Triumph Rocket III review

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Triumph Rocket III review
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Triumph Rocket III review

III-dimensional

More displacement, more power, more torque: The Rocket III is preparing to break the usual dimensions of the cruiser establishment.

He stands perplexed in front of this bogus motorcycle and puzzles. His gaze sweeps over the monumental, high-arched tank, the engine towering vertically like a ship’s diesel engine in the engine deck, the three gleaming chrome manifolds, the monstrous side pipes and the fat cylinder on the rear wheel. And it sticks to the emblem on the side cover: Rocket III, including 2300 cc. Finally, the neighbour’s expression brightened up: “Six-cylinder V-engine, installed lengthways.” The answer that 2.3 liters displacement is distributed over just three pots puts him completely out of his mind again: “That doesn’t exist sometimes with car engines. ”
That’s right, and that‘s exactly what makes you curious. Not just him and not just the cruiser community. The idea of ​​three huge cylinders, each more than three quarters of a liter in size, in which huge pistons via very long connecting rods (see MOTORRAD 11/2004) generate a lot of torque on the crankshaft, inspires the imagination, creates images of spinning rear wheel, folded asphalt, storming off bike. Associations that inspire respect.
On the other hand, the Triumph invites you to the American way of drive. Sunk behind the voluminous tank in the wide seat cushion, the legs casually stretched forward, everything under control with the ultra-wide handlebars, she seems to seductively whisper to the driver: Truck around the clock, no problem. The Rocket reflects
himself and the world vain in the sunlight, emerges as a dazzling personality
on. Chrome wherever you look. Not British understatement, but American glamor, not Rolls Royce but Cadillac ?? With this, the Englishwoman demonstrates that her fathers want to win over the US clientele above all.
And what about their inner values? Pressing the starter button elicits a bassy, ​​surprisingly subtle rumble from the three-cylinder, accompanied by a slight whistle. The Rocket also amazes when it comes to clutching the clutch. The hand force is as low as if the torque of a 125cc were to be transmitted. But the gears want to be engaged with force, the lush pairs of gears announce their presence with every gear change with a robust »clone«.
The countdown is on, the Rocket tenses its muscles for the start. Just above idling speed, it sprints off, lifts itself far out of control at the front and rear, jerks the driver forward impetuously and breaks the 100 km / h mark after 3.4 seconds. When turning the gears up
in the red area at 6500 rpm, the initial grumbling changes suddenly and turns into angry hissing. No longer deny the number of cylinders and lapse into the triumph-typical triad.
Thanks to the balancer shaft, the expressions of life are surprisingly subtle. Almost no
vibrations, neither good nor bad, at most a slight tingling sensation in the handlebars testify to the huge eruptions in the under-plate-sized combustion chambers.
Although the Rocket breaks all cruiser records, the asphalt does not curl and the rear wheel does not break out in high-slip rotation. The reason: The designers have the torque in
limited to the lower three gears in order to nip playful exuberance in the bud, as a kind of launch control. Only on wet ground does the rear wheel spin vigorously when starting off. But the domain of power drilling is not the drag strip, but relaxed cruising. Start up, shift up to in
the fifth gear, then ignore the gear lever, the lush torque ??
its maximum is at a sovereign height of 190 Newton meters at just 3300 rpm ?? Manage with the throttle and casually
with 2500 revolutions and 100 km / h
glide along.
But it can also be different. Need an example? At the town sign with open throttle valves, the Rocket lives up to its name, sprints off, pulls in last gear from 60 to 100 km / h in 3.5 seconds and not only blows the cruiser competition away according to all the rules of the art, but lets even the fastest Super athletes behind in this area. And in 3.9 seconds from 100 to 140 km / h, every overtaking maneuver is practically designed as a relaxation exercise from the wrist. Who the achievement of 135
If you want to savor measured horses, the Rocket beams them quickly to 220 km / h on the motorway. Although the driving stability would allow significantly more, too
when the pilot is desperate at the handlebars
clinging tight, the Speedlimiter puts a stop to the wild goings-on at this brand. And the easy-to-dose, not too toxic brakes catch the Rocket in any situation with ease.
So cruising in its perfect shape? At least as long as the road surface is flat. But even with manhole covers, the Triumph admonishes its captain with a dry step in the cross to cruise instead of cross and swings underdamped with the stern, while the fork, although also slightly underdamped, calmly puts away uneven road surfaces. This also applies to the cornering area. On a level road, the fat Triumph is surprisingly willing to turn, falls from one lean angle to the next without much effort, and steers easily and harmoniously with the wide 160 mm front tire into the narrowest
Bends almost by themselves.
The longitudinal crankshaft and the
low center of gravity let the 362 kilos-
gram live weight almost forgotten. On
However, the extra-wide 240 mm rear tire unmistakably signals that the driver is poaching in the wrong area by tilting around the longitudinal axis. The Rocket then stumbles a little haphazardly through the most varied of radii and protests with dragging footrests against briskly approached bends. What is the only appropriate type of cruising for her, she always communicates bluntly.
And crackles in quiet tones long after the roll-out,
as if she wanted to philosophize about the pure doctrine of cruising, about its ambiguous character. Flirted on the one hand with the rustic charm of Arnold Schwarzenegger, as if she were a clear case for show business or American politics. On the other hand, behaves like a true British gentleman,
who irrevocably keeps his well-groomed tone and his drinking habits
always under control. With 6.7 liters of land-
road consumption keeps the heavyweight’s thirst within limits. When it comes down to it, this is the one R.ocket III with
full punch on the spot. This mixture of good behavior and steam hammer-
It is mentality that gives it a level of sovereignty that has never been achieved among cruisers.

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Triumph Rocket III review

Triumph Rocket III review
III-dimensional

MOTORCYCLE measurements

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 14.4 sec

Draft
60 ?? 100 km / h 3.5 sec
100 ?? 140 km / h 3.9 sec
140 180 km / h 5.5 sec

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

Fuel type super
Consumption in the test
at 100 km / h 5.7 l / 100 km
at 130 km / h 6.7 l / 100 km
Country road 6.7 l / 100 km
Theor. Range 373 km

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 362 kg
Payload 223 kg
Wheel load distribution f / r 46/54%

Technical specifications

engine
Water-cooled three-cylinder four-stroke in-line engine, crankshaft lying lengthways, 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, mechanically operated multiple discs -Oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan.

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

landing gear
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
mass and weight
Wheelbase 1695 mm, steering head angle 58 degrees, caster 152 mm, spring travel f / r 120/105 mm, permissible total weight
585 kg, tank capacity 25 liters.

Two year guarantee

Colors red, black

Price 17 750 euros

Additional costs around 240 euros

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