It wasn't until recently that we realised we needed a behemoth motorcycle in our garage. But it wasn't until recently either that Triumph Motorcycles pulled the veil off the new Rocket III TFC. Brought to life by the 'Triumph Factory Custom' special works division at Hinckley, the Triumph Rocket 3 TFC is as wild as the British get and features the world's largest engine on a production motorcycle. The new Rocket 3 TFC will have a limited production run of 750 units, of which 225 units of these big bad cruisers will make their way to the US, while the rest will make their way to other parts of the world. There's no word yet on how many models will be coming to India.
The twin round headlamps are retained but get the modern LED DRLs
Now the Triumph Rocket III has been around since 2004 and was powered by a 2.3-litre motor, which held the record for being the largest engine on a production motorcycle. With the Rocket 3 TFC, Triumph has increased the displacement to 2458 cc with three-cylinders, which makes it the largest engined production bike in the world, while performance figures are up by a hefty margin to 180 bhp and a whopping 230 Nm of peak torque. That's enough torque to propel a lot more than just two wheels, and you'd have to have a few bolts loose to push this beast to its maximum limit. No wonder than that Triumph hasn't shared the top speed on this beast. Possibly, they haven't found someone to test it yet. That said, it holds the title of being the most powerful offering from Triumph yet.
The new 2.5-litre 3-pot motor on the Rocket 3 TFC replaces the 2.3-litre engine on the older version
Apart from the power hike and the shift to numerical 3 instead of the Roman III, the 2019 Triumph Rocket 3 TFC gets a bulk of changes. The power cruiser is all-modern and has witnessed a weight reduction exercise as well. The bike is 40 kg lighter than its predecessor, which has been achieved by lightening the internals more sophisticated components including titanium valves that allow for a higher redline, while the three Arrow silencers are now carbon-tipped.
The Triumph Rocket 3 TFC is underpinned by a new aluminium frame, and there are more electronics too
Weight savings also comes from the new aluminum frame on the 2019 Rocket 3 TFC with the three-pot motor used as a stress member. The bike now makes use of a single-sided swing arm, and a redesigned shaft-drive system. The twin roundlamps continue to remain the trademark design element, but they do get LED DRLs that serve as a reminder of the all-new and more powerful internals on the motorcycle. There's a lot more electronic intervention this time, and much needed too with advanced ABS and traction control, 4 riding modes, clutchless shifting as well. The instrument console is now all digital with a TFT display, while there are features like cruise control, hill hold control, keyless ignition and tyre pressure monitoring. Triumph will also let you add an optional Bluetooth dongle that allows you to pair with a phone giving you GoPro integration, allows you to play music, take calls and access to Google Maps.
The addition of carbon fibre bits all over have helped in weight savings up to 40 kg
The new Triumph Rocket 3 TFC is also a lot more agile than its predecessor with the suspension set-up comprising 47 mm fully-adjustable Showa cartridge forks up front and a fully adjustable piggyback shock at the rear. Braking duties are taken care off by Brembo sourced adjustable radial master cylinder that power a set of Stylema calipers. The set-up is shared with the equally manic Ducati Panigale V4.
Only 750 examples of the Triumph Rocket 3 TFC will be made
The 2019 Triumph Rocket 3 TFC is just what posters should be all about. It's only fair then that the British bike maker is commanding a price of $29,000 (around Rs. 20 lakh) for its most powerful bike yet that will be owned by 750 people. However, should Triumph choose to lose the fancy bits of carbon fibre, there is hope for a standard and more affordable version to join the line-up later. The company though is yet to confirm the same. Production for the new Rocket 3 TFC will commence later in the year, while deliveries are expected to start by December.
