Top 5 Best Triumph Rocket Models: 20 Years of the Rocket III/3

The motorcycling world didn’t quite know what had hit it when Triumph launched its first Rocket III in 2004.

Intended to be the British brand’s new heavyweight flagship model, especially in the US, it was a massive cruiser-style roadster dominated by the biggest mass production motor in motorcycling – a 2294cc, longitudinal version of Triumph’s trademark triple that boasted big numbers (and performance) like nothing else.

Five long years in development it had grown from 1500 to 1800 then 2300cc all to make a big impression in America, with the result boasting not just Triumph’s first shaft drive but also 140bhp and even bigger 147lb ft of torque, a whopping 240-section rear tyre, wet weight of 350kg and the potential (if you were brave enough) for 135mph.

It proved a big hit, too. That first 2004 roadster was spun off into an additional, more laid-back ‘Classic’ version in 2006, which in turn evolved into the bagger-style 2008 Rocket III Touring. Those were replaced by an updated Roadster and Touring duo in 2010 with Triumph’s monster finally falling foul of Euro4 and being deleted in 2017.

But… just as we thought we’d seen the last of Triumph’s monster-engined marvel, the Rocket returned as an all-new model for 2020, now called the Rocket 3 (not III), with an all-new engine, chassis, electronics and more and now available in roadster R and more touring GT forms.

This month, Triumph is celebrating 20 years of its beast with an owner get-together at Elvington. To mark the occasion ourselves here’s a round-up/celebration of the five most significant Rockets over those years, in chronological order…

2004 Triumph Rocket III

With a name purloined from the old 1968 BSA Rocket 3 (the sister bike to Meriden Triumph’s 750 Trident), Triumph’s new monster was a full five years in development, aimed primarily at the US, had a roadster/cruiser/hot rod style and dominated by its all-new 2294cc triple, landed with a resounding whump, proved to be a far more explosive and decent-handling machine than its bulk suggested and proved a big hit – particularly Stateside.

2006 Triumph Rocket III Classic

Although a success, US buyers clamoured for a more laid-back, pillion-friendly, cruiser-style Rocket. The result was an additional model – the Rocket III Classic, which was defined by a deeper, more comfortable dual seat, standard full-length footboards in place of the previous footpegs and more pull-back handlebars. Extra chrome and revised paint choices were also added.

2008 Triumph Rocket III Touring 

Despite offering accessory soft panniers, a touring screen and more, calls for a dedicated ‘touring’ version (again mostly from US buyers), led to a third variant in 2008. There was actually much more to the Rocket III Touring than just hard panniers and screen.

Although based on the Classic it had a detuned engine for additional midrange grunt (with torque rising to 154lb ft but power decreasing to 107bhp) and also featured a new swingarm with narrower, smaller wheels (the rear tyre going down to 180 from the previous 240), revised geometry and new two-tone paint.

2010 Triumph Rocket III Roadster 

After five years in production (and with over 18,000 sold), the Rocket gets its first major makeover for 2010. Two models are offered, a new, more aggressive Roadster with revised engine internals and new exhausts resulting in 15 per cent more torque (163lb ft) andsix per cent more power. The Touring model, however, lives on in the US. It also gets ‘blacked-out’ styling, ABS, new seat and detail changes. Both carry on until 2014 when a ‘final edition’ Rocket III X is offered before all are dropped at the end of 2016.

2020 Triumph Rocket 3 R & GT 

Three years after the old, original Rocket III bit the dust, Triumph shocked the world with the unveiling of, not one, but TWO all-new Rockets. Now dubbed the Rocket 3 (not III) to separate it from the old model, the new bike features an all-new, 2458cc engine now boasting 165bhp and bristling with electronics, and an equally all-new chassis with top-spec cycle parts.

The result, which was much lighter (291kg) than before and far more sophisticated proved a revelation, again, not just for its explosive performance but even more for its size-defying handling and versatility. Special editions since have included the Chrome and ‘221’ editions while for 2024 it’s been improved further into the Euro5+ compliant Rocket 3 Storm version now with 180bhp, lighter wheels and other details changes.