Pictures and Words By: Kenn Stamp

 
Let me start by saying that I like the look of the regular Rocket III. I also like the looks of the S-Triple twins (Speed and Street) and I fall asleep at night with visions of Bonnevilles and Thruxtons dancing in my head. The Tiger 1050 puts a huge goofy smile on my face (with the attendant drool) which causes passersby to mumble "village idiot" behind my back. BUT! The styling of the Rocket III Touring kind of leaves me feeling, well, indifferent. Sure it's a well designed motorcycle (actually it's beautiful) with plenty of parts that scream "hey I'm a Triumph", but the overall look of the bike leaves me wanting a little more Triumph quirkiness and little less "American cruiser" polish.

This does not however mean that everyone feels that way as witnessed by the following quotes from a retirement age couple on bicycles I met at a stoplight; Man - "That is a pretty motorcycle." Woman - "Yeah we're Harley people but we like Triumphs." Just so you know the couple were on bicycles that Lance would have been proud to ride in France so we are talking about affluent individuals here. Obviously Triumph's Styling Department got it right when they sent the original Rocket III off to "Motorcycle Makeover" to be made into something more respectable and socially acceptable. I think it is also a testament to Triumph's quality control, engineering, design, and marketing departments that they have the attention of "Harley people"; not an easy thing to do by any means (just ask the Japanese companies).

Lucky for me the indifference I felt over the looks of the Rockett III Touring didn't extend to the colossal motor suspended from the new frame specifically built for the Touring version. Let's look at a few hard numbers for a moment; 106bhp @ 5400 rpm and 154ft.lb @ 2,025 rpm. Yep, 154 foot pounds of torque at only 2025 rpm. Find yourself in 5th gear at 35 mph and need to pass someone? No sweat....just roll and go with only minor shuddering.

One thing I noticed while riding the R3Touring is that Triumph put too many gears, and at the same time not enough gears, in the transmission case. Out on the highway motoring along at 85-90mph the bike begs for a 6th cog to lower the rpms. There aren't a lot of vibes but the bike just seems like it would be happier about 1500-2000 rpms lower on those longer highway stints. On the other side of the equation around town you will find yourself using one or the other of the following shift patterns; 1-3-5 or if you start in second, which is actually preferable, you'll use 2-4-5. I sometimes even launched the bike in 3rd and then shifted directly to 5th.

The linear pull of the bike up to about 70 mph without having to shift feels like you are on a train and the towering tons of torque the motor produces ensure minimal shuddering when launched in 3rd gear. The bike does produce a bit of a growling vibration if you shift to 5th gear below 60 mph though. It is kind of like the vibration you feel when you have your hand on your dog who is doing that silent growl thing they do after you've told them to shut-up but they still aren't happy. Nothing major and nothing that affects comfort or performance just something that catches your attention the first few times. Word of advice for those with a heavy right hand; start out in second or 3rd on wet roads. Starting in first and twisting the throttle will lead to some very fun antics that will wake you up better than any energy drink on the market.

Fuel injection throughout the rpm range is almost spot-on with only a minor surge detected in slow speed conditions like you find in a parking lot. This surge was felt in both first and second gear but can be reduced by riding the clutch's friction zone a little.