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• Simply cool
• MOTORCYCLE measurements – Triumph Rocket III
• Technical data – Triumph Rocket III
• Scoring: Engine – Triumph Rocket III
• Scoring: Chassis – Triumph Rocket III
• Scoring: Safety – Triumph Rocket III
• Scoring: Everyday Life – Triumph Rocket III
• Scoring: Comfort – Triumph Rocket III
• Scoring: costs / environment
• Conclusion – Triumph Rocket III

Jorg Kunstle

Top test Triumph Rocket III

Simply cool

The bigger, the better? With the Rocket III, Triumph redefines the limits of a standard cruiser. Nowhere is there more displacement and more torque. But smoke alone? like the cult car Hummer 2 ?? is not enough for the British woman.

Na, keep. Not now. The little green light on the speedometer gives the all-clear. Neutral. OK then. There is still time to rethink everything. 2.3
Liters displacement, just under 200 Newton meters of torque. What values! A volcano that protects itself from erupting. In the first three gears the engine management deprives up to a quarter of its torque, in the fifth one
Well before the performance point, again cut over the electronics (see diagram on page 40). It whistles to a theoretical 253 km / h top speed and is satisfied with 216 km / h. Which gestures could demonstrate potential more confidently than this generous self-restraint? Simply relaxed to show everyone that you could do a lot more ?? if you only wanted to.
Triumph Rocket III, a monument made of seven hundredweight steel, aluminum and chrome.
A cruiser from England like the one in America-
nischer couldn’t be. One who wants to show the Americans: There is even more Harley possible. Similar to the Hummer H2, the
legendary counterpart of the Rocket on four wheels. Just as bombastic, just as unreasonable. Weighing three tons, six liters, 330 hp, 80,000 euros expensive. America on wheels. This is exactly where the Rocket should hit. And it does. Well, at least the more cosmopolitan Harley freaks across the Atlantic are impressed by this Ferris wheel, and even in good old Germany 600 enthusiasts have signed an 18,000 euro check since it was presented last year.
All right, if so many others can do it too. The left hand grips carefully
to the clutch. A faint click, the first course is in place. Idle gas is enough to drive off. The rich bass of the three-cylinder rumbles a shade deeper, hardly impressed. A moment later they are actually rolling ?? 361 kilograms plus driver. Not a single one is hidden. Like a mountain range, the front builds up in the field of vision, mirroring chrome. Half a meter of tank and barely a meter of handlebars stand across, leave the grille ?? As large as the doormat of a British manor house ?? and insert the turbine-blade-sized front fender into the huge whole.
Nevertheless, even at walking pace the XXL bike instills astonishing confidence. Doesn’t need any deflections with the fully chrome-plated rudder to stay on course, but stabilizes like an oversized trial motorcycle. Thanks to the deep center of gravity. The crankshaft circles just eight inches above the asphalt and holds it up
Monster like a stand-up man ver-
tical. Speaking of the engine: Inge are the brand’s recipe for success, the three-cylinder-
Hinckley engineers remained loyal to their thickest ship. However, the Big Triple hangs lengthways in the backbone frame, accommodates its clutch on the front side and the five-speed gearbox parallel to the cylinder bank.
The first gear pair is still meshing. But pure curiosity gives courage. Second gear, third gear, fourth gear. The gearshift lever must be pulled upwards with determined force. The smooth clutch is astonishing. The trick: the plate pack rotates ?? untypical for a motorcycle engine? almost at crankshaft speed and therefore has to transmit a comparatively low torque. But only in comparison. Because all of this is only of marginal interest now, disappears behind the currently only decisive question: How long can arms get if these 198 Newton meters twist the cardan shaft?
Gas! Without swallowing a single time, without jerking, without hesitation, the injector kicks off from a standing start. Already pushes just over 1000 revolutions with the sovereignty of a marine diesel, gently lifts the fork and stern out of the springs. Pressing the bumblebee into the comfortable seat forces the fingers to clench convulsively around the handlebars. The tame babbling of the in-line engine quickly turns into a hoarse, dull hiss. 2000, 4000, 6000 revolutions ?? Rocket, no other name would have been more appropriate for the Triumph.
Nothing else could have shaken the image of the sluggish cruiser off this motorcycle faster than this irrepressible pressure. It is this vehemence that outshines everything and defines the motorcycle in a very clear way. That makes turning the throttle the focal point, apart from which everything else is secondary. Enough is never enough. Almost unconsciously, you let the speed drop in order to pick it up immediately afterwards and to feel this elemental force over and over again, to hear this hissing from the three overlong exhaust pipes again.
And ?? Hand on heart ?? that this bull is something in the lower three gears
is taken by the horns no one resents. Sometimes enough is enough. 3.4 seconds from zero to one hundred speak for themselves, 3.9 seconds from 100 to 140 km / h even more. In addition, you move the big bike anyway
most of all in the fattest part of the shoot-
torque curve. The engine feels most comfortable between 2000 and 4000 revolutions, purrs almost vibration-free, only to run a little rougher above the 4000 mark. Oh yes, photographer Jorg im Hummer can no longer be seen in the rear-view mirrors. At eleven seconds from zero to one hundred he has next-
if you have time, lay out a stack of bills for the refueling stop. Compared to the H2’s enormous average fuel consumption of 25 liters, the Triumph is still considered an eco-vehicle despite at least seven liters per 100 kilometers of petrol consumption. And, as a consolation, swallows barely half a liter more on the motorway with 7.3 liters than overland. Which, in conjunction with a proud 25 liter tank capacity, ultimately contributes to the tourer’s suspicious range of 362 kilometers.
It’s good that Jorg has some distance.
The brakes of the US car are not the best ?? in contrast to the stoppers of the Rocket. This is not only due to the two easy-to-dose, 320-millimeter disc brakes, each with a four-piston caliper in the front wheel. Because of the low seating position and the long wheelbase, the rear wheel seems to stick-
sucked on the ground, the double-piston floating caliper can bite into the eight millimeters record-breaking brake disc in the rear wheel and also help to brake the stout British woman with a braking deceleration of astonishing 9.8 m / s2 at super sports level. And that over and over again. With minimal brake fading, the fat driver doesn’t need to fear the rapid descent from alpine passes.
What to do on country roads at least-
calm down. Because this is how the Rocket otherwise overrides the typical weaknesses of the cruiser faction, when it comes to freedom from banking, the genes come through. The pace has to be right, especially before tight bends, in which the suspension is additionally compressed. Even if the footrests give an early warning: this far and no further. But shortly after the rattle of the foldable notches, the footrest brackets, which are firmly screwed to the frame, brutally and viciously lever the vehicle off the track.
If, on the other hand, the terrain opens up a little, the curves become wider and sweeter, the Triumph can be overcome-
Move surprisingly quickly through the meander. Once again he knows how to skilfully hide her pounds, even to glide sportily over the curves of the landscape, which the look in the rearview mirror confirms: Jorg is gone again. Swings with the softly sprung lobster somewhere far behind the Rocket over the sea of ​​waves on German country roads.
What the Triumph, should the asphalt belt get bumpy, but also does. Even the smallest inclines on vibrating slopes or minimal ruts on straights are enough for the imposing 240 Metzeler Marathon on the rear 7.5 inch wide rim to transform the solid single-track vehicle into a multi-track vehicle. Then the point of contact of the show tire, which immediately moves out of the middle in the event of bumps, brings the otherwise so good
Driving behavior tremendously and sustainably. In the literal sense of the word. Like a skipper in a hurricane, the hitherto sovereign cruiser pilot suddenly hangs on the handlebars, trying to keep the lurching frigate on course.
The underdamped and hard-tuned spring struts contribute to the egg dance on the provincial streets. None of the five stages in the spring-
base is adjustable, will really fit. Even the only position that works at least approximately in solo operation, level three, is ultimately only operational
Mitigation of harm. Hardly improves the unfavorable combination of short spring travel and weak damping. Especially since the typical chopper sitting position with the extremities stretched forward leaves no chance for resistance. Every blow goes straight to the back? there like
the sensitively appealing 43 fork
show so compassionately.
But honestly, does that even count for the newly selected leader in the cruiser best list? With this engine, with this sound. The right hand gives the answer. And anyway, where is Jorg?

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Top test Triumph Rocket III
Simply cool

Was there anything else? – Triumph Rocket III

plus
Enormously powerful, yet cultivated engine
Maintenance-free cardan drive
For a cruiser quite agile
Sensitive, appealing fork
Smooth coupling
Appealing sound
Practical tank volume
minus
Lean angle becomes hard at first
limited by the footrest retaining brackets
Rear suspension uncomfortable
Strong chassis unrest on undulating curves
Sensitivity to longitudinal grooves
Exorbitant weight and expansive
Dimensions
Suspension settings
Fork: spring base and
Attenuation not adjustable
Struts: spring base at level 3,
in pillion mode at level 4
Attenuation not adjustable

MOTORCYCLE measurements – Triumph Rocket III

Performance
Top speed * 216 km / h

acceleration
0 100 km / h 3.4 sec
0 ?? 140 km / h 6.1 sec
0 200 km / h 14.1 sec

Draft
60 ?? 100 km / h 3.4 sec
100 ?? 140 km / h 3.9 sec
140 180 km / h 5.8 sec

Speedometer deviation
Effective (display 50/100) 50/96 km / h

Tachometer deviation
Maximum speed display
1st to 4th gear 7000 / min
Effective 6500 rpm

Consumption in the test
at 130 km / h 7.3 l / 100 km
Country road 6.9 l / 100 km
Theor. Range 362 km
Fuel type super

mass and weight
L / W / H 2460/960/1310 mm
Seat height 740 mm
Handlebar height 1110 mm
Turning circle 7550 mm
Weight with a full tank 361 kg
Payload 224 kg
Wheel load distribution f / r 46/54%
Driving dynamics 1

Brake measurement
Braking distance from 100 km / h 39.4 meters
Average deceleration 9.8 m / s2
Comments: During the brake test, many a super sports car will have to look around for the Rocket III, it is already after 39.4 meters. On the one hand, it is due to the fact that the rear can also be effectively braked, and the four-piston fixed calipers grip well. The pressure point only begins to move after several braking operations.

Handling course I (fast slalom)
Lap time 24.1 sec
vmax at the measuring point 88.7 km / h
Comments: With fast oblique-
Change of position must be pulled vigorously on the wide handlebar. But nobody expected that this exercise could be the parade discipline of the Rocket III.

Handling course II (slow slalom)
Lap time 35.1 sec
vmax at the measuring point 43.7 km / h
Comments: Particularly at slow speeds in bends, strong counter-steering is required. The slight lean angle is initially limited by the footrest, but immediately afterwards by the hard-fitting chrome bar that carries the footrest.

Technical data – Triumph Rocket III

Engine: water-cooled three-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, lengthways crankshaft, two overhead, chain-driven camshafts, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, dry sump lubrication, injection, Ø 52 mm, regulated catalytic converter, 492 W alternator, 12 V / 18 Ah battery, mechanical actuated multi-plate oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan shaft.
Bore x stroke 101.6 x 94.3 mm
Cubic capacity 2294 cm3
Compression ratio 8.7: 1
rated capacity
103 kW (140 PS) at 5750 rpm

Max. Torque 200 Nm at 2500 rpm

Pollutant values ​​(homologation) in g / km
CO 1.474 / HC 0.090 / NOx 0.111

Chassis: Bridge frame made of steel, load-bearing motor, upside-down fork, Ø 43 mm, two-arm swing arm made of steel, two spring struts, adjustable spring base, double disc brake at the front, Ø 320 mm, four-piston fixed calipers, disc brake at the rear, Ø 316 mm, double-piston floating caliper.

Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 7.50 x 16

Tires 150/80 R 17; 240/50 R 16

Tires in the Metzeler Marathon 880 test
Dimensions and weights: wheelbase 1695 mm, steering head angle 58 degrees, caster 152 mm, spring travel f / h 120/105 mm,
permissible total weight 585 kg, tank-
content 25 liters.

Service data
Service intervals every 16,000 km

Oil and filter change every 16,000 km / 5.0 l

Engine oil SAE 10W 40

Telescopic fork oil SAE 5

Spark plugs NGK DPR8EA9

Idle speed 800 ± 50 / min
Tire pressure solo (with pillion passenger)
front / rear 2.4 / 2.9 (2.4 / 2.9) bar

Two year guarantee

Colors yellow, gray, red, black

Price 17,750 euros

Additional costs around 240 euros

Scoring: Engine – Triumph Rocket III

There is no substitute for displacement. Point. And more torque
as with the three-cylinder there is nowhere. Point again. But the Big Triple is not satisfied with mere records. The unit convinces with problem-free
Cold start behavior, smooth clutch and low load-
alternating reactions, with sheer force? and good manners.

Scoring: Chassis – Triumph Rocket III

And yet she is moving. Despite its 361 kilograms, the Rocket can be easily angled and kept on course. The 240 mm rear tire spoils the bottom line on a bumpy track, as does that
hard tuning of the struts.

Scoring: Safety – Triumph Rocket III

Inertial mass? Perhaps, but the adequately dimensioned stoppers, including the rear eight
Millimeter thick disc impresses, brake the giant
loosely back on. That’s a good thing, because in tight bends the notches touch down all too early, as is typical for cruisers. And watch out when pulling out of a parking space. The oil pan scrapes quickly over the curb. Straight-line issue: great ?? on level asphalt.

Scoring: Everyday Life – Triumph Rocket III

different: decent range thanks to
25 liter tank and
also give sufficient payload
Cruising more freedom. Only one main stand is missing. It be forgiven ?? at the weight.

Scoring: Comfort – Triumph Rocket III

Typical cruiser: The handlebars are wide,
the bench thick, but everyone
Blow goes straight to the back. It’s similarly inconvenient for the pillion passenger.
But the engine purrs like
a kitten ?? inspiring.

Scoring: costs / environment

Another record: 16,000 kilometers ??
less often no motorcycle has to be serviced. But the huge mass drifts in the country roads-
ran up consumption. And anyway: cruiser does not mean ancient technology,
iconic packaging? at least not with triumph.

Conclusion – Triumph Rocket III

The bigger, the better? Who so far
has doubted it is now convinced at the latest. Moving a Rocket III is one of the most impressive moments of a motorcyclist’s life. The Triumph has redefined the terrain of the cruiser with a simple recipe: there is really no substitute for displacement.

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