Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128331
lamps and chro med instrume nt cow ls, togeth er delivering the sam e comic -book look as Triumph's distinctive Speed Triple, pro vide pretty goo d wind protectio n by naked bike standards, meaning you don't have to tax you r arm muscles by holding on any tighter cruising at 120 mph than you already had to do getting ther e ... But let 's face it: This bike is all about the engine, and what a fantastic and thrilling, as we ll as addictive , ride it makes , too. There 's no need to kick down a gear to access th e Rocket Ill's explosive reach fo r the far ho rizon, just gas it up wide open and hold on tight - very tight! I guarant ee you 'll catch yours elf laughing out loud at the sheer invigo ratio n of that absolutely aweso me acce leration as the Rocket III pulls wide op en from just 1000 rpm in fifth gear, w ith ze ro tr ansmission snatch but phenomenal to p-gea r ro ll-on all the way to the soft -action 7200 rp m rev limiter, acco rding to the small but surp risingly read able pair of analog instruments that co mprise the dash . Unlike the next-largest-capacity motorcycle I ever rod e , t he turbocharged 2000cc Munch Mamm ut I spent a day w ith in Germany a cou ple of years ago, the Rocket III doesn't have an explosive power de livery, mo re an incredib ly muscular one , w it h a liquid-smooth but irresistible build of pow er all thou gh the rev range. The ult raflat torqu e curve makes t he Triumph happ y to surf it in any gear, acce lerating almost as hard to ward the horizon , irrespective of w hat ratio and how many revs yo u throw at it, t hough the transmission is faultless with such a clea n, crisp gea r change t hat you kind of regret not needing to use it more - it's honestly irrelevant which gear you' re in; the Rocket II I still delive rs. Th e fivespee d gearbox has three more ratios than it rea lly needs - two wo uld suffice: one to get off the mar k, the o the r to take over from 20 mph upward! C lutchless upward gearchanges from second gea r onward are no pro blem even with the shaft final drive , and all to ld Triumph 's first card an transmission is a lesson to others, do ne right. Sam e thing goes for this amazing bike as a w hole, making smart dude s out of the hundreds of laudably far-Sighted custo mers aro und the wo rld who w ere smitten enough w it h t he Rocket III after its Milan launch to put down hard cash as a deposit on one of t he first year's productio n of 4000 bikes without eve r having ridden or in many cases even seen o ne in t he metal. Relax, guys - the bet paid off. After riding it for a day, I can indeed co nfirm that t he Roc ket III really is that desirable , that exclusive, that unique a mot orcycle - and mar ket forces already say the o ut rageously engineer ed, uniquely detailed , aweso me ly acce lerating British-bu ilt megacru iser is a co mmerc ial hit, not only in t he American market, for which the bike was o riginally co nceived , but all aro und t he world, too. In fact, just as with the MV Agusta F4 Ser ie d'O ro a few years back, a black mar ket is already developing in Rocket III options, with so me of the first bikes fro nting up for delivery set to be traded at a premium over list price. It's easy to see why it's hit the ma rk - this is a complet e ly different owne rship and riding experience from anything e lse on tw o whee ls, and far from be ing the intimidating monstrosity it might appe ar to be at first, in fact the Roc ket III is a practical, easy and enjoyable mile eate r which you can ride any way t he moo d takes you . Inevitably, just as with the Bonneville, w hat we have here is the start of a family of Rocket III models , w ith a to uring versio n and a str eet dragster likely to be next on the hor izon - but even at the relat ively high price of $18 ,570 for this debut model, Triumph is likely to have the best of all prob lems with the Rocket III : how to manufacture enough to satisfy dem and - it's that innovat ive a bike that it's bound to happen. Brilliantly co nceived, completely unique, outrageously engineered - the Rocket III is a sure-fire co mmercial hit that's fun to ride and will be sateN isfying to own . ='W"'EbW ~ July 17-18, 2004 Round 16 of the AMA Chevrolet Motocross Championship All Events Rain or Shine U Pro National Racing Sunday, 12:30 PM July 18 Pro Qualifying Saturday July 17 Amateur Racing Friday & Saturday July 16-17 Gates Open 6 AM No Spectator Camping p ------------------TICKETS: $50 Frl-Sun $35 Sat-Sun $25 Sun Kids 6-12 $10 Flat Fee FOR MORE INFORMATION I TICKETS • five miles north of New Berlin, NY Phone: 607·965-8784 E.mail: Info llunadillaml.com, www.unedillaml.C O UNADILLA VALLEY SPORTS CENTER@ 5986 State Route 8, New Berlin, NY RESTRICTIONS: SPECTATOR CAMPING DOGS/PETS ON GROUND - STRICTLY ENFORCED Alcohol trackslde, glass, bicycles, scaffolding, pop-ups w hich can obstruct view CYCL~ N~W~ • lillY 7 ?OO