Triumph Rocket III Roadster

Just about every Rocket III story you will have read anywhere in the world will have eulogized the sheer bulk and power of the thing. There's no denying that the engine is a temple of black and seductive wickedness that no self-respecting petrol head could or would resist. In addition, it's undoubtedly as visually arresting as the performance is criminally arresting – and it's way more than "just a cruiser".

How so? Well the new Rocket II Roadster now has more power, a far more sensible and comfortable riding position, softer rear shocks and ABS as standard. Sounds good right -- but what is it really like on those non-cruising days? Days when the mercury is too cold to get out of bed and climb above 10 degrees. What's it like when the roundabouts are awash with rain, oil and traffic?

The previous Rocket III was bloody hardcore, but now the Roady is even more so. So here's the question: is the Roadster simply too much to be a practical daily tool, or am I missing the point or just asking questions no-one really cares about? Whatever the question may have been, in the short time I had the Roady I was determined to find out.

This is all makes a bit more sense in the ergonomics department, while still managing to achieve the "look". Personally though, I'd have preferred to retain the seat height that at 740mm wasn't really that excessive and move the footrests even further rearward – but that's me I suppose. Anyway, the result is that the Roady now has something closer to a "normal" riding position and is a far more comfortable machine. Strike one for commonsense!

WEIGHTY ISSUES
Moving on, let's look at that handling eh? As I implied at the start, a lot of the test riding was carried out in very wet conditions, something that normally inhibits handling assessment. However, there's still plenty of opportunity to get to know the Roady and get a fair handle on its capabilities.

The previous Rocket could be hustled quite quickly so long as you didn't mind dragging metal everywhere and were happy to ride out the bounces and wallows that come with under-damped rear shocks and 320kg. In answer to allegations that the ride was harsh, the Roady now has softer springs. Frankly I don't agree: in my opinion the problems the earlier R3 had more to do with the lack of damping than spring weight.

The result of the softer springs is that the back of the bike now seems to sit lower, making steering heavier and once you get moving at any speed, the wallowing is now actually worse. Neither characteristic are what you want on a rain-soaked roundabout. Sure there's plenty of grip from the tyres so long as you're judicious with the throttle, but there's no sense of precision that is so comforting in adverse conditions.

Undoubtedly a large part of the problem stems from the size of the tyres. That's especially the case with the rear, which at 240/50 is an enormous piece of rubber in anyone's language and creates a serious amount of resistance that has to be overcome with the handlebars. That's a task that you'd rather not have when all you want to do is concentrate on fine throttle control and traffic positioning.

If this was the case in the wet, then dry conditions allowed a return to normal, healthy, throttle happiness. Again there's not much in the way of precision and the wallowing is never very far away, but at least you can let rip and sample the monumental catapulting torque that needs very little encouragement from the clutch to launch the front wheel skyward, which I suppose provides a handy segue into talking about the power.

Apparently there's now more power and torque available. To be honest, I couldn't really tell and it would take a back to back, or side by side roll on test with the earlier Rocket III to really see or feel the difference. Perhaps the most important thing about the power is the degree of finesse that is achievable in accessing it. In this respect Triumph deserves a pat on the back.

Of course there's a mass of torque right from idle, but it really is delivered smooth and creamy rich -- so long as you have good throttle control yourself. If the throttle control is too hard like in tight feet-up U-turns, the clutch is equally as smooth and accommodating and permits surprising low speed maneuvers with ease.

BRAKING THE MOULD
But what of the other improvements? The Roady now comes with Triumph's ABS, as fitted to other models in the range. Triumph does braking very well, but initially I was a little circumspect when I heard that the system is no different from the other models, simply because the Roady is so much heavier than anything else.

Determined to find out just how good it is, I set about finding out the point of lock-up to sample the system. Starting out on loose gravel is always a good way of provoking things in relative safety, so it was with a good deal of surprise that I found that a high level of feel and modulation could be used to achieve the required lock, from the front at least. The rear is noticeably less sensitive, as shutting the throttle quickly slumps weight onto the rear, deadening any feedback.

Having told you how good things are, there is a caveat in that you really do want to be travelling in a straight line and on a flat surface once things lock, as any camber will have the plot moving around more than is comfortable. 

Anyhow, encouraged by the results on the gravel it seemed only sensible to move to wet bitumen. And the system really is good, good as in there's a lot of braking that can be achieved before the system actuates. Good as in reassuring and good as in there's a reasonable amount of feel and power for conventional braking.

For some reason I expected the system to be quite crude and begin activating quite early in terms of lever pressure. Having said that, using the front-brake hard to throw the Roadie's weight onto the contact patch requires a fair bit of effort at the lever, but once it's there the giant contact patches really tie things down nicely. Once the ABS actually chimes in, the lock/release periods are rapid and easy to read. What's more, unlike the ancient system on my BMW, which requires a pronounced leap of faith to hold onto and is prone to unwanted activation over bumps, it's clear that the Triumph system has had a fair bit of rider input into the fine-tuning. Certainly it's not as sophisticated as some, but it works and works sufficiently well to dramatically improve safety.

Would I make any changes? Of course, all of which would be to turn the Roady into a more roady Roadster suited to the kind of everyday use I'd employ it for. The first change would be a total rework of the suspension with longer rear shocks to speed up the steering, provide some useful damping, and add a bit of cornering clearance. The exhaust would have to go, not really for any additional engine performance, but simply to lose the weight. Then there'd be some lighter wheels with possibly narrower tyres and, having hopefully made the thing steer a little easier, I'd lose some width from the handlebars.

In some respects, like the ABS and the footrest position, the Roady is a subtle but useful update of the original Rocket III, while in others, like the extra power (nice but not that noticeable) and the soft rear shocks I'm not convinced of the benefits.

THE FULL PORTFOLIO
Yet the Roady is truly a fantastic motorcycle with immense capabilities and a high level of practicality. I truly was amazed at the fuel consumption, which at 5.6lt/100km was perfectly acceptable in my book. For me a motorcycle has to be able to earn its keep on a daily basis, and that premise over-rides most other considerations. On the face of it, the Roadster is all show and go, but in truth that undersells its capabilities. The Roady really is a good everyday machine with power, comfort and added style -- nice work Triumph.

SPECIFICATIONS: TRIUMPH ROCKET III ROADSTER

TRANSMISSION
Type: Five-speed
Final drive: Shaft

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Wet weight: 367kg
Seat height: 750mm
Wheelbase: 1695mm
Rake: 32 degrees
Fuel capacity: 24lt

OTHER STUFF
Price: $22,990 (manufacturer's price before dealer and statutory costs)
Colours: Phantom Black or Matt Black
Bike supplied by: Triumph Australia, tel (03) 9381 9755, www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres