SEE ROAD TEST

ROADSTER WITH £2000 WORTH OF TRIUMPH PARTS FITTED

Saturday 18 September - a date definitely not to be missed by any Triumph enthusiast.  Hosted by the Triumph Factory and Mallory Park Circuit it's the date of their biggest ever party, to celebrate 20 years of Triumph Hinckley.

 

There will be a host of opportunities for visitors to ride the latest line up of bikes from Triumph's demonstration fleet, both on and off track, along with many other riding activities for visitors to enjoy.

 

Triumph's state-of-the-art factory, situated just eight miles from Mallory Park, will be open for event visitors to take a tour of the facility where Triumph's motorcycles are made. 

 

This includes the latest addition to a very diverse range of over 20 motorcycles, the Rocket 3 Roadster.

 

Available now, this is not only the biggest production bike in the world but the biggest horse power bike Triumph have ever produced. I managed to get my hands on one for a long weekend courtesy of Motor Evasion in Alicante.

 

Performance figures for the Roadster are, power EC148PS / 146bhp / 109kW @ 5750 rpm, torque EC221Nm / 163 ft.lbs @ 2750 rpm and don’t forget a 2300cc engine.

 

This is a stripped rod with plenty of chrome as standard. Unlike its predecessor the Rocket 3 and Rocket 3 Classic, the clocks have all the information you will need without having to buy extra ones. Electronic fuel gauge with countdown showing distance left in fuel tank. 2, distance traveled trip clocks, time clock, rev counter and a much needed gear indicator and ABS wheel lock status.

 

 

 

Also included as standard are anti lock brakes. I had never ridden a bike with Anti Lock brakes so I had to try it and see what happened. Of course it would be stupid to try to lock up the front wheel on very slippery Spanish roads so I pulled the clutch in and slammed on the rear brake.

The impression you get is something snapping on the rear wheel as the rear wheel stops for a split second, the antilock system then releases the rear wheel brake. Not sure what would happen if both brakes locked and I wasn’t about to try with nearly half a ton of bike.

 

 

 

I picked up the Roadster from Leandro at Motor Evasion on Saturday morning with only 90km on the clock. I looked in horror at the Mat Black colour, it looked fantastic, but how easily it could mark. The riding position is superb with wide handle bars, sports bike foot position and gear change. I prefer feet first as a riding position for long runs and touring. You very often see sports bike riders stretching their feet out on motorways during long haul rides. A little bit of custom work and the ride position could be changed though!

 

 

 

Very noticeable are the engine improvements on this 3 cylinder 2300cc engine, big enough to go into a 3.5tonn truck. The Rocket 3 engines of old sound very hollow and empty having a dry sump. This engine sounds and feels like a bike engine, the transmission much tighter with far less play. The silencers have a deep tone as standard although you can go for louder ones with a power tune included. The suspension is much harder and more positive than other Rocket 3s improving handling on tight bends.

 

On Sunday I took the Triumph Roadster out into the hills taking the N332 from Calpe to Benissa, then out to Lliber and Halon taking the CV routs to Tarbena and Bolulla. Anyone who uses that rout knows the up and downhill hairpins, a great handling test for any bike. A couple of years ago I had a chance meeting with friend of mine, ex Isle of Man double TT winner Charlie Williams.

I don’t think even a lightweight TT or sports bike would handle the hairpins like the Roadster. Most of the trip was in 4th gear with revs as low as 1100rpm, only needing to change down for engine braking. The stability at low speeds on the hairpins amazing.

 

Monday morning the bike was covered in dust, now what do I do to clean a blackboard on 2 wheels. Actually it was easy with a wet, then a damp wash leather. Dropped a friend off at Alicante airport on the way back to Motor Evasion in Alicante getting some admiring views and comments from Brits waiting for a lift, (sorry Taxi!). This is the  lowest priced Rocket 3 on the market without the extra cost of ABS. Oh, by the way, the demo Roadster I took back was sold a few days later

 

If you want to see this bike in all it glory with a wide range of accessories go to http://www.triumph.co.uk/uk/Create_My_Triumph.aspx and create one for yourself. Be carful not to put .com or you will get a sexy lady instead of a sexy bike.

 

Keith Lloyd

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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