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Welcome to the club !! (Editor’s note
: in 4 words !! )
A couple of years ago I had the opportunity
to run in one of the first Rockets
3 releases on the market. I had kept an excellent one
remember even if this kind of machine is absolutely not
my cup of tea. Omnipresent torque, easy power
usable, flawless handling … in short, a good bike
certainly not within the reach of all budgets (18,010 €!)
but which cannot subsequently disappoint its owner.
Regularly, during the walks, I had the opportunity
to share the road with Rocket owners in the desert
Moroccan, in the heart of deep Italy, in the Spanish sierras
and all around the French coasts … I always had
could see the same reliability on the machines and appreciate
this particular look that turns the crowds around !!
Triumph recently released a new version of this model
atypical … I couldn’t resist, I had to borrow it…
.
Discovery
At first glance the difference between the Rocket Classic and the Touring
do not jump to the eyes … Of course, there is the position of the controls
a little further back, the saddle which seems to grant a little more
of importance to the passenger that the pouffe of the initial model and
the disappearance of the tachometer assembly in favor of a
block on the tank in true custom style. For the rest,
many items that were going to be mounted
as accessories by any purchaser of R3, not limiting
not its use for simple cruising on the seaside, is found to be original
on the Touring.
Triumph has thus added a removable windshield, a pair of suitcases
rigid, foot steps to replace the footrests, a selector
double branch, tachometer on the tank and more than
60 accessories … In terms of weight loss, the reservoir
lost 3 liters, the width of the rear tire has increased
from 240 to 180 mm … The bike is always in abundance
of chrome, the oversize and the engine that the average Beijing
could imagine that it is of a displacement
greater than the vast majority of cars, remains
the same: 2300 cm3 developing 108.6 horsepower for a couple
monstrous 21.6 mkg !
Getting started is no problem for those who already have
had the opportunity to manipulate the "long horn" which serves
handlebars. The driving position, even if the use of walking
feet allows to reposition the feet a little further back
continues to put the cervical spine in direct relation to the
road chaos … through the spine
perfectly straight !!
The controls fall well, the gearbox is remarkable
smooth even if to find the neutral point it is necessary
to repeat it several times, the engine torque (again
increases !! ) is ubiquitous. We always take pleasure in
resume in 5th at 1000 laps and feel this
mass which snorts without complaining in any way
!!
We are not talking about braking which is always as efficient and perfectly adapted.
machine. A front brake that stops in all circumstances
and a rear brake which is both retarder and stabilizer
and which can prove to be absolutely decisive in
emergency.
I can already see you with a smile on your face, you you
tell Herve he is vaccinated Triumph and there he goes
put another layer on us … wait, wait, don’t be
not in such a hurry … the red wire with the red wire and the green wire
with the green thread !!
Departmental
I left Nîmes towards the Cevennes on a machine
who did not even have 5 km on the clock with the load of
run in. Walk around at six in the evening in the middle
traffic on something that weighs all full facts and pilot
on board not far from half a ton (yes, I know I am
am a little wrapped up !! 397 kilos all full made for the Rocket)
it seems a hell of a sinecure, well RAS … As long as
you quickly figured out the wheelbase of the
beast and that you do not have any inclination to deliver
pizza everything is like in the best of all possible worlds !
From the first turns of the wheels you will understand that everything
is in the engine.
The backhoe loader couple makes it possible to get out of any
location and low saddle height ensure remarkable stability
to face the mess of the ring road
nîmes. Once out of town, even if you stay away
to a diet that does not risk you at any time
lose your license, you experience intense pleasure. The
motorbike is easy and you will find yourself cruising from a
quite naturally, the imposing machine is
playing long straights and fitting in wonderfully
in wide curves.
There was a little drizzle and behind the large windshield I was
relatively well protected. Where it gets tough
a little is when some coating defects appear
where you will quickly find that this new Rocket does not like
really no differences in level. In addition, the tires
origin imply an absolute distrust of everything
that looks like too smooth tar. A pair of figure of speech
further and you will immediately reduce the speed of a good
ten kilometers per hour to avoid stacking
a machine which amounts to nearly twenty thousand
euros (19,290 € to be precise). So be careful !!
Note the reduction in the diameter of the rear tire
passed in 180 while it is in 240 on the model
initial and the passage of the front wheel in 17 inches. When we associate
that to the increase of the hunting of more than 30 cm, that
will please people from the new world accustomed to the great outdoors.
On the other hand, that complicates the situation a bit for us.
more followers of the sequence of turns than cruising
on long straights. Avoid braking in an approached curve
a bit quickly because you will instantly find yourself in
the opposing part of the roadway. The Rocket Touring, also bizarre
let it appear, be piloted. Approach the curve in a way
reasonable and everything will be fine, hit the brake because you have
been too optimistic and in this case pray that
opposite there is not the 30 tons which holds all the roadway,
the sanction is likely to be immediate !!
These precautions taken, you will then have plenty of time to
take a tour of the owner. The comodos are easy to use
and I will give a special mention to the order
on the right thumb of this on-board computer which will display you on the superb
central counter, as pressure is applied, the mileage
traveled, time, and remaining mileage before redoing
full.
A few remarks, however: Why did you equip this
machine, after all reserved for large tourism on long
distances, from a tank smaller than the model
original? As equipped with its accessories the CX
of the beast is equivalent to that of a cabinet
Normandy autonomy is limited to 280 km…
You will tell me with the help of the computer previously
described and the display of the remaining km which settles
automatically when the reserve indicator lights up, you
will have plenty of time to see the sad moment come when you
will have to push !! The mirrors are the same as those of the
Street Triple, sufficient but nothing more, why not have equipped
the beauty of large mirrors … the Cx would not have suffered more
!! And from an accessory point of view, the English could have equipped
the Touring of heated grips, a warning and, but
this would have been the icing on the cake,
a gear indicator engaged…
Just to show the beast I stopped in front of
a nice little troquet … I open one of the suitcases … and
I instantly see that I am totally incapable of doing it
store my simple throw … Even if the so-called "panniers
»Have acquired a superb chrome protection, the engineers
designers could have thought of this simple detail and expanded
their wheelbase of three centimeters … to "do
in the truck ”we are not within an inch
!!
With this machine it is impossible to go unnoticed, to the point
from an aesthetic point of view of course, because the noise emitted by
the exhausts – standards oblige – can be assimilated
to that of a safety generator…
We no longer hear the engine, it’s still a bit
damage and since the horn is as anemic as the barking
of a German Shepherd fitted with a
retention you don’t have any more, when you are going to overtake someone,
that he guessed your presence in his retro
!!
Apart from that I did a good thousand kilometers
riding the Touring, I took the fleet and enjoyed
the fact that I wasn’t drenched like a soup
; I railed against the fact that the mud takes a malicious pleasure
to be embedded in every nook and cranny of this superb engine
and rediscovered the real pleasure of cruising. Two for the ride,
my passenger did not complain outrageously about the comfort
from the back seat while on the normal Rocket she insisted
to leave the pouf and sit with me on the cowboy
driver. Like her, very well installed and legs
falling at the right height, I enjoyed the
walking feet which, as long as you do not have any inclinations
attack too pronounced, are high enough to ensure
a relative ground clearance (it should also be noted
that they are equipped with interchangeable pads if
however you want to cut them to a point !! ). I have
forgot my tortuous routes to favor
national tourism. In short I had fun on the handlebars
of a motorcycle which is however the antipodes of my machine style.
I met a guy on a Harley whose Legacy
Softail was dwarf next to my pachyderm. I am
caught accelerating with a kid in CBR
and it stuck on the ass … In short I had a good laugh
during these few trial days.
If you are tempted know that the beast will cost you
the skin of the rollers (but when you love you don’t count !!), only when
you are going to give the gray card you are going to cry again and that when
your insurer will know that you are riding a Rocket you will be entitled to
all his consideration. Expect to see it turn
all eyes on you when you reach the terrace
a coffee and be careful not to
put in the pile when you leave. Be certain that your idea
preconceived idea of cruising will find its true expression here
and get ready to go buy a ticket to Los Angeles
to discover the real wide open spaces !!
We needed a "Bigger", Triumph made it … If we had to find a more anachronistic one we could say that they
are not far from having reissued the performance
!!
Welcome to the "Touring" club !!
Strong points
- Motor
- Stability on good surface and in wide curves
- Comfort
- Ease of handling (even if we regret the absence
reverse) - Braking
Weak points
- Difficulty finding neutral point
- Lack of grand tourism facilities
- Suitcases not large enough
- Tendency to change course in an emergency
- Original tires limits in the wet.
Thanks to Technic Motos Nimes – Triumph Dealer –
For the loan of this motorcycle.
Competitors: Harley Electra Glide, Kawasaki VN 2000, Triumph Rocket III, Yamaha XV Warrior
1700
Datasheet
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