2020 Triumph Rocket 3 R And GT Review | First Ride

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When Triumph debuted the first Rocket III, the engine looked more like something from the automotive world than anything we had seen in a production motorcycle. The huge power of the 2,300cc engine had the weight to go with it, nearly pulling your arms out of their sockets at launch, but presenting challenges on anything other than flat, straight roads. Now after over 15 years, the Rocket has matured. With a new, even bigger engine and huge weight reductions, the 2020 Rocket 3 R and 3 GT are faster, more nimble, and more well-rounded machines altogether, but will Triumph’s new triples have what it takes to find success as both a roadster and a cruiser?

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The Triumph Rocket 3 is every bit a rocket. It can blast off from a stop and reach incredible speeds, but until now, sudden changes in trajectory were another challenge altogether. For 2020, Triumph made a point by inviting us to test it on the volcanic island of Tenerife, Spain, which is known for amazing roads that twist and turn around a large dormant volcano in its center. If this bike couldn’t handle the turns, there’s no way it would survive a test on Tenerife. But the team at Triumph promised the new Rockets would be easy to ride, and we were about to find out how right they were.

The bikes rumbled to life with a calm, low growl as our group mounted up and prepared for our test ride. Knowing our location and abundance of tight twisties, most riders had their eyes set on the Rocket 3 R, the roadster model with more aggressive styling and ergonomics, but I was happy to take the touring-focused GT, with forward foot controls and a pullback handlebar.

Having just sat through a tech presentation and heard the terms “world’s largest production motorcycle engine” and “highest production torque” more than once, I was expecting a wheel-spinning, adrenaline-inducing launch as I let slip the clutch lever. But to my surprise, the Rocket 3 took off smoothly and at a reasonable pace. It was, in fact, easy to control.

As we turned onto the highway, that power I sought showed itself in spades. A tidal wave of torque, to the tune of 163 pound-feet (claimed) greets the rider from 2,000 rpm to 5,000. And backed with 165 hp, the Rocket’s engine keeps pulling all the way to 6,000 rpm before plateauing at its 500-rpm-higher redline (7,000 rpm). The deep purr of the engine grew with the revs, winding up to a throaty growl but never a roar. I wanted an exhaust note to match the size and power of the engine. Muted by the muffler, the Rocket never really opened up and pulled at my heartstrings like I hoped it would—an aftermarket pipe would go a long way here.

Climbing in elevation as we moved further from the coast, we swept through the island’s volcanic landscape, gaining more confidence in the bike as we headed into the turns faster, braking later and carrying more speed. Throttle response was intoxicating. The more I explored the rev range, the more impressive I found the engine. But as speeds increased, the bike’s substantial size became more apparent.

Approaching a turn on the Rocket 3 R, I gave the front brakes a gentle squeeze and pitched the front end in. The bike dropped into the turn swiftly, holding steady as I throttled through, but took a little bit of effort in my body language, along with throttle application, to right the bike as I pulled it out of the turn. The Rocket is heavy and was moving fast, but the brakes can be applied hard with confidence thanks to the tangible feedback provided by the Brembo master cylinder and Stylema brake calipers—developed for superbike competition.

The adjustable Showa fork handles the bike’s claimed 641 pounds of dry weight with ease, mitigating excessive dive during braking and rebounding softly as I let up and hit the gas again to exit the turn. Carrying that much momentum into turns was unnerving at first, but the more we explored the suspension and brake combination, the faster and more comfortable we were. The Avon Cobra Chrome tires developed just for this bike provided excellent grip throughout our testing as well. It took a little getting used to, but the brakes, tires, and ABS technology work well getting that big bike to stop when you want it to.

Video: Triumph Motorcycles
Edit: Bert Beltran

Photography: Triumph Motorcycles

Motorcyclist Magazine

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Thanks for reading off the specification sheet...I guess?

frereleo

Are you actually going to review the bike?

BikerJim

You're kidding, right? That's it?
And only about 4 or 5 weeks after everybody else.
You guys have been going down-hill fast.

ecrusch

2:30 min review for a bike with a 2.5L engine. Come on

guskelman

2min 30sec review. Wtf? That ain't a review. That's barely reading the spec list.

FroggyCrimes

If this is a review, I'm a superhero !!

saahilmehta

Do the pegs meet the asphalt easily on the GT?
Is it significantly more difficult to do so on the R?
I would consider the best combination to be a GT with the R's peg position.

lefterisbampaidis

So, I've been out of motorcycling for over 20 years. I gave up my magazine subscriptions and haven't been paying attention at all on the internet. I decide to take a look at what's going on in motorcycling these days and this is the first bike I come across. My reaction has to be something akin to if a person who lived 200 years ago were suddenly transported to the current day....WTF?!!

mattman