Triumph Rocket III Touring
TRIUMPH ROCKET III TOURING
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
Making the Rocket do more, with less
CHARLES EVERITT
WE' VE STEEPENED THE rake to vertical to make the bike more nimble, but lengthened
trail to a full yard to retain stability... To pump up the midrange, we re only using half of the usual number of cam lobes... ”
Uh-huh. From such a fanciful tech briefing, you might imagine how often the press discovers the large divide between a new bike’s performance and the sometimes overly inventive claims of its press kit.
So it was a pleasant surprise to learn Triumph’s virtually all-new Rocket III Touring worked just as Product Manager Simon Warburton told us at the tech briefing. It was almost like finding out the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy really do exist.
For instance, Warburton said the Rocket III Touring was much more manageable at low speeds than the base model Rocket III. And indeed it is, largely courtesy of a smallerdiameter front wheel and tire ( 16-inch in place of the standard Rocket Ill’s 17-incher) and a significantly narrower rear wheel and tire (5.0-inch rim width and 180/70-16 tire vs. the Rocket Ill’s 7.5-inch width and 240/50-16 tire). The revamped rolling stock makes the Rocket III Touring easier and more confidence-inspiring to herd about at low speeds than Honda’s Gold Wing, no small task given the III T’s claimed dry weight of 788 pounds.
A substantial, 1.3-inch increase in trail and a new frame yielding a 0.5-inch-longer wheelbase keep the Touring stable at higher roadspeeds. The narrower rear wheel and tire also provide room for the Touring’s 39-liter-each saddlebags (which have obviously taken their inspiration from Harley-Davidson luggage).
Warburton also said the Rocket III Touring’s suspension rates had been softened for better ride quality, yet still provide adequate chassis control. Such a move is rarely successful in both roles, but Triumph managed to pull it off with the Touring. The bike serves up a pleasing ride over most pavement imperfections, yet allows a satisfyingly spirited pace on twisty backroads. It’s only when the rider starts to push beyond what can be reasonably expected of a cruiser-based touring bike that the Triumph begins to feel somewhat vague and suggests that you dial your efforts back accordingly.
Far too many manufacturers have detuned existing engines to bump up midrange and ended up with a boring, emasculated powerplant that didn’t have much stomp anywhere.
But, when an engine starts with 2.3 liters (140 cubic inches) of displacement, such as the Rocket Ill’s, such concerns evaporate like mist on a hot cylinder head. Triumph recalibrated the fuel-injection to get more torque at lower rpm, a claimed 154 foot-pounds (!) at 2000 rpm vs. 147 at 2500 rpm, although horsepower plummets from 140 hp at 6000 rpm to 106 at 5400 rpm. No matter-that much torque will not be denied, and the Rocket III Touring offers satisfying thrust any time you pull the wire, as well as excellent fueling throughout the rev range. On the flip side, stopping power is merely adequate; some riders will wish for less lever effort from the twin-disc front brake and less sensitivity from the single-disc rear.
At road speeds of 80-plus mph, the quick-detach windscreen provides decent coverage for riders of average height, and there’s very little buffeting at helmet level. The Triumph’s ergos reflect typical American touring tastes, with an almost chair-like position that puts a lot of weight on a rider’s tailbone. Dual-density foam (with an additional gel pad for the passenger’s portion) kept discomfort at bay during our 200-mile ride, but determining long-term comfort will have to wait for a full test. Triumph will be offering a vast selection of accessories for the Rocket III Touring, including three different saddles, backrests for both rider and passenger, and two additional windscreens.
So, believe what you’d like about the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. But you can be certain that Triumph has accomplished precisely what it says in creating a credible cruiser/ touring bike out of the Rocket III.
