I never believed in fairy tails and fairy tail endings, 5 years at medical school undermined those delusions. But then I test rode the Rocket 111 Roadster. My faith was restored. I recalled Villeneuve’s tail; La Belle et la Bete subsequently popularised by Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
I had found my beautiful beast (I was still buzzing 3 days later after my 20 minutes test ride).
This bike is an enigma.
It is a vehicle of contradictions; It is, indeed, the beauty and the beast.
It is also traditionally modern, a gentle giant, a nimble monstrosity, it has effortless power.
Finally, she will make a man of you. This is one brilliant oxymoron on two wheels.
For me, the updated Rocket 111 Roadster is the perfect bike and by far the most enjoyable, user friendly and exciting bike I have ridden in my 40 years of motorcycling (38 years actually; my first “bike’ was a Lambretta 150 but bits kept falling off it, including yours truly).
I have owned (Bonnevilles, Blackbirds, ZX12s, and a Gold Wing, to name a few) and/or ridden most other motorcycles but this is my favourite machine. Raw power aside (109kw @ 5750rpm, that is 6% more than its predecessor), the foot pegs have been moved back and up (improving clearance) and the seat has been raised and moved forward.
This is a very comfortable bike for my 180cm/95kg frame and I can ride this machine +/- pillion for many hours without discomfort-a miracle considering my fused lumbar spine with six pedicle screws and six bone grafts-this really is a triumph.
The bike stops as well as it goes, with ABS and twin 320mm floating discs with Nissin four piston fixed callipers up front. That huge profiled 240 rear tyre makes the bike feel very safe (there is so much rubber on the road irrespective of your lean) and its low centre of gravity allows you to throw it into corners and the 221Nm of torque helps you to “fly” out of them.
This model is still being produced at the Hinckley factory in Leicestershire as per the triumph policy-all new models are developed and made at Hinckley (the most technologically advanced motorcycle production factory in the world) for 4 years before being packed off to and produced in Thailand.
The build quality is tops and my bike has not missed a beat since new.
For a must see overview of the manufacture of these bikes see You tube Triumph Rocket 111-21 century motorcycle manufacture.
Rating: this bike scores 11 out of 10 (hey, nobody said I had to be objective!)
- by Martyn Green
