Jim Blackstock, product editor
Triumph’s record-breaking Rocket 3 is now bigger than ever. But does that make it better?
The idea of a bike with an engine the same size as my 4x4 family wagon appeals but is it realistic?
SOME RIDERS HAVE a voracity for capacity; an embracement of displacement; a love of shove. Triumph’s original Rocket III was built to sate these primal urges, its titanic 2.3-litre triple setting an all-time production-bike record. But for 2020, a new Rocket 3 turned the swept volume up even further, eclipsing its predecessor with a new 2.5-litre engine. Packing similar ccs to two R1250GSS, three MT-09S, four R6s or five CB500S, surely this time things have just gone too far?
This mammoth motor has once again set a new record, dominates Top Trumps and possesses an unmatched ability to absorb attention. But beyond the fantastical freak-show fascination, does this colossal cruiser still feel and function like a motorbike should? Will you put your back out just picking it up off the sidestand? Does it fight back like a belligerent boar through corners?
And what really happens when you twist the throttle on the world’s largest bike engine wide open? Time to bring this Rocket back down to earth, with a real-world RIDE road test.
FRAME
Farewell tubular-steel twin-spine scaffolding poles; hello hollow cast-aluminium spine which, at just 13kg, is 50% lighter than its predecessor. Frame also contains the air filter, while many cables and hoses run within the casting to give a clean look
GADGETS
Loads, including keyless ignition, cruise control, lean-sensitive rider aids, TFT display, backlit switches, hill-hold control and more. GT comes with heated grips too. However, a two-way quickshifter, tyre-pressure monitors and Bluetooth connectivity are all optional extras
SUSPENSION
Fully-adjustable 47mm Showa forks and a new monoshock rear are massively more sophisticated than the previous Rocket III’S basic forks and twin shocks. Ride feels firm, with stiff springs and not much rear-wheel travel
WHEELS & TYRES
New 20-spoke cast aluminium wheels (17in front, 16in rear) are all-black on the R model but have machined spokes and rim for this GT version. Wears Avon Cobra Chrome tyres in whopping 150-section front and 240-section rear