The Triumph Rocket 3 is for keeps

In my mind, Triumph has always been associated with café racers and scramblers. In recent years they have taken that heritage and spirit to develop motorcycles that carry a retro, vintage design aesthetic married with advancements in technology and engineering. They have been consistent in reimagining the various models over the decades, even as they transitioned from Triumph Engineering, established in 1886/87 to Triumph Motorcycles in 1983, when British billionaire John Bloor acquired the rights.

Launched at various stages over the past 100 years or so, models like the Bonneville, Thruxton, Scrambler, Trident and Tiger continue to hold a space in the motorcycle world. The Tiger, for example, has become one of the top-selling adventure bikes globally and contributed to what have been record sales for Triumph over the past couple of years.

Having had the opportunity to ride various Triumph motorcycles, I had been eyeing the Rocket 3 for some years, but hadn’t had the opportunity to take it out until now. The Rocket 3 is the successor to the Rocket III which initially went into production in 2004 and was an attempt to break into the US’s cruiser market, dominated primarily by Harley-Davidson. Launched in 2019, the Rocket 3 is a “power cruiser”, which, like its predecessor, has 2,458cc engine, billed as the largest engine on a production motorcycle.

Design wise, the Rocket 3 stands out both in the showroom (beside other Triumphs) and on the road. The first thing that draws the attention is the black stainless steel three-into-one header system with three-exit silencer that starts growling on starting and never stops. I got to ride the 2025 Rocket 3R Storm in carnival red/sapphire black. Other colours available are satin pacific blue/matt sapphire black and sapphire black/granite.

The signature twin LED headlights, the broad sculptured 18l fuel tank with a brushed tank strap and Monza-style cap; the cast aluminium finishers under the well-designed seat, the roadster-style handlebars with the mirrors mounted on top and at the end of the handlebars (which ensures great visibility); the 20-spoke wheels (17” x 3.5” cast aluminium on the front and 16” x 7.5” cast aluminium on the rear), all flow together to form an aggressively beautiful manifestation of motorcycle engineering.

For a motorcycle that weighs more than 300kg, the Rocket 3 is surprisingly agile and easy to handle both on city and open roads. It has maximum power of 134kW and max torque of 225Nm. In terms of torque, that is also the highest for production motorcycles, which is potentially intimidating when you turn the throttle. But the motorcycle is well-balanced, so at no stage of my ride was I put off by that aggression.

It took me a couple of minutes to get used to the slightly forward foot pegs, particularly riding from traffic light to traffic light, but once I settled in, it was a comfortable ride. Heading out midmorning on a Sunday for brunch followed by an hour of solid riding around Harties and Magaliesburg, the Rocket 3R was a pleasure to ride, handling the curves of Hennops and Magalies Meander with absolute ease. On straighter roads, wind isn’t a problem until certain speeds, but one can also fit a low windscreen.

The model I was riding also had the Triumph Shift-Assist (optional), which is so smooth, both up and down, that I sometimes forgot to use the torque assist hydraulic clutch. The Rocket 3 Storm, both the R and the GT models, come with cruise control, four riding modes, namely Road, Rain, Sport and Rider Configurable, and cornering ABS and traction control. The clear and readable colour TFT display shows what you need as a rider from gear selection, range and odometer, to time, riding mode and tyre pressure (if you select the Tire Pressure Monitoring System). With the Triumph app, you can connect to your mobile phone via Bluetooth.

A number of aspects of the Rocket 3 Storm are customisable, such as riding position/foot pegs, seats and headlights. There are also various accessories available, particularly for storage, such as panniers, tail pack, tank bag and passenger backrest rack.

In addition to the standard Rocket 3 R Storm and GT Storm, Triumph released the Rocket 3 R and GT Evel Knievel Limited Editions, limited to 250 units worldwide, with the design reflecting Knievel’s style. Word is there are a couple on our shores.

An acquaintance was looking far and wide for a second-hand Rocket 3 about two years ago, to no avail. It seems that Rocket 3 owners are reluctant to let them go once they have one. After two days with the Triumph Rocket 3 R Storm, I get it. I truly enjoyed riding it.