2024 Rocket 3 Storm First Look

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Triumph upped the horsepower on its 2024 Rocket 3 R Storm (shown) and Rocket 3 GT Storm. (Triumph/)

Back in 2004 the cruiser market was in all-out warfare as companies battled to have ever-larger engines. Honda’s VTX1800 and Kawasaki’s VN2000 dwarfed the Harleys of the era. Then Triumph emerged with a vast 2.3-liter triple in the Rocket III and in a stroke ended the argument: It had the world’s biggest purpose-made motorcycle engine and has held on to that title ever since.

With an inline engine layout reminiscent of pre-war Excelsior Hendersons or Indian Fours, the Rocket was unlike any Triumph before it and despite the British company’s obsession with heritage and focus on the ever-growing Bonneville range, the Rocket kept a spot in the lineup. Come 2019 an all-new version, now called Rocket 3 instead of Rocket III and packing an even bigger 2,458cc triple in a much lighter aluminum chassis, shifted the bike’s focus toward more muscular, modern cruisers like the Ducati Diavel. Power rose to 165 hp, backed by 163 lb.-ft. of torque and a limited-edition run of 750 exclusive, handmade Rocket 3 TFC machines pushed power higher still to 180 hp.

The 2024 Triumph Rocket 3 GT Storm has a cruiser style compared to the R. (Triumph/)

Now, 20 years after the Rocket III’s debut, there’s a new version: the Rocket 3 Storm. Like that limited-edition TFC version from 2019, it gets 180 hp—3 hp more than the current holder of the “most powerful Triumph” crown, the Speed Triple 1200, making it Triumph’s most powerful mass-made motorcycle. It’s always been the torquiest Triumph, too, courtesy of that vast engine capacity.

Like its predecessor, the Rocket 3 Storm comes in two flavors. The R is the more aggressive-looking variant, with lower, forward-set bars and mid-mounted pegs, while the GT takes a more relaxed approach with pulled-back bars, a small screen, a lower seat, and forward foot controls. Both have the same performance and chassis setups, with the GT paying just a slight weight penalty for its extra equipment, coming in at 706 pounds compared to 699 pounds for the R.

The R model of the 2024 Rocket 3 is lighter than the GT by 6.6 pounds. (Triumph/)

Perhaps illustrating how under-stressed that vast three-cylinder engine is, the extra 15 hp gained by the 2024 Rocket 3 Storm models comes purely through changes to the engine management. These tweaks raise the peak revs, with the max power now arriving at 7,000 rpm instead of 6,000 rpm. Maximum torque is also slightly up at 166 lb.-ft. but arrives at the same 4,000 rpm as the previous model. The engine tweaks also ensure the bike meets the latest Euro 5+ emissions limits in Europe, slightly reducing its CO2 output.

The chassis is unchanged, with the same aluminum frame bolted to a fully adjustable Showa 47mm USD fork and a single-sided swingarm with an offset Showa piggyback reservoir monoshock, also fully adjustable for compression and preload damping as well as preload. It’s the same story with the carryover brake setup, which was already impressive thanks to Brembo Stylema M4.30 four-piston radial front calipers on dual 320mm discs, backed up by yet another four-pot caliper—this time an M4.32—at the rear on a 300mm rotor. Cornering ABS is standard thanks to a six-axis IMU, which also enables several levels of cornering traction control and four riding modes.

Other equipment includes cruise control and hill-hold control as well as keyless ignition, and the GT has heated grips as standard. The same grips are optional on the R, and both models can be personalized with an array of different bars, seats, foot controls, screens, and luggage options. On the tech side, an up/down quickshifter, a phone connectivity module for on-dash navigation and media, and a tire pressure monitoring system are all available as extras.

The GT model of the Rocket 3 Storm has a more relaxed, cruiserlike riding position than the R. (Triumph/)

Visually, the Rocket 3 Storm models take on a murdered-out style, swapping chrome and brushed or polished aluminum finishes for satin blacks on the hydroformed exhausts, which retain their distinctive three-muffler layout with one on the left and two on the right. New wheels save a couple of pounds of unsprung mass, giving a disproportionate benefit to handling, but retain the dimensions of the previous model with a 150/860-17 front and 240/50-16 rear. Metzeler Cruisetec tires replace the Avon Cobra Chromes of the earlier generation.

Both rocket 3 Storm models get new Metzeler Cruisetec tires. (Triumph/)

Each version of the bike gets three two-tone color options: red, blue or gray, each combined with black, but the pairs of colors are inverted on the GT. Despite the extra 15 hp, the price increase for 2024 is a fairly modest $1,200, pushing the Rocket 3 Storm R to $24,995 and the Storm GT to $25,795.

Rocket 3 Storm Specs

MSRP:	$24,995 (R) / $25,795 (GT)
Engine:	DOHC, liquid-cooled inline three-cylinder
Displacement:	2,458cc
Bore x Stroke:	110.2 x 85.9mm
Compression Ratio:	10.8:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/shaft
Claimed Horsepower:	180 hp @ 7,000 rpm
Claimed Torque:	166 lb.-ft. @ 4,000 rpm
Fuel System:	Fuel injection, ride-by-wire
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate, torque assist; hydraulically actuated
Frame:	Full aluminum
Front Suspension:	Showa 47mm USD fork, compression and rebound adjustable
Rear Suspension:	Showa piggyback reservoir monoshock, compression, rebound and preload adjustable
Front Brake:	Brembo Stylema M4.30 4-piston radial calipers, 320mm discs
Rear Brake:	Brembo M4.32 4-piston caliper, 300mm disc
Wheels, Front/Rear:	cast aluminum; 17 x 3.5 in. / 16 x 7.5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	150/80R-17 / 240/50R-16
Rake/Trail:	27.9°/5.3 in.
Wheelbase:	66.0 in.
Seat Height:	30.4 in. (R) / 29.5 in. (GT)
Fuel Capacity:	4.8 gal
Claimed Wet Weight:	699 lb. (R) / 706 lb. (GT)
Contact:	triumphmotorcycles.com

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