New limited edition Triumph Rocket 3 R Black & GT Triple Black [2021] - Price, Details & Interview

Hello, welcome to Bike Social. I'm Michael Mann and you join me once again here at the Triumph UK headquarters in Hinkley. Well, about a year ago, two new bikes from the Triumph 2020 range hit the dealerships. The massively popular and massive in physical stature Rocket 3. It came in two variations, the R and the GT. And very popular have been two 20,000 pounds or so's worth of two and a half litre, three cylinder, 165 brake horsepower, 221 Newton metres of torque. The list of brilliant figures goes on. Triumph has gone one better for 2021 with some limited edition models. We're going to talk to Myles Perkins, who's head of brand management for Triumph and find out all about them. Myles, welcome to Bike Social. I say welcome, you were invited me. I'm here as your guest, so thank you. Welcome to Hinkley. Thanks for having us. So we've had masses of success already with the Rocket 3, so it's just over a year old now since they appeared in dealerships. What kind of sales figures have there been? Have you been pleased with them? Yeah, very much so. Obviously a bike like this takes an awful lot of time and an awful lot of people to create. And this was quite a new generation of an existing or a previous generation of the Rocket. So very pleased to see in a little under a year and a half sales of about 8,000. We've built about 8,000 and that on a year to year basis is about double what the previous Rocket would sort of sell in a year. But that has an incredible fan base as well. So it's not just how many that's been sold, you've got a very, very vocal and sort of happy customer who owns one of these. This is a big part of their lives. They're pretty iconic. And that's 8,000 globally? Yes. And how are they split between the GT and the R? Well interestingly, and it's pretty unique for a family like this for us, they're about 50-50 depending on which country you're in. Maybe one couple of percent up, couple of percent down. But I think that reflects just the two different flavours of that kind of attitude from the more laid back to the more muscle. They're a bit interchangeable and the seats literally are interchangeable. But no, really remarkable that it's almost an equal 50-50. And that was 2020. And now for 2021, here we are with some new versions. Tell me about them, limited edition I hear. This is the Triumph Rocket 3R Black and this is the Rocket 3 GT Triple Black. And these are limited to 1,000 each only, but that's worldwide. And they come with a certificate of authenticity and they come with quite a unique set of touches to give them that sort of more black, moody attitude. Yeah. So an already big, muscly, moody bike has just kind of taken a step further. It's become even more stealthy. Yeah, I think for me, this is the one I wanted. So there'll be some fans of Rockets out there that maybe would have thought, OK, I'm not, maybe now's not the time. I imagine this will trigger a little bit more sort of imagination with what these are all about. I saw some pictures before we arrived here today, but actually up close, the pictures don't do it justice at all because you start and you can really see the nuances, especially with the matte black against the gloss black on the R and then triple black. For obvious reasons, there's three shades of black on the tank here on the GT. But do you want to run through the differences between this, the, dare I call it the standard R and the R Black? Yes. They've got all of the amazing numbers that you've already, you've started with. So 221 Newton meters of torque at 4,000 RPM with an almost horizontal torque curve. You've got the 167 brake horse engine. The technology is absolutely loaded on both of these. So you've got the OCABS, Optimized Cornering ABS, Traction Control, Riding Modes, Hill Hold, Cruise Control. So they have everything that the standard models have got. And then on top of that, what they both share is a carbon fiber front mudguard as standard, a higher spec item. Also these lovely bar end mirrors as standard, and then loads and loads and loads of blacked out touches, which go from the yokes to details all over the bike with a headlight bezel, for instance, the fly screen cover, the exhaust system. Yes. Stunning that, isn't it? It really stands out. The headers, the Hydra form, isn't it? That's right. Hydra, really advanced manufacturing technique to give them that three strike sort of rocket look. And those are black. You've also got crinkled paint on the intake. You've got the black end caps with that as well. The black touches go down to smaller, lovely little details as well, including one of the key features with the rockets, which is as you're folding out these little stealth hidden foot pegs, they're out in the black as well, which I think adds to that look. One I haven't mentioned, of course, is the radiator cover as well, which basically just gives you a much more muscular overall look. I spent quite a bit of time with the Rocket 3 last year, not only on the press launch, but also with the GT. I had the GT for several months during lockdown, asked when we could ride and couldn't ride, but I got to know the bike a lot better last year. And what blew me away really is the, and I think I highlighted it in the review originally, is the build quality. Things like that folding out foot peg, but also the way in which things are hidden and it just looks so immaculate. And actually it suits this colour scheme beautifully. I think it gives it, you've almost got like a younger audience appeal, especially with the R. Definitely. I mean, I've ridden these a lot and as you say, you just keep discovering little touches. I think the fact that the seat rest will lift up a little bit, you pull that button in. Yeah, no, I think what we're seeing with the Rocket, some of the differences in the number sold, so twice as many of the previous, I think reflects a broadening of appeal. And because now you've got these two very strong flavours between the muscle bike sort of side of it and the more laid back cruiser touring side of it, I think that broadens the appeal. And I agree, I think these will please the fans, but also perhaps bring a younger audience as well. So there's a thousand worldwide of each. Do you know how many are coming to the UK? Have you sort of set those figures yet? Actually, as of this moment, those numbers are not completely set yet. So I think they're going to be quite popular. And in the UK that maybe gives an opportunity if people are keen to get in and get their names down quick, that may influence how many come to the UK. And customers can get deposits down as of now, right? As of now, yes. And what's the price on these? So they're a thousand pounds more on top of the standard price. And of course, you know, you've got not just the look and the style of them, but you do have some more premium features with the carbon mudguard and the mirrors with them. So again, I think as an opportunity for someone who's been looking at these thinking, oh, they're great. I think that adds a little bit more to the story for these. I'm so tempted by that. It's such a beautiful thing. Honestly, you've got to see it close up. It's well worth a visit to your dealership. Are they going to be in dealerships? Are they going to have them in the showrooms? Yeah. I don't know the exact date in the UK, but from mid-April onwards, these will come into showrooms. But as to how long they stay there, though, and whether they may come in already pre-sold, I'm not entirely sure. You can't have this one, though, because this is my one. Good. Excellent. Thank you, Miles. Thanks for inviting us down. Thanks for introducing the new models. 2021 has certainly been a busy year already for you, and I don't think you've quite finished yet, have you? No, we've got some scramblers to talk about very soon as well. We look forward to that. Great. Thanks for joining us. Have a look at the article at bikesocial.co.uk. We've got all the specifications, all the features, everything listed, all the details about these two great new models. Thanks again. See you next time.