Riding through the picturesque wine country around Sonoma, California, in the saddle of Triumph’s new Rocket III, I am gliding along a smooth stretch of two-lane highway in top gear, at around 55mph. It feels as if I am on autopilot, as we effortlessly pass grandiose wineries, their well-tended vineyards running to the base of the surrounding hills.
I am deep in thought about how this new Triumph will be looked upon in the evolution of motorcycling years to come. Because, at 2,300cc, the new Triumph Rocket III is the largest production motorcycle in existence. And, producing 140 horsepower and a Herculean 147 foot-pound of torque, the most powerful cruiser yet, which should easily be enough for a trip into the history books.
Eclipsing Kawasaki’s new Vulcan by nearly 300cc, and making the largest Harley Davidson look positively anaemic at 1449c, it is a bold move by those blokes from across the pond: A move that is gaining them a lot of interest and attention, as more than 1500 people worldwide have already put deposits on the bike. This is particularly impressive, when you consider Triumph employees are the only people to have ridden one.
Utilizing an enormous 240 section rear tyre, massive 101.6 mm pistons, the size of the slugs found in a Dodge Viper, and an emission system with catalytic converter that passes the upcoming 2006 Euro 3 standards, the new Rocket III is definitely taking a few firsts in the motorcycle industry.
Unusually for a new model, the world’s press was actually introduced to the Rocket III in San Antonio, Texas, last year. What was different about this was that no one got to ride the bike at that time. I managed to conveniently be busy, wanting to invest my two days of travel time on an actual ride. And, heading back to my North Carolina home in a Delta 757 sardine tin, can only say it was well worth the wait.
In usual press launch format, a technical brief preceded the ride, and Product manager Ross Clifford gave us his usual informative presentation. Armed with a half hour’s worth of facts and figures, the strongest impression I was left with was not the radically large cylinders, or the incredible fact that the crank shaft weighs 39 lbs, but what an incredible journey the Rocket III has been for Triumph. Starting as a concept back in June 1999, it has taken five years for these thoughts and ideas to end up as completed motorcycles, ready for critical evaluation by the world’s press.
