Ok, so I put on my best short skirt, boob tube and boots and headed into Holeshot Suzuki (and Triumph). Fluttered my eyelashes at the nearest salesperson and asked if I could ride the Rocket III - with them knowing that I had absolutely no intention of buying it. The answer was an instant "Sure!"... which I wasn't expecting. So I got changed again and waited while they put a plate on it. Wicked.
Talk about nervous as they wheeled the gleaming monstrosity out to the road for me, then fired it up. WOW!... its really quiet... A lovely purr coming from the triplet of chromed pipes. Yum.
Climb aboard and you immediately lose yourself on the largest bike seat i've ever sat on. Very comfy! All controls came to hand easily, in typical tidy Triumph style. A super-light clutch helps you into first gear. The only clue I had to it being in gear was the neutral light going out. It was that quiet and smooth! Take off from the kerb with only a whiff of throttle and short shift into second. Wow. This baby has torque.
Here is where I felt a little strange. Maybe it was the size of the seat fooling me but I didnt quite feel balanced at low speed there. I think I wasn't sitting quite straight but I couldn't tell because the seat was so wide! A bit of shuffling around fixed that and we were on our way again.
Round the first corner and instantly impressed with the ground clearance. The rocket just wafted around the corner where a Suzuki M109R for example would be panicking, scraping it's pegs and feeling like it's running on the edge of the tyre. None of that with the rocket!
Found the nearest onramp, I'll just open the throttle a lit...HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! Someone call me a cab because I think i'm drunk, my vision was instantly blurred and I feel like i've just become a human parachute as my body is trying to keep up with this Rocket (err scuse the pun) between my legs. About 10 minutes later I managed to loosen my grip on the bars...
This thing is quick, and boy does it sound great or what!
The rest of my trip was a blur and within what seemed like 15 minutes, my hour and half was up Time to return the beast.
Parked it up at Holeshot grinning like an idiot. I was absolutely blown away.
Now here's where it all starts. Some of you may have read my opinion on the Suzuki M109R, and how it appeared to be a polar opposite to the general consensus. With the 109 being the only thing you could consider comparing the rocket to, there's bound to be a few differences given that one is approximately $10k cheaper than the other (or is that $13k now with the '07 pricing. ouch!).
The general quality of the paint, chrome and parts in general makes the 109 feel like a cheap toy in comparision. This is the real deal. Everything feels good, looks good, tastes good (errr heh). This is exactly what I think a muscle bike should be. Real chrome, proper metal everywhere, quality parts with feel.
The handling. One large issue I had with the 109 (apart from the ground clearance) was the profile of the rear tyre. It was very square, whereas the profile of the rocket rear tyre is much much more rounded, this makes itself known in the tight stuff. The rocket just gently rolls into the corner, nice progressive turn in, where the m109 felt like it was running on the rim, squirming around.
The brakes, highly impressed for such a heavy bike. Stopped the bike quickly and effectively with minimal fuss. Nothing else to report there.
The engine. What an engine. Typical trimph growl. Cruising along you have a beautiful smooth purr, open the throttle and it's like the sound you could imagine if you were to jangle a tigers balls with a sharp stick. What a noise! Very water-cooled Porsche flat six sounding. Where I found the 109 to be of the not so nice rough kind, the rockets 2300cc unit was awesome. Each gear is like an eruption to the red-line, grin factor 10.
Would I own one? Oh hell yes - if I could afford it
I cannot emphasise enough how much the Rocket feels like a quality piece of kit. If you're considering an M109, please please please go try the rocket III. Sell the wife, mortgage the kids, rent out the house. Anything to find the extra $10k to pick up the last of the '06 Rockets ($29,990). To me it's easily a $10k better bike than the 109.
Thanks again to Holeshot for being totally awesome!
2006 Triumph Rocket III 
Linear Mode
