 5-years ago when I was looking to replace my Road King, I would have bought the T-bird but now 5-years later, you can't pry my R3 out of my hands for any amount of money (unless you give me the new Roadster version). And once you fall in love with the performance and handling, the looks just grow on you because there's nothing else this beautiful. . .
otto needs to UP the MEDS.
Bought one of the first in 2004 - done 30K weekend riding.
...waited all my life for this bike.
It's not a VMax....
R3 Roadster will be in my garage next year after the Tiger 1050 SE this year.
Can´t you just admit it?
Rocket just rocks! I´m a very proud owner of
2004 rocket 3 (tuned a little bit for better
perfomance). Economical? who cares!?
blast to drive? who cares!?
But when you "drop the hammer",there´s no-one
(and I mean no-one) who can beat me.
My friends can verify that( hayabusa and zx-14
owners) Rocket is the king of red lights!
I owned a Valkyrie for 10yrs, bought an 06 rocket in 07. I have put 18000 miles on it and love every minute. Not enother cruiser on the market that can beat it, eccept for new V-Max. That being said I've added a 50hp of nos plus computer chip. Rocket is now around 220hp. 0-60 ?? really fast. Triumph has come a long way and getting better every year
Amazing bike !!
Modern Trumpy's are as well made / finished as Jap / German bikes. 18,000 Rocket III's sold worldwide says to me TRIUMPH have their act together. If you have any doubts, go to a dealer and check them out. You won't be disappointed !!
It's okay, otto had some PMS and made a few comments between school homework assignments and tweeting her friends.
The Rocket is a man's bike. Wanna have a latte with the boys and go 300kph on something that has the styling of your mum's tupperware? Get a Japanese bike. Wanna hit out a few 400lb bench presses and then hit the road with style? The R3 Roadster's your bike.
triumph now knows the rocket is more for people like me than for cruisers, move the pegs back so your feet are under you and you can handle it like a BMW R1200RT and can control it and ride it long a time unlike the V max or any other powerful pocket rocket I have ridden one many times and if the new has it pegs moved back so my feet are under me , there will be a new roadster next to my R1200RT this year. all the power but you not it a racing position or your feet are out in front of you where you don't have good control
Love ALL of the comments!!! Even Otto's!!! To each their own...I currently ride a 2000 Trophy 1200 but looking to trade up. I am looking for something different and the Rocket III fits the bill o a tee!!! I took an extended test ride on one last summer...like riding a bus compared to my Trophy...but a REALLYcool bus!!! I hate Harley's...mostly I hate Harley riders attitudes. I'm looking for a cruiser style bike that all eat most Harley's lunch
Had my 2005 Triumph Rocket 3 for 9 days 1 closey 9 fast mornings and regenerated Heart. From a 74 T150 to a Jet that encourages RESPECT. Don't Dis it till you try it. If your nutless you will fail if you have Love & Respect in your Heart.
Like Fine Woman and Wine Rocket 3s are Forever.
Are YOU!
"What?"
Happy New Year FOLKS! I can see, as a NY Resolution, that I need to make peace with ALL...
I will re-visit the 2010 R3 (Roadster-Toaster)with FRESH appreciation and try to understand why it's so admired...I might even JOIN these wankers and buy one, start wearing a Bandana and a studded black leather belt around my neck too... !(Just JOKING OK?)
I can do with another bike in the garage! Genuinely folks, no offence...I am happy to join ANY party as an added EXTRA.
I have come to the conclusion that having a PARTY is all that matters...I just hope the guests don't trash my place...
I WILL seriously check my wife's pulse, when the R3 reaches 2.5L, 199RWHP and 1/4 mile in sub 10 seconds.
cheerio,
Otto
I street race the yamahe roadstar 1700 with stage 4 and its a blast now im out racing this rocket 3 and it handles mutch better then i expected . at takeoff riding this bike , i feel like i may put velcrow on my handlebars to keep a better grip on the handlebars .twice ive lost grip on my left hand aborting the race . the torqe is there so is some adrenlin . like to get performance kit like pistons and h/p cam . none available ,this bike could stand a bigger back tire .it burns shit out of the stock tire ,and a 6 speed .lil worried about durability of the gears/engine ,i dont like repairs.ill be running this bike hard and post what i break apart..oh it is fun and it feels good . cops hate it already...
Hi guys, My roadster has just arrived to the shop here in Australia. As far as the shop has informed me it is the first sold rocket 3 Roadster in the country. Today is Friday and the pickup is Tuesday. I just cant wait!!! and not even the minutes are passing :(
As for the discussion, I believe all bikes are great and they each have their purpose. I had many different bikes(Yamaha Virago, Vespa, Turbo Busa, Harley Softail, Honda CBR 900RR, Kawasaki Vulcan)and now it is a different journey.
I say lets enjoy these great machines and keep riding. As for my view on the Roadster, it looks like everything I ever wanted from a bike and heard great reviews about the previous models.
4 sleeps to go and I will be riding it and I am sure I will be enjoying! :)
To the comment of otto,b***s***.
I have built various jap bikes and as for finish the rocket is right up there and beyond.Ride it for what it is and it is hard to beat.not quite a street fighter or a cruiser it falls inbetween the two.LOVE IT