2010 Triumph Rocket Roadster Announced
The family tree of the Big Boy adds a muscle bike
By Pete Brissette, Oct. 01, 2009, Photography by Triumph
When Triumph launched the monstrously torquey behemoth of a motorcycle that is the Rocket some four-odd years ago, the big guy, powered by a 2,294cc (101.6 x94.3mm), liquid-cooled, DOHC, inline Triple mounted lengthwise in the frame, was something of an anomaly. But not just due to its massive engine. Was the brute used for cruising the boulevard, or was it meant for the open road where it could consume miles with ease like large touring sleds? Heck, even Triumph’s own website refers to the Rocket III as a “Streetfighter on steroids.”
Streetfighter? Er, um…interesting play on words from the country largely responsible for the original gangsta streetfighters.
Over the past few model years Triumph strove to create some sense of how the Rocket can be used, eventually creating a touring-friendly model with windscreen and saddlebags as standard, called the Rocket III Touring. Then came the Rocket III Classic. More pulled back handlebars, floorboards rather than pegs, and two-tone paint helped define the powerful motorcycle as something appealing to the cruiser crowd.
The Rocket Roadster gets a 15% bump in torque to a whopping 165 ft-lbs.
For 2010 Triumph adds a fourth dimension to the Rocket, revealing an additional aspect of the bike’s character as a muscle bike.
Explicit details of precise changes will likely be forthcoming, but for now know that the Rocket III Roadster, as it’s called, got a 15% bump in torque output, boasting a claimed increase to 165 ft-lbs. Rocket Tree Stump Removal, at your service!
A three-into-two exhaust not unlike those on the Touring model, at least in terms of styling, has been designed for increased power (as if that’s really necessary!) as well as an idealized exhaust note fit for such a pavement scorcher.
The Roadster is also the first of the Rockets to receive ABS as standard. New rear suspension was also added.
Footpegs are now further back, lower, and moved inward toward the center of the bike. A new seat is marginally higher and further forward than before, pushing the rider closer to the bars. The new ergos should lend to an aggressive, almost drag bike rider stance, yet still be comfortable while providing improved, or rather, easier handling.
Additional tweaks to the Roadster to help delineate it from its brothers include a smoked flyscreen and redesigned fuel tank shape that implies a sleeker Rocket.
Finally, the bad-ass attitude necessary for a muscle bike is accented in the fork, triple trees, radiator shroud and shock springs that get the black-out scheme. Perfectly matched for the two available color schemes: Metallic Phantom Black and Matte Black.
We won’t know for sure until Triumph releases the information, but we suspect the Rocket Roadster to have an MSRP in the neighbourhood of $16,399.
Triumph tells us the new Roadster should hit dealers in 2010. Alas, we only have the British pound to look to for pricing at this time. The MSRP of £10,949 is equivalent to roughly $17,497 stateside, but we'll guess it will likely retail in the U.S. for about $1,000 more than the standard Rocket's MSRP of $15,399.
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2008 Triumph Rocket III Touring Review
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