neale_bayly's avatar
Author:
Neale Bayly
Login For More
Rate this article:
  • 0/5 Stars
  • Related Photos
SPEEDtv.com Store
DVD: David Jefferies Story
The David Jefferies Story is a reminder of the much loved and much missed Yorkshireman.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Man-Made Thunder
The book examines the sport of stock car racing through the eyes and ears of the men behind the wheel and the wrenches.
Our Price: $49.00
Visit Button
Buy Button
Unisex Sandwich Cap
Unisex Velcro back hat with SPEED logo on front. PINKS logo embroidered on left and PAO logo on right. One size fits all.
Our Price: $24.95
Visit Button
Buy Button
Speedway T-shirt
Men's 6 oz. 100% Cotton Jersey Short Sleeve Tee. SPEED logo imprinted on the front center chest.
Our Price: $24.99
Visit Button
Buy Button
Ferrari Red Classic Hat
100% cotton twill. Ferrari shield embroidered on front, piping on the peak and Ferrari logo embroidered on back strap adjuster.
Our Price: $30.00 ($27.00 Member)
Visit Button
Buy Button
Footer Bg
  • Zoom More Photos Button
  • Camera Icon
The New Triumph Rocket III Touring
Written by: Neale Bayly   
01/28/2008
Charlotte, NC
 
Triumph 366 ยป More Photos

Purring through Bandera County, Texas, with signs for Dude ranches and various horse ranches beside the road, as the vast vista slowly rises and falls before me there is plenty of time to let my mind wander. With the distant horizon almost blurred through my sunglasses the way the world distorts in a heat haze, lone trees and buildings transform into cowboys and wagons rolling west in search of gold. As an Englishman in a foreign land, the highly untypical motorcycle beneath me that is pulling these incredible scenes across the handlebars seems to be the perfect platform to explore this wild, rugged American land.

All new for 2008, the Triumph Rocket III Touring is not just a warmed over Rocket III. Starting with its own tubular steel twin-spine frame, it also gets a new steel swingarm. The dimensions of the new frame differ from the original Rocket some with a more relaxed rake and trail which give the bike a 67.2-inch wheelbase, compared to 66.7 inches. This slightly lazier set up is not noticeable from the rider’s perch though as the Touring comes with much wider bars for increased maneuverability. Also helping the bike to be more agile are the new 25-spoke machined cast aluminum wheels. Gone is the Rocket’s chunky 240/40-rear tire, replaced by a more sensible 180/70 series 16-incher.
This is complemented up front by a 150/80 R 16, which is the same width as the Rocket’s but comes wrapped around a smaller diameter wheel. This new combination gives the bike very reasonable handling manners for a machine that is tipping the scales a double cheeseburger and fries away from 800 pounds.

Still displacing a whopping 2300cc, and kicking out more torque than a barn full of Texas Steer, a mind blowing 154 foot pounds at 2,000 rpm, the new Rocket III Touring is producing 108 horsepower at 5,4000 rpm. Where the original Rocket was laying down 140 horsepower, Triumph has elected to detune the new Touring, which makes an enormous amount of sense for a bike that has been built for cruising. And, as an added bonus to this more manageable power output, the bike now makes more torque than ever at even lower rpm. I have to admit I have always enjoyed the Rocket’s wild ride, but it has always seemed like a strange idea for a cruiser to have so much power. So now, with the Rocket III Touring, Triumph has gone and created a true American style cruiser, and tuned the power out put accordingly.

SEE THE PHOTO ALBUM HERE
Page 1 of 3
Next Page »
1 2 3 >
Commenting is not allowed in this article.
View All Comments