Dec 30 2010
Triumph Rocket 3 Experience
Over the past 15 years, I have been lucky enough to own a number of latter-day Triumphs. With the prospect of a motorcycling tour of Europe, I rashly decided to buy the bike I have been promising myself for the past few years, a Triumph Rocket Three.
My “Classic” model looks great in blue and aluminium silver, together with a number of extras that I added to turn this bike into a proper touring machine.
I had never ridden any type of cruiser before, the and found the high bars and feet forward position a little difficult to get used to at first, but the sculpted fuel tank means that one’s knees are not forced wide apart, and after a few miles I found the whole set up very comfortable.
I had opted for a touring seat with riders back pad. The seat is wired and comfortable and the back pad means that when one opens the throttle on this 2.3 L beast one is carried along with the bike, rather than having to hold on tightly to the handlebars. This is great for someone like myself in late middle age!
Probably due to the weight of the bike, there is no centre stand but the side stand these more than sufficient. However, I have nearly dropped the bike a couple of times when pushing it forward with the side stand down, (usually a petrol pumps to allow somebody else to refuel). The side stand protrudes quite a long way, and it is very easy to trip over, so one has to be very careful.
The Rocket Three is easy to ride on the open road, with a fantastic 2.3 L power plant backed up with superb brakes. It is perhaps due to the sheer weight of the bike that even in storm conditions it is stable and feels completely in touch with the road at all times. The only area where it falls down is on mountain roads, but this is something of an unfair criticism given that it is not built for this type of road.
Above all else this bike attracts attention wherever it goes, so if you buy one be prepared to be the centre of attention!
Zac likes to take off riding on his collection of bikes. However, he also understands the importance of protecting them correctly when he’s not riding the world. For protection, he uses Harley Davidson motorcycle coversfor maximum protection. Visit www.harleydavidsonmotorcyclecovers.org.