We finally got our hands on the new Triumph Rocket 3 GT! Jenko has been putting in the km's on this monstrous 2500cc touring machine, check out what he thought... Photos: Heather Ware.
There is something magical and completely soul satisfying when you pull up at a set of traffic lights and know your Triumph Rocket 3 GT is so bad ass that it is packing more cc’s than your average mid size hatch back being driven by dad, mum and the kids next to you.
Ego massaging grunt is exactly what the 2022 Triumph Rocket 3 brings to the table, with the largest engine capacity ever seen on any production motorcycle.
Sporting a 2458cc Inline 3-cylinder, water-cooled, DOHC powerplant producing 123kW@6,000rpm and 221Nm@4,000rpm ensures that there is plenty of mumbo on tap at the flick of the right wrist. Power delivery is smooth and crisp as you twist the throttle and has you pondering from beneath your helmet – “is this really a cruiser?”
Getting the power to the road is effortless! The Rocket 3 offers four selectable riding modes to choose from. Those modes include Road, Rain, Sport and a Rider-Configurable mode. All can be accessed through the TFT display and each offers definable performance characteristics to influence the bike based on your riding preference.
Like I do when I pick up most bikes I headed straight for “Sport” mode for the city commute back to Ol Pacific highway where I could get the Rocket 3GT into to some nice twisty stuff and find out what it was all about.
“The first thing you notice as you lift the Rocket 3 off the side stand is, that it is not as heavy as it appears and had me quickly readjusting.”
The first thing you notice as you lift the Rocket 3 off the side stand is, that it is not as heavy as it appears and had me quickly readjusting, I almost tipped the bike to far the other way past the point of upright – oops.
I was expecting the Rocket 3 GT to be comparable to a Harley-Davidson Road King, but that initial perception quickly changed and I found it to be much more akin to a Ducati Diavel.”
Get the Rocket 3 GT on the road and it feels light and well balanced for such a big bike. With a dry weight of 294kg. On appearances alone, I was expecting the Rocket to be comparable to a Harley-Davidson Road King or Street Glide, but that initial perception quickly changed and I found it to be much more akin to a Ducati Diavel.
“Get the Rocket 3 GT on the road and it feels light and well balanced for such a big bike. With a dry weight of 294kg.”
The term “power cruiser” comes to mind when discussing such two wheeled hardware and as I experienced more and more of the Rocket 3 through the test period it seemed to be the perfect way to describe the big Triumph.
Navigating the Rocket 3 through the city was nowhere near as big a task as one might think. Although there is no denying the large scale and proportion of the big daddy cruiser, the 750mm seat height makes it nice and easy to get your feet to the ground if you need to pull up quickly.
“Once out in the wild and in the open, throwing the Rocket 3 in and out of corners is pure fun.”
Lane filtering, like any cruiser, takes a bit of consideration with the Rocket 3 GT and it’s 886mm worth of width at the handlebars being the widest part of the bike. Once out in the wild and in the open, throwing the Rocket 3 in and out of corners is pure fun.
The Rocket 3 GT uses it’s size to an advantage, it feels great with momentum, offering friendly handling and even feeling a bit like a sports bike at times! Even through tighter and slower speed corners, there is no adverse effect form the weight of the bike like I have experienced with some other large capacity cruisers.
“The Rocket 3 uses it’s size to an advantage, it feels great with momentum, offering friendly handling and even feeling a bit like a sports bike at times!”
Handling is great for such a big bike offering the rider plenty of confidence to push the big power cruiser hard through corners and get on the gas early as you exit. In part, this is due to the full aluminium frame with single-sided cast aluminium swingarm which also plays a big part in the weight reduction over the previous generation Rocket 3.
The other big factor is the quality suspension componentry. The front of the Rocket 3 GT features Showa 47mm upside-down 1+1 cartridge front forks with compression and rebound adjuster which allows 120mm travel.
The Rocket 3 is already a massive bike. Add the GT spec and you’ve got yourself a tank!
On the back of the Rocket 3 GT is a fully adjustable Showa piggyback reservoir RSU with remote hydraulic preload adjuster and a slightly reduced 107mm of rear wheel travel. Even for a bigger gent such as myself, this setup was great for touring and more enthusiastic riding endeavours.
Braking on such a big bike is also critical and the setup on the Rocket 3 GT is confidence inspiring, offering good feel at the front and rear of bike enabling the rider to brake late (in cruiser terms) entering the corner and pull up in a hurry if required in an emergency situation.
“Handling is very good for such a big bike offering the rider plenty of confidence to push the big power cruiser hard through corners and get on the gas early as you exit.”
Up front, dual 320mm discs with Brembo M4.30 Stylema four piston radial monobloc calipers find a home and carry out stooping duties, whilst on the rear a Single 300mm disc featuring Brembo M4.32 four piston monobloc caliper, both front and rear braking systems feature Triumph Cornering ABS.
Despite being such a big bike, Andrew still had plenty of fun throwing the bike through the twisties!
The six speed gearbox utilised on the Rocket 3 GT works well. The clutch is relatively light for such a large bike, although getting the bike moving from a standard start does take a little effort. For us we would be going for the quickshifter which is available as an extra just to add more performance.
Our test variant was the GT which receives a windscreen, pillion backrest and forward foot controls over its R sibling as standard kit. For this rider the forward controls were much appreciated being just over 183cm, this aided the ergonomics of the riding position and assisted a comfortable riding position without any feeling of being cramped, also worth noting was that little windscreen, which offers reasonable wind buffeting relief across the chest.
All controls are easy to operate and feel good to the touch. Self cancelling blinkers and heated grips would have been a nice edition, but the cruise control was nice and easy to operate. From the riding position, everything is within easy reach and the Rocket 3 ticks all the boxes. The handlebars are in a comfortable position for touring and the TFT display is clear and presents most info for the rider to see easily! However, our test bike did have some gremlins including a fuel light that stayed on constantly so we had to follow our nose a little as far as fuel economy and distance to a tank was concerned.
Expect to be stopping in at the petrol station a fair bit with this monster! You’ll be getting around 230km to a tank.
Triumph claim 6.82L/100km from the 18 litre tank which had us in real world conditions averaging between 200-230km out of a tank of go – go juice. For a cruiser that wears the GT insignia, we found this to be a little lackluster and although the tank looks the goods from an aesthetics point of view we would have liked to be averaging closer to 300km plus out of a tank.
Visually the big Rocket sports a striking stance all of it’s own. Stainless 3-into-1 headers and dual exhaust protrude out of the big donk adding to the imposing nature of the Rocket 3. Behind lies that massive 2500cc motor whilst the dual headlights mark the unmistakeable Triumph heritage.
On the other side is a tough intake manifold which adds a little bit more symmetry.
Paint and finish is first class and what you would expect of a manufacturer with pedigree such as Triumph. Our test Rocket 3 GT was adorned in Silver paint with striking black and red highlights with brushed aluminium finishes that could not be faulted. The LED lighting package also gives a modern high tech touch.
Plenty of tech is available on the 2022 Rocket 3 GT, apart from the fore mentioned ride modes and cornering ABS, there is also traction control, keyless ignition (proximity), cruise control and the MyTriumph app. Optional accessories include the quickshifter, tyre pressure gauges and integrated Bluetooth and GoPro accessories. Add to this a range of further optional accessories including touring and luggage options as well as cosmetic enhancing parts and the Rocket 3 can be totally customised to the riders wants and needs in a motorcycle.
“The 2022 Triumph Rocket 3 GT certainly moves the needle on how a traditional cruiser is defined with its massive 2.5 litre powerplant.”
Is the 2022 Triumph Rocket 3 truly a touring motorcycle? It certainly moves the needle on how a traditional cruiser is defined with its massive 2.5 litre powerplant – it’s character enriched styling and of course how it handles. The question that really beckons is can you can pound in big kilometres? The answer is yes, although the Rocket 3 is not without fault. I would like to see the capacity of the fuel tank increased and in all honesty the seat can become a little firm over long distances.
“Triumph’s 2022 Rocket 3 GT is a bike that leaves you wanting more…”
Triumph’s 2022 Rocket 3 GT is a bike that leaves you wanting more and that within itself is a good thing. If I owned one, I would definitely want an aftermarket exhaust to amplify the soundtrack to match that imposing muscular appearance as well as some panniers for further touring capability.
Jenko says that if he ha one in his garage, he’d be chucking a quickshifter and a nice, loud exhaust on it!
The 2022 Triumph Rocket 3 GT is priced form $36,550 ride away and is backed by a full two year Triumph factory warranty. If your quick you may even be able to get your hands on one of the limited edition stunning chrome Rocket 3 GT’s which will be priced from $37,900 ride away.
2022 Triumph Rocket 3 R GT Specifications
www.triumphmotorcycles.com.au/
Price: from $36,550 rideaway
Colours: Matt Black and Gloss Black
Claimed Fuel Consumption: 7L/100km
Claimed Power: 123Kw@6000rpm
Claimed Torque: 221Nm@4000rpm
Dry Weight: 291kg
Fuel capacity: 18L
Engine: Liquid-cooled DOHC inline triple-cylinder, 2458cc, 110.2 x 85.9mm bore x stroke, 10.8:1 compression ratio, 3-into-1 headers with triple silencer.
Clutch & Gearbox: Wet, multi-plate clutch with 6 speed gearbox
Chassis: Full aluminium
Rake: 27.9 °
Trail: 134.9mm
Suspension: Showa 47mm upside-down 1+1 cartridge front forks, compression and rebound adjuster (F). Fully adjustable Showa piggyback reservoir RSU with remote hydraulic preload adjuster (R)
Brakes: Dual 320mm discs, Brembo M4.30 Stylema 4-piston radial monoblock calipers, Cornering ABS (F) Single 300mm disc, Brembo M4.32 4-piston monoblock caliper, Cornering ABS (R)
Wheels & Tyres:17×3.5 16×7.5 Cast aluminium. 150/80 – 17in (f), 240/50 – 15in (r),
DIMENSIONS
Wheelbase: 1677mm
Seat height: 750mm
Overall Length: 2365mm
Overall Width: 886mm GT Model
Overall Height: 1066mm GT Model
Instruments and Tech: TFT multi-functional instrument pack with digital speedometer, trip computer, digital tachometer, gear position indicator, fuel gauge, service indicator, ambient temperature,
clock and rider modes (Rain/Road/Sport/Rider-configurable) Triumph TFT Connectivity System can be added with accessory fitted Bluetooth module.
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The Verdict | Review: 2022 Triumph Rocket 3 GT
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We finally got our hands on the new Triumph Rocket 3 GT! Jenko has been putting in the km’s on this monstrous 2500cc touring machine, check out what he thought…
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