Triumph's Newest Rocket Revealed - First Ride

Motorcycle Cruiser World Exclusive!2007 Triumph Rocket Iii Touring

Triumph built the Rocket III for America, and for the land of goin' large, you'd think it would be the ultimate cruising motorcycle. Three cylinders, 2294cc and huge amounts of torque wrapped by a bike so big it almost qualifies for its own zip code? Well, it's done OK for Triumph in the States, but wasn't, to be frank, quite the right mix to really hit a home run. While it's certainly a unique motorcycling proposition, maybe it's a little too weird looking, slightly too intimidating to ride and maybe not quite best suited to knocking out really big days in the saddle.

None of which the very nice Mr. Simon Warburton of Triumph really wants to admit when I suggest as such. But, hey, I've got the only secret Willy Wonka Golden Ticket to a sneak preview-and ride-of the much rumored about, occasionally caught on spy-cam, brand-spanking-new Rocket III Touring long before its actual unveiling. So best use it not lose it, eh?

I'm ensconced deep in the heart of Triumph's Hinckley, Leicestershire, HQ slap bang in the middle of the U.K. Over coffee I ask Simon to talk me through the new Rocket III. He knows his stuff, so I just let him and my Dictaphone roll. "So, the Rocket III Touring-this is a com-pletely new bike. It's got a new frame, forks, wheels, fuel tank, exhaust system, redesigned parts in the shaft drive...the only thing essentially the same as the existing Rocket is the engine, though that's making more torque lower in the rev range thanks to the new exhaust..." At that point he turns his laptop around and shows me a crisp catalogue shot of the new bike. And it does look far different, as you'll have noticed by now.

"Touring's becoming more important, mainly in the States, but also from a worldwide perspective," he continues. "And we got a lot of feedback through our U.S. distributor and dealers from touring and cruising customers which we've taken onboard with the new Rocket. Some of it's cosmetic; the twin headlights on the original Rocket are very European, and the traditional cruiser rider wants a big, chrome headlight. We've also placed the instruments in the fuel tank, because that's where the majority of cruiser riders want to find them.

"The screen is spring-loaded and detaches in seconds. Again, because that's what our customers want. You'll notice there is now one exhaust pipe per side; a lot of riders didn't like the asymmetric two pipes on one side, one on the other layout of the original. We learnt that it's the little things that really matter sometimes."

"The Rocket III's very difficult to place in a niche, which we have to acknowledge is part of its appeal to many people. But at this high-end of the market, we're asking riders to make a stretch from an air-cooled V-twin to a liquid-cooled inline triple. We want to make the bike have that Triumph difference, yet not feel too different. The main thing we focused on was comfort, and we've done a lot of work on tuning the suspension and getting the seat construction just right. The Rocket III Touring rides and feels very different to the existing Rocket. The effort's gone into improving low-speed handling with much lighter steering at all speeds-but you'll soon figure that for yourself."

He's right, and I'm itching to get on the thing. So without further ado, I'm pitched out the back of the factory and examining the two Rocket III Tourings silently waiting for me. One is shiny as a new pin and looks very production quality, while the other is a scruffy, well-used development nail that looks like it came out of the dumpster. Trevor Barton, my Triumph riding chaperone, explains that the hack is actually the bike as it'll feel to ride, while the minter has just come back from the 2008 catalogue shoot and isn't a great runner (see "Where's Ma Mule?" sidebar).