The cruiser segment is a massive one, with choices running from small single-cylinder city runabouts to behemoths that produce prodigious torque. This space is also very high on style, so you will find a lot of very good-looking examples. However, it can get a little tricky to find a cruiser that is both attractive as well as dependable in equal measure. We think we’ve found one, and it’s a doozy. Here is the cruiser with Honda reliability and Harley-level road presence.
The Triumph Rocket 3 GT Is The Cruiser With Honda Reliability And Harley-Level Road Presence
The Rocket 3 has been around for a long time now – almost seven years – without any major changes to the chassis or driveline. That’s mostly because it doesn’t need any. It is the biggest, baddest production motorcycle engine on the planet, after all. This might seem like stagnation, but what it means is that the Rocket 3 is now tried and tested to the point where you don’t have to worry about its reliability. And when you have a motorcycle with a car-like displacement, its size alone will draw eyeballs. It helps that the Rocket 3 looks good in a brutish sort of way, making it a match for any Harley.
Triumph Rocket 3 GT Price: $27,145
The Rocket 3 isn’t cheap. In fact, its price gives Italian exotica a run for its money. However, we keep coming back to the same thing – how much are bragging rights worth to you? This is an engine that generates more power than liter nakeds do, and has stump-pulling torque. If you want the biggest, most powerful cruiser, then you need to be prepared for it, no? There is some consolation: it isn’t the most expensive cruiser out there, but it certainly is significantly more expensive than any Honda or Harley cruiser on sale today.
The Triumph Rocket 3’s Engine Is Bigger Than Anything Else
The Rocket 3 has had the largest-displacement engine in a production motorcycle since the first generation launched in the 2000s. Lately, Harley-Davidson has come close, but the Rocket 3 remains the largest one. This is a longitudinally mounted inline three that displaces 2,458 cc and generates 180 horsepower at 7,000 RPM and 166 pound-feet at a really low 4,000 RPM. It is available only with a six-speed manual gearbox.
The clutch is hydraulically assisted, and it will need to be, with that high a torque output. A driveshaft is chosen to transfer the power to the wheel. Since this is a premium product, it has a by-wire throttle and a six-axis IMU, which in turn means ride modes, cornering traction control, and cruise control are present. Fuel efficiency is claimed to be 42.8 miles per gallon.
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The second-generation Rocket 3 focused on losing weight, so the frame is made entirely out of aluminum, as is the swingarm and the wheels. The suspension consists of Showa inverted cartridge forks, with adjustment for compression and rebound damping. At the rear, the monoshock has a piggyback reservoir with a remote hydraulic preload adjuster.
Wheel travel stands at 4.7 inches for the front and 4.2 inches for the rear. The brakes are up to the task of slowing this behemoth down, with twin 320 mm discs at the front paired with radial Brembo Stylema four-piston monobloc fixed calipers. The same caliper is used at the rear as well, but on a smaller single 300 mm disc. Cornering ABS is standard.
Triumph Rocket 3 GT Dimensions
Triumph is tight-lipped about the Rocket 3’s length, but this needs to be a long motorcycle to accommodate the longitudinal inline engine and gearbox. The 66-inch wheelbase offers a hint as to its length. The seat is a wee bit high for a cruiser, at 30.4 inches, but that is still low for any other kind of motorcycle. It weighs 705 pounds wet, which is still an 88-pound reduction over the first-generation Rocket!
Triumph Rocket 3 GT Features
The Rocket 3 has a TFT display for instrumentation with a very unique layout, even today. It offers access to all the menus, and a Bluetooth module is an optional extra. This isn’t one of those cruisers that has a long accessories list, but there are some interesting features. The footpegs of the R and GT are interchangeable, so you can choose to have a relaxed, feet-out position or the more aggressive mid-mounted footpeg placement with no trouble. The electronics have wheelie control and hill hold assist as part of the standard package as well.
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Triumph Rocket 3 GT Competition
There is no real direct competition for the Rocket 3 GT. The biggest Indian cruiser available is the Chief Dark Horse ($18,499), but its air-cooled Thunderstroke 116 engine falls woefully short in the horsepower department. You could consider the Ducati XDiavel V4 ($28,995), which is not only more expensive but also positions itself as a power cruiser, just like the Rocket 3.
It is one of the fastest-accelerating bikes on sale today, has a brilliant V4 engine with features like a counterrotating crankshaft and rear cylinder bank deactivation. However, Ducati has stopped short of giving it as much power as possible in favor of a better torque curve via the twin pulse firing order. The electronics are also top-notch and a generation younger than the Triumph’s, and the chain drive is more suitable for sportiness.
However, we’re here to compare the Rocket 3 to either a Honda or a Harley. Honda doesn’t really have a premium cruiser. The closest that comes to the Rocket is the Gold Wing, but that is a bagger, and it doesn’t have the horsepower to compete. Neither does the Harley-Davidson Fat Boy, but it is what matches up to the Rocket 3 the best from the Harley cruiser range. It is also instantly recognizable and an icon of American culture. It also helps that you have to shell out a lot less for a Fat Boy than you would for the Rocket 3 if you’re value-conscious.
Triumph Rocket 3 GT Vs Harley-Davidson Fat Boy
|
Models |
Triumph Rocket 3 GT |
Harley-Davidson Fat Boy |
|
Price |
$27,145 |
$22,599 |
|
Engine |
Longitudinal I3 |
45° V-twin |
|
Cooling |
Liquid cooled |
Air cooled |
|
Displacement |
2,458 cc |
1,917 cc |
|
Power |
179.5 HP @ 7,000 RPM |
104 HP @ 4,800 RPM |
|
Torque |
166 LB-FT @ 4,000 RPM |
126 LB-FT @ 3,000 RPM |
|
Curb Weight |
641.5 LBs (dry) |
694 LBs (wet) |