TRIUMPH ROCKET III (2005 - 2008) Review

Year: 2005

Annual servicing cost: £250

The engine is amazing and the styling turns heads - worst is the moped horn

Buying experience: Imported from Japan with very low miles

Year: 2006

Annual servicing cost: £290

The bike is excellent but hard to get round corners some arse twitching moments

Buying experience: Dealer

Version: Touring

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £100

Does everything well. Even handles well if you don't try to work it like a track day bike.

Buying experience: Bought from local dealer and they were excellent to work with.

Version: Roadster

Year: 2009

Very good condition

Buying experience: New from dealer

Version: Roadster

Year: 2016

Annual servicing cost: £250

I have 600 miles on this bike now with no problems. I can tell you that this bike handles incredibly well and goes around corners with ease if you show it who is the boss, I haven't managed to scrape the pegs yet and I have had it over pretty low (my other bike is a hyabusa so I like twisting roads). Once you get used to the bike which takes a few hundred miles you can throw it around with ease, just take it easy when you first get on it or you might not get around the first bend. The seating position is great for a cruiser but I wanted to sit slightly forward so it wasn't quite so much of a stretch so I put a gel pad on the back seat and that did the trick and pushed me forward very slightly. The clutch is quite heavy but you get used to it, this bike prefers the open road. The gearbox is not very smooth you just have to be precise and matched the revs with a blip of the throttle. There are no hazard lights or flash and the horn is pathetic, one of the worst I have heard on any bike ever. This bike has loads of power everywhere in the rev range and is a real monster but has a very low centre of gravity so you can throw it around a bit. This bike puts a very big smile on my face, it has lots of character, it is by no means perfect but my last bike that I traded in for it was a Kawasaki GTR 1400 and it was too perfect... It bored me and was no fun.

Version: Roadster

Year: 2013

Annual servicing cost: £350

The best thing about the rocket is that 2.3 engine,and the sheer size of everything else that goes with it , and that includes me at 6'3"and 16 St . The worst thing about the bike is the cost of rear tyres and the number it eats.

Buying experience: Bought from a dealer new £13,395 on 02/03/13

I wrote a review back in 2008 and thought I would just update it. Yes I have still got the 2005 Rocket, 20 odd thousand miles on it now, and its still going strong.It has never missed a beat and I have serviced it myself with the help of the Triumph manual and local Motorcycle shop. The Wife no longer goes on the back so I have removed the pillion seat, fitted Thuderbike bars and a shorty exhaust, it now sounds like it should do, Loud. Since 2008 I have no longer toured abroad, I have stayed in britain,and apart from the weather it is a beautifull place to ride a bike. And in 2010 I took the bike around the Mountain course in the Isle man at the TT. Next year I am planning on doing Lands End to John o Groats just for fun.The overall finish is still good, [it is garaged] except the wheels are getting a bit tatty.But a third rear tyre will be fitted at the end of this year so I may get the wheels powered coated. As I said previously I started with a Triumph in 67 and at the moment have no Plans on changing the Rocket.I would Recommend this bike to anyone who wants fun,reliability and road presence. Well Done Triumph!

After 40 odd years of bikes,this is the best bike for the so called grin factor.It may not be as fast or handle as good as some of my previous bikes but what a lot of fun.I have now crossed Spain twice, toured Northern France and am about to cross France down to Salou this year.And no i do not have a screen they all look a bit naff. The last three trips i had the wife on the back with no complaints unless i opened up the throttle a bit to far. I started with Triumphs back in the 60,s and it looks like i will end up with one.Good luck to Triumph.

Had the rocket for 3 years , have had fun riding as well as modding No problems . A keeper

Bought on e-bay in the spring. I can't stop smiling every time I ride it. Contrary to Arrow's view mine came with the fly screen which keeps you comfortable to over the ton (in Germany of course!). No it is not the smoothest ride ever and no it doesn't handle like my Sprint but that is not the point. The bike is a beast that turns goes and stops better than any cruiser anywhere ever. You can ride it slow like a Rolls and a little twist of the throttle in high gear takes you past most everything. I'm not into image really but it is a bike that cannot be ignored on the road. No-one could dare say "I didn't see you mate!" could they? Mine is 2004 reg. with 23K on the clock and still looks immaculate - so keep it clean and it'll retain its shine. If you want a smoother comfier version try the new RII Touring, the sensible older brother - which is a beauty - but I'll stick with the original thanks...

This might go against the grain but unfortunately after 4,000 miles I dont rate the Rocket (mines an 04 bought a few months ago) as highly as others. Yes, the engine is awesome with a terrific induction sound even in standard trim with catalytic convertor but it has a gruff feel to it the faster it spins which can be annoying on long motorway runs. Considering the size of engine the fuel consumption isn't bad though with 45 mpg attainable on 70-80 motorway runs. The bike's handling totally defies its look though to overcome the natural tendancy for the large back tyre to control direction ie. straight ahead only, you have dig that back tyre into the corners using the throttle; back off and it runs oh so wide. Diving into corners on the brakes doesn't unfaze the bike. Whilst the suspension may give it superb, relatively speaking, handling the ride comfort is very poor. If you want to feel every line, bump, rut and pothole on the road this is the bike for you. The rear shocks offer very little damping probably in order to keep the back end handling firm and the seat hight down. (The Yanks like low seat hights.) Braking is good but remember without the rider's weight this is 320+ kilos of solid mass your trying to stop. A screen is a must for those not built like a gorilla but unfortunately whilst the fly screen looks good it offers little protection. At the other end Triumph's tallest screen produces such severe wind turbulance the fillings in your teeth feel as if they are about to go on vacation. (My brother-in-law thought I was joking until he road it.) Open helmets for some reason are not so badly affected or at least my Nolan isn't which for me makes the bike rideable. My greatest disappointment though is the finish or to be more precise the chrome plating. In this day and age I don't expect the chrome plating to be peeling off on a nearly 3 year old bike with 6500 miles on the clock as it was when I bought it. Whilst the paint on the chassis and body parts is standing up well the front of the engine takes the full force of the shite off the front wheel and suffers accordingly. Any one thinking a riding with a pillion would be well advised to take them on any test ride because of that hard rear suspension. Thankfully the bikes hold their price well.

Great Bike