It IS rocket science!

Well, almost. What we have on show here is the next generation Rocket III muscle cruiser from Triumph a long time ahead of when the British factory actually wants you to see it...

Here’s the biggest secret from Triumph for the 2019/2020 season – an all-new Rocket III that’s been re-designed from the ground up.

Caught undergoing consumption tests by our super spy snapper, you can see all the detail on the new bike that is being introduced alongside the next raft of Euro5 emissions standards.

The previous generation Triumph Rocket disappeared from the iconic British brand’s line-up at the end of 2018, thanks mostly to its inability to meet current Euro4 standards – but thanks to these incredible spy shots we now know that there’s a new version of the huge three-cylinder cruiser in the works and nearly production ready for later this year.

At this stage we don’t know a huge amount about the new bike’s technical information. The next generation Rocket could use a revamped, Euro4-approved version of Triumph’s 2294cc three-cylinder powerplant that’s held its position as the largest production motorcycle engine in the world, since the Rocket III first appeared in 2004. But, if the rumours leaking out of middle England are correct, the Rocket will be powered by an all-new 2500cc powerplant and kick out even more power than the old bike’s 148bhp best (the new model is expected to be kicking out around 170hp).

As you might expect, many of the new bike’s key components share lineage with those of the original, cruiser-style Rocket III from 15 years ago – but with its single-sided swingarm, monoshock rear suspension, upside-down forks and radial Brembo calipers, there’s also more than a slight resemblance to Ducati’s Diavel.

Given how left behind the Rocket III has been by the dominant Diavel, it’s no bad thing for the British bike to ape the Italian one in certain angles and motorcycle parts and it makes sense too, considering that Triumph used the successful Italian machine as a benchmark for its new Rocket, and did a lot of testing between the new Rocket III and the current Diavel at its R&D facility.

Twin, round headlights dominate the bike’s front end and ape previous versions of the Rocket III. The bike photographed undergoing tests comes with relatively high and short seat unit and, like the Diavel, the new Rocket’s licence plate and rear indicators sit on a bracket mounted on the swingarm.

World unveiling

At this stage we’ve had no official news from Triumph about when the bike will actually appear – but considering its appearance at the international dealer conference back in October 2018, we reckon that there’s a very good chance the updated cruiser will be unveiled to the world as early as this summer and be part of the 2019/2020 model year.