Triumph Rocket 3

[SPman]

 

What happens when you mix nearly 150 foot pounds of torque with a vehicle weighing approximately 700 pounds? According to Triumph, you have a power cruiser that can reach 60 mph even quicker than a Suzuki Hayabusa. This claim does not reside in the following press release, but it did make its way to some of the dealers, and press, in attendance at Triumph's dealer meeting this last Sunday. Among other things, the claimed dry weight of the Rocket III is remarkably low given its 2.3 liter engine displacement.

The Rocket III produces more peak torque than two of almost any other production motorcycles combined.  To be precise, a whopping 147ft.lb torque at 2,500 rpm, with 90% delivered at a mere 1,800 rpm.  This stunning triple digit number means, two-up, it will accelerate faster than just about anything else on two wheels. Pulling 1.2g in the process. 

A tubular steel spine frame houses the motor while maintenance-free shaft drive lays power to the massive, 240/50-section rear tire. The front brakes are Daytona 955i specification - twin four-piston calipers mated with floating 320mm discs - and provide awesome stopping power. The rear brake is a single twin piston caliper and 316mm disc.

 

[SPman]

 

[Redstar]

Tiz surely a thing of great beauty despite the fact that I'm A Cruiserphobiac. But I always thought BSA (Birmigham small arms)
held the patent name for Rocket III?
and Triumph held the Patent for 60 vibrations per second?

[MikeL]

Hmmm... Not my idea of what a Triumph should look like.

Now if they put a 2.3 litre engine into theThunderbird Sport...

[Mitch]

Hey SPman Where did you come across the pic's??

[twistymover]

They could at least have put a tow-bar on the back!

[jrandom]

Originally posted by Mitch
Hey SPman Where did you come across the pic's??

Sounds like Mitch needs to add www.motorcycledaily.com to her bookmark list

And I have to say... if there was a cruiser for the cruiser-phobic, that has to be it. Baaaaaahhhhhgah me. All the jokes about the upcoming CBXGSRVYZ-2500 won't sound so funny anymore, somehow...

Bet it still can't stoppie like a busa, though

[georgedubyabush]

With that much torque in an engine running north/south in a bike...

wouldn't that cause the handling and takeoff to be a little erm quirky? like the bike twisting itself sideways?

or am I missing somethin?

[jrandom]

Originally posted by georgedubyabush
wouldn't that cause the handling and takeoff to be a little erm quirky? like the bike twisting itself sideways?

Um, well, *duh*!

From what I've heard, it doesn't take '147ft lbs of torque at 2500rpm' to get your average cruiser twisted up and undulating like a belly dancer around corners.

Anyway, with that riding position, you'd be hanging on too grimly during acceleration to notice the finer points of frame rigidity.

Hmmm... while the FXR was in the shop for a couple of days recently (long story), they gave me a GZ250 as a loaner bike. It sort of grew on me after the initial 'gawd, this is AWFUL', but one thing I really noticed was that it was literally impossible to get round the local roundabouts at normal speed without dragging the right-hand peg. I think cruisers are *supposed* to handle badly.

[georgedubyabush]

Originally posted by jrandom
Um, well, *duh*!

From what I've heard, it doesn't take '147ft lbs of torque at 2500rpm' to get your average cruiser twisted up and undulating like a belly dancer around corners.

yeah, but your average cruiser with its big vtwin has the crank running across the bike, not along the bike like this one right? seen how a car engine twists when you rev it? seen a drag car with a huge torque V8 twist sideways with one of the front wheels lifting off? Isnt the force of the massive engine spinning one way gonna make the bike try its hardest to tip sideways in the opposite direction? An 'across ways' engine would be instead trying to push the front wheel down or up (depending if they spin clockwise or counter) Cant say i've ever ridden a shaft drive but have read of their unique traits, and this seems like the same kind of thing but on a much bigger scale.

But when youve got 2300cc of bragging rights

[Lee Rusty]

It wil work similar to Honda Goldwings etc where they run the alternator etc by internal gears or chains in the oposite direction to the rotation of the crank to counter the torque twist.

[What?]

And there was me thinking the Bonneville America and Speedmaster were in bad taste...