choppernutz.com

Earlier this year, some friends and I decided to go on a bike trip from where we live in the UK to Barcelona in Spain, about 2200 miles. I decided my old BMW was not up to the trip and needed to be replaced.

I had thought about buying a new BMW R1200RT, but a visit to a local dealer confirmed my worst fears. With BMW now selling their bikes alongside their cars the whole buying experience has changed. That’s if you get that far; the salesman I met was polite enough, but not really that interested, so I left and headed back to Triumph.

At 50 years of age, and not exactly lithe and supple in the bodywork department, my days of riding sports bikes are behind me, they just don’t “fit” anymore.

The dealer was friendly, and unlike BMW, seemed keen to sell, but was not at all “pushy”.

I settled on a bright shiny Rocket 3.

I have always liked the look of the Rocket, but had never considered a cruiser before. That was about to change!

Sitting on it for the first time I felt somewhat nervous as this thing is just so huge. The first thing I noticed was how comfortable it is. The seat is quite low, so you feel like you are sitting in it, rather than on it.

It was like the bike was waiting for me, menacingly, to start up and “take her on”. I turned the key, pulled in the clutch, and pressed the starter button.

When I started it for the first time I instantly recognised that Triumph triple sound, and was surprised at how light the gear shift was.

Just on tick over, the bike rolls away quite happily and I was amazed at the low speed stability. The centre of gravity is low and the balance is amazing.

Unlike my Honda Blackbird, the engine is not turbine smooth, nor does the bike feel like it wants to keep putting down the power.

Instead, we have a machine that is both happy to potter around back lanes, or jump to light speed if one twists the throttle more than a few millimetres. But you never feel that you have to ride it fast.

Obviously this is a very heavy bike, but that works to its advantage in that it feels incredibly stable at speed, and once the tyres are scrubbed in it corners well and eagerly.

You do have to remember that this is not built for the track however. Ground clearance for cornering is limited so if you are riding hard, care must be taken when approaching bends, although this misses the point of the bike.

The Rocket has been great fun so far, and I’m looking forward to our 2,000 mile trip to Spain – even the hairpins!

Zac understands the necessity of regular motorcycle maintenance and likes nothing better than working on his garage of bikes. He believes in using the right tools for the job including Harley Davidson motorcycle covers. For more free information and great deals visit www.harleydavidsonmotocyclecovers.net.

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Filed under: Motorcycles