LONG TIME COMING

Triumph’s all-new Rocket 3R

- David Cohen

Remember that Matchbox 20 tune, “Let’s See How Far We’ve Come”? Well that was ringing distantly in my ear as I wheeled out of Team Moto Triumph in Brisbane’s south, onto Moss Street and into the heart of the Springwood motorcycle precinct. I was on a black 2500cc behemoth: The all-new Rocket 3R. I was mighty keen to see how far the world’s largest capacity ‘production’ motorcycle had come.

I thought I knew the Rocket well, partly because I have a long history with the venerable Hinckley ‘Battlestar’. (It’s always worth noting that ‘Hinckley’ in the name – lest some ardent BSA enthusiast points out the original Rocket III carried the Birmingham Small Arms logo and was manufactured from 1968 at the Meriden plant.)

But by the time I had reached the end of the M1 on-ramp started heading south towards the Gold Coast it started to become very evident that this bike has come a long way.

Early Rocket III models had some shortcomings. The gearbox was comparatively clunky and it ran out of ground clearance well before the bike’s full handling capability was reached. It had a real ‘heavy machinery’ vibe. It was also pretty easy to start dragging the frame on the deck if you really started to push it – and the way it was tuned for huge torque it was very pushable.

It had plenty of good points. The brakes were always good and it was a very comfortable and rewarding cruising machine. As a muscle cruiser it was among the muscliest.

But now, the noisy gearbox and the slap and lash from the shaft drive are all gone. It’s been replaced with a smooth and precise drive train with a light, hydraulically actuated slipper clutch and a notchy, secure sure-shifting gearbox.