First Impressions & Staggering Numbers
2,458 cc’s. That equates to over 800 cc’s per cylinder. In other words, each cylinder is significantly bigger than an entire Yamaha M07. And here is another jaw-dropping number, 225 Newton meters. A 1390 Super Juke. The king of torque, in my opinion, only makes 145. Now, I won’t lie, I am not a cruiser guy. But that engine and those numbers excite me, and the sheer size of it scares me. Look at this. At full steering lock, with me tucked back into the seat properly, I can’t even reach the handlebars like a child. It really points out that growth spurt that I never had. It also weighs about 320 kg or 700 lb. Once all the fluids are topped up, the front tire is almost as wide as the average bike’s rear tire. I’m honestly not sure what to expect, but I know that I will sleep better at night knowing that I’ve ridden a 2 1/2 L motorcycle in my lifetime.
So, I get to live with it for the next 5 days or 127 hours to be exact, to uncover all of its quirks and features and ultimately decide if it’s just excessive or very impressive. Oh, and then see where it lands on the scoreboard. As always, any riding footage you see in this video is filmed on an Insta 360 camera. Get a gift with your camera order by using my links below.
The Bike’s Heritage & Model Variants
The Rocket name has been prowling the streets since 2004, but back then, it was a mere 2.3 L. It’s undergone a lot of changes in the last two decades, but it’s always maintained the same absurd approach. This is the latest iteration, the Triumph Rocket 3 Storm. Well, actually, this is the R model or the sportier model, and it starts at about $25,000. There’s also a GT model that’s even more comfortable with foot pegs that are further away, handlebars that are closer to the rider, a backrest for your passenger, and a slightly bigger windscreen.
But Triumph Johannesburg let me test the R model because I couldn’t reach the foot pegs on the GT model. But don’t worry, they sell smaller Triumphs as well. So, if you’re local and looking for a new bike, a used bike, a workshop with thorough technicians, or even just some accessories and apparel, definitely stop by Triumph Johannesburg.
Initial Riding Experience
Okay, let’s ride the biggest bike I’ve ever ridden, both weight-wise, displacement-wise, and I guess torque counts, too. Wa! Oh, I guess we should find out if it’s in first first. [Music] Okay, that felt like it wanted to wheelie, but it is the entire wrong geometry, and the wheelbase is just too long. Okay, here comes a corner. Let’s see if we can make it through it. Down to first. Trail breaks into it. Oh my god. He flicks it right, and the whole bike gets unsettled. Left was a bit safer. And bring it to a stop for a sharp U-turn.
Quirks & Features: Design & Details
Now, this is undoubtedly a quirky bike, but here are a few interesting quirks I’ve already noticed just on my ride home from the dealer. For starters, can you see this silver line on the tank? I think they call it a coach line. Well, this is hand-painted from the factory just like Rolls-Royce does. So, if you look really closely, you can actually see the imperfections in it.
Not to mention, the tank is being held down by this metal strap. I suspect there is more holding it down than just that. Well, at least I hope so, because otherwise we’re putting way too much trust in this strap. The passenger foot pegs are also really interesting, but you probably don’t know what I’m even talking about because you can’t see them. And that’s the point. They unfold from here in a sort of two-stage unfolding process. It’s going to take my wife a while to even find them. The dash is pretty cool because it tilts up and down.
I’m honestly not sure if it’s supposed to or if something is just loose because it vibrates back down while you ride, but it would be a cool idea. It also redlines at just 7,000 RPM. Some cars rev higher than that. They really are giant slow slow-revving pistons to create all that torque. Plus, the gear indicator has a little gears behind it that move every time you shift.
The Engine’s Unique Effect on Handling
And if you look very closely, you can see that the front wheel is actually offset about half an inch to the right of the bike. It’s not perfectly centred. It’s offset within the forks. But this means that if you take your hands off the handlebars, it veers to the left. It’s also easier to turn to the left than it is to the right. But don’t worry, the frame is not bent. It’s offset on purpose. I’ll get to why in a minute, but let’s be honest. You either buy this bike for the stats, aka the engine, or for its appearance. And there has been a lot of effort put into its appearance and all the small details. Those twin round headlights are synonymous with the Rocket, and I love the modern LEDs within them and the Triumph logos.
I also love the deep front tire with its 80 mm profile, even if I don’t understand why it’s like that. The three-piece front mud guard is worth pointing out, as are the beautiful intake grills built into the frame and the 12V socket in the cockpit. I love the metal caps on all the fluids, hiding the real caps underneath them. I keep picturing how ridiculous they would look on a superbike, but they really suit the feel of the rocket, as does the shaft drive. Plus, it eliminates chain maintenance, which is always nice. Everything is beefy, like these bolts. I’m pretty sure you could even do pull-ups on this number plate bracket without it breaking. I also love this short tail. Well, actually, the tail probably isn’t that short. It’s just an insanely long wheelbase. The single-sided swing arm also adds to the look of the bike. And then this lug nut design finishes it off.
It also makes it nice and easy to work on if you have a car lift that can raise this weight. Even the foot pegs have a Triumph logo. And I can never ignore the signature bar-end mirrors. When I test rode the 2025 Speed Triple, they were pointed inwards like this. And I complained about the poor visibility out of them. Then I saw someone comment saying that they’re supposed to point outwards like this. And obviously, it makes the bike slightly wider, but I have to say it makes the visibility 10 times better.
But the most beautiful aspect about this bike is this giant engine. I love that the left-hand side has the gorgeous intake manifold, and the right-hand side has these lovely headers to look at. There are polished fins all over the engine, and the displacement is even on the valve cover. And this giant number is the reason that the front wheel is slightly offset. The offset is by design. It’s intended to help combat crank torque because this might just be a three-cylinder, but it’s also the biggest displacement mass production motorcycle in history. And a motor this big can have big effects on the bike’s chassis. You see, both of these bikes are three cylinders, except that the Rocket is more than twice the displacement of my Speed Triple. The speed triple cylinders run perpendicular to the bike,Or the engine is mounted transversely.
Whereas the rocket cylinders run parallel to the bike or are mounted longitudinally so that the engine doesn’t stick out the side of the bike by half a mile. But just imagine how big the crankshaft is in this engine. This is from a little 400cc, for example, and it isn’t little or light. So, when you blip the throttle on this thing and get that crankshaft mass spinning up, the bike literally tugs to the left. [Music] Something like BMW’s boxer engines does the same thing, but on a much smaller scale. So, that is why Triumph offset the front wheel to try to compensate for those forces under acceleration. That has got to be one of the coolest quirks on any bike ever.
Sound & Riding Feel
Another byproduct of that engine is the angry rumble it makes. Although neutral, there is a soft limiter stopping you from hearing it. Another soft limiter. That’s better. [Music] To be honest, I kind of feel like an impostor riding this thing around because, after all, I am a lot smaller than your average muscle cruiser rider. And because I don’t ride cruisers often, the foot pegs were never where I expected to find them at first. And the riding position just felt silly. But you do get used to it. And I’m pretty sure that I look like I’m trying to compensate for something, but it’s definitely worth the experience.
The Acceleration Experience
Cracking the throttle is unlike anything I’ve experienced before. So much so that my microphone couldn’t keep up. Let’s open her up. Holy Oh, I feel like I’m hanging on for my life. Try to keep it between the lines. So, yes, it makes a tremendous amount of torque, but it also weighs a substantial amount and has a wheelbase longer than Jeffrey Bezos’ yacht, which creates an interesting experience.
Now, I’ve ridden sporty bikes that accelerate rapidly. You have to smother the front end to help keep the front wheel down. You might have to short shift. You will get a wheel spin. And you really have to work to get it to the point in the direction you want to go. But the rocket is different. It feels like you need to hunker down just to survive its wrath. I mean, it is rapid. It gets to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds. The torque kicks in like you flicked a switch, but it’s easy. It doesn’t want to wheelie because of its long wheelbase. It gets very minimal wheel spin because of its juicy rear tire. The quick shifter makes it easy to bang through the gears. And because the front wheel is still on the ground, it’s easy to steer as well. Every time you shift gears, the whole bike vibrates. I don’t think you can portray that on a camera.
Don’t get me wrong, it is stupid fun, but it doesn’t require any skill, which I kind of miss. I usually complain about how anyone can ride modern superbikes with all their electronic rider aids. But even with that, if you have skill and know-how, you can get the edge on an inexperienced rider, even in a straight line. But with the rocket, anyone can do it.
Camera Equipment & A Near-Miss
I had a bit of an accident while filming this video as well, and almost destroyed my camera. I didn’t realise that the bar that I had clamped it to was oval and not perfectly round. So, at some point, it shifted and made contact with the ground. You can see the scratch marks here. I don’t know how, but somehow it didn’t scratch a lens. Not that it would have been the end of the world anyway because these Insta3 X5S have replaceable lenses and that is a lot cheaper than a new camera. They have lots of other cool features too, like the wind guard, so you can hear less wind and more exhaust audio. They can see in the dark with pure video mode. Here it is without pure video mode.
And here it is compared to the latest GoPro. And I obviously needed something with a wide lens to get the rocket in. So, a 360 camera was the perfect choice because I can choose my framing after I ride from the comfort of my couch. And even once I’ve cropped down from 360°, it is still sharp and just shy of 4K. They really are the best 360 cameras on the market. And you can get a free gift, like a motorcycle bundle valued at $50, with your camera order if you use my links in the description.
Handling The Weight & Braking Performance
Now, its weight does play a really big role. Literally. Luckily, even as a lightweight 5 foot7 guy, it’s relatively manageable thanks to its low seat height and even more importantly, its low centre of gravity. Although pushing it around can be a bit of a workout, I would rather avoid doing so. Everyone will tell you that when you start moving, the weight falls away, and it feels light. Well, yes and no. Weaving side to side like this makes it feel lightweight and nimble. It really is easy to guide through tight turns at low speeds or wide turns at medium speeds. But personally, I found that when you want pinpoint accuracy or you try to give it aggressive inputs, that’s when it starts to fall apart. But don’t forget that it is not what a cruiser is intended for. The rear wheel feels like it’s in a different postcode because it’s so long. Ultimately, it wants to cruise or bugger off in a straight line. It doesn’t really want to be manhandled through corners.
Bringing all of this weight to a stop is also a mammoth task. And I was expecting to have to tell you how it needs a boat anchor and that these four-piston Brembos aren’t adequate, but they’ve actually impressed me. You do have to pull the lever really hard if you want to stop quickly, but they are up for the challenge. The rear calliper is where things get interesting because it’s another four-piston Brembo calliper. Granted, it is an older model, and it’s actually what Triumph used to use as a front calliper on an older Tiger model. But how often do you see a bike that needs a full four-piston calliper on the rear to bring it to a stop effectively?
Suspension, Comfort & Electronics
The suspension is the opposite. I pity any suspension that has to soak up its 320 kg, but this shower suspension is at least up for the challenge. The shock is fully adjustable, even with a remote preload adjuster, while the forks have adjustable rebound and compression, and they do pretty well given the cruiser geometry and excessive mass. But most importantly, it’s comfortable and enjoyable and encourages you to relax in between bursts of acceleration that wear down your rear tire and drain your tank.
And it has that familiar and premium Triumph feel. It has solid switch gear, which navigates this simple dash much better than some other Triumph models. Even if the dash is a bit cluttered for my liking, I love that you can get endless data with ease. And once I learned where each bit of data was, I really started to like the three-section design. It’s got custom riding modes alongside preset rain, road, and sport. It’s got one of my favourite cruise controls. And although it does have ABS and traction control, they’re more there for emergencies and for safety than to make you a faster rider.
Passenger Review
I also wanted my wife’s opinion. So, I took her with me on my long ride and asked her if she had noticed that she had just experienced more talk than ever before. And she basically said no because it’s so smooth. So, there you have it. If you buy a rocket, you’ll get more interest from men than women. But she did give me her feedback on the passenger amenities. The seat was comfortable. It was hard to get on, but easy to get off, apparently. The tank is a weird shape to lean on under braking, but doable. And the foot pegs were awkwardly high, which made her want to lean back. In other words, she wanted the GT model with a little bum rest here.
Final Thoughts & Icon Status
The Rocket is an icon. I couldn’t help but tell everyone I spoke to that it’s a 2 1/2 L motorcycle, mostly because I couldn’t wrap my own head around it. And although it delivers in terms of groundbreaking acceleration, it’s still docile when you need it to be. It’s not the type of bike you expect to come out of England at a time when the British government seem more set on boring things like safety and emissions, which just makes the rocket even cooler. And I really hope it continues to exist and evolve.
Scoring The Rocket
Nevertheless, 127 hours later, my rocket is back with Triumph Johannesburg. So, now it’s time to give it a score out of 60 to see how it stacks up on the leaderboard. And this is our first cruiser, so it could go either way. I suspect it’s going to be closer to the bottom of the scoreboard, but not because it’s a bad bike, just because it’s a very niche bike. It’s not my type of everyday rider.
Styling: Even though I’m not a cruiser fan, I think the Rocket looks iconic, and I always stop and stare when one rides past. 7 out of 10.
Practicality: The Rocket has never even heard the word practicality. Four out of 10.
Fun: Considering no other bike can give you the experience this one can, I think it’s safe to say that it’s fun. 7 out of 10.
Price: I mean, what are its competitors? An R18, an M109, a Fat Bob, a Diar? If so, the rocket is still expensive. 5 out of 10.
Speed: Straight line speed is the rocket’s party trick. Less so when it sees a corner. 7 out of 10.
Sound: Again, there is no other engine like this, and even with a stock exhaust, I think it sounds menacing. With that said, it’s still not how my dream motorcycle sounds. 6 out of 10.
Giving the Rocket 3 Storm R 36 out of 60, tying it with a 1200 GS, but I think I would rather daily the GS, so it goes on top. But what did you expect from a sport bike lover? But anyway, let me know if you would add the rocket to your collection, and I’ll see you next time.