‘Goes through corners well and has some go in it’
STREET-BIKE RIDER PAUL ‘TOMSK’ TURTON
Mike’s not so keen on the Nightster: “It’s small, narrow, cramped and not imposing at all. Then you look at the build quality and if it didn’t have Harley on the tank you’d think it was something built in China for half the price. It doesn’t feel like a premium-brand bike. I’d feel sorry for someone if they were in their 40s, getting into bikes, passed their Mod 2, walked into a dealer and bought this thinking it was the best they could get.”
Paul, the naked bike fan, is more open to the Harley: “One way of looking at it is it’s a naked bike, like mine,” he says. “But the ergonomics don’t work because the bars aren’t high enough but the pegs are forward, so I’m scrunched up. But it goes through the corners well, the suspension is soft but not worrisome and the engine has some go if you rev it. The thing that lets it down is you expect a Harley to be a certain quality, and it just isn’t.”
Like the others, Paul is smitten by the scale of the Rocket 3. “The size of the Triumph is something to behold — never had something that big between my legs before! The elephant in the room is that engine. Phenomenal. I don’t know why it’s got six gears in it — it doesn’t need them. Funny thing is, although the pegs are further forward than the Harley, the riding position is actually more natural and comfortable.”
So, can you see yourself on a cruiser?
It’s been a day of surprises for our testers, good and bad. “The Triumph exceeded my expectations,” says Nick. “It’s a hell of a piece of machinery and I could conceivably see myself owning one. The handling is unexpectedly good and the engine is phenomenal. Would it sway me into buying a cruiser? Let’s say it is closer to my fantasy garage than the Harley!” “Ultimately, I could see myself on a cruiser one day as a means to keep biking because I can’t physically manage a different bike,” says Paul. “But I’m not there yet, so a cruiser is way down the pecking order in my fantasy garage. I’d be prepared to try it out... but I’d rather have the Triumph; it does what it says on the tin. As a practical riding bike, it’s over the top – but it does it really well.”
Mike is also swayed by Hinckley’s Rocket: “The Triumph slightly opens the door to the cruiser world; you’d never get bored of that engine, though the price is always a killer” he says. “I could see myself having one but not buying one.”