Modern cruisers offer incredible performance and more features than ever. The market is packed with a wide selection of impressive options that will all appeal to different buyers. But not all cruisers are comfortable. In this segment, comfort means different things to different people. For most riders, bikes with dedicated forward controls won’t feel at all comfortable to ride over long distances, and, to others, mid-controls will feel cramped. The bike in question finds a way to satisfy both sets of riders.
Modern Power Cruisers Offer More Comfort Than You Might Think
2020 Yamaha V-Max accelerating on a city road front fascia zoomed-out shotYamaha Motorsports Archives
High-performance cruisers are something of an oxymoron. A cruiser, at its core, is meant to be a laid-back kind of motorcycle, not a high-octane machine designed for thrill rides. But, there is something appealing about a motorcycle that can do something that it really shouldn’t be able to do. The Yamaha V-Max paved the way for this unusual class, but Team Blue pulled the plug on it just when others were joining the party.
Ducati
Since its departure from the market, bikes like the Ducati Diavel (or XDiavel) and the Harley-Davidson Low Rider S have stepped up to the plate. These are bikes that offer impressive straight-line speed, yet are also able to offer a level of comfort that makes all-day rides possible. But there is one British cruiser that beats these names to take over the muscle cruiser segment.
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The Triumph Rocket 3 Is The Ultimate Power-Cruiser
MSRP: $26,695 – $27,495
Triumph
Triumph’s big-bore triple is an immensely powerful motorcycle. With 166 pound-feet of torque arriving at just 4,000 RPM, there is nothing else quite like it on the market. It backs this humongous engine up with a level of comfort and sophistication that other manufacturers struggle to compete with. The British brand also recognizes the fact that different riders will have different ideas of what comfort really is. The Rocket 3 Storm R offers neutral ergonomics and flatter bars, whereas the GT model has forward controls, swept back bars, and a small fly screen that sort of pays lip service to the concept of wind protection. Which bike you find more comfortable will mostly boil down to personal preference.
The Most Powerful Cruiser On The Market
Power: 180 Horsepower
Triumph
With 180 horsepower, this is the single most powerful cruiser currently on the market. But it isn’t just about how much power it has, but how it produces its power. All that torque comes at you pretty early in the rev range, and it makes the power feel effortless. Unlike some motorcycles with this much power, it isn’t twitchy or unmanageable. Triumph has more or less perfected fueling on modern motorcycles. So the throttle response is crisp and precise right from low down in the rev range, where most other brands struggle the most to get it right, in an age where every new bike needs to run extremely lean.
Boasts The Biggest Motorcycle Engine Currently In Production
Triumph
With a displacement of 2,458cc, this isn’t just the biggest triple, but the single largest displacement motorcycle engine in production. The old “no replacement for displacement” saying doesn’t usually hold much water in the motorcycle industry, but it certainly works here. The only problem with such a big triple is the fact that no triple can be perfectly balanced, and there will be some high-frequency vibrations felt through the bar. As a rule, anyone coming from a big V-twin won’t even feel it, but somebody more used to a silky smooth inline-four might find it annoying. A decent test ride is most certainly the order of the day.
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The Rocket 3 Has All The Necessary Features
Triumph
To harness all this power, Triumph has equipped the bike with cornering ABS and lean-sensitive traction control. It also has cruise control, ride modes, and a tasteful TFT dash. At this price point, all this is to be expected, and without traction control, it really would be a tricky bike to ride with so much torque almost always ready to light up the rear wheel.
But this isn’t really a motorcycle that is hard to ride at all. Even though it is heavy at around 700 pounds, the steering is light and precise once you get moving. Its suspension is also fully adjustable, so you will be able to tailor it to your height, weight, and riding style without much fuss. Brake components are also top-shelf items from Brembo, so stopping this beast isn’t a problem either.
It Isn’t For Everyone
Triumph Motorcycles
This is a thrilling motorcycle to ride in a straight line. Without a shadow of a doubt, that is its main purpose. Both the Strom R and GT models are comfortable enough to ride all day, but the Rocket 3 certainly isn’t pretending to be a touring bike. It is very much a niche offering that will only appeal to a certain kind of rider. A rider who simply will not settle for “enough” power and wants the “most” power.
Very few riders will ever be able to get the most out of one of these bikes, and that is arguably the most frustrating part. It is the very definition of excess, but it is excess you need to pay for. At the end of the day, this is a very expensive bike, and while it offers unlimited power, it is the kind of power that is actually very hard to use in the real world.
In terms of design, it certainly isn’t pretty, either. It looks purposeful and has incredible presence, but it is not the kind of bike that anyone will turn and admire. There are cheaper, better-looking bikes in this space that offer a similar overall riding experience. You just don’t get to say they have the most power or torque. The Rocket 3 quite simply has more, more than anyone will ever need.
Chassis, Suspension, And Weight Specifications
Chassis
Full aluminum frame
Front Suspension
47 mm Showa USD cartridge front forks, compression and rebound adjustable (4.7-in travel)
Rear Suspension
Fully adjustable Showa piggyback reservoir RSU with remote hydraulic preload adjuster (4.2-in travel)
Weight
699 – 705 lbs
Source: Triumph
