Posts Tagged ‘superbikes’

My Rocket 3

{ December 22, 2010 @ 11:11 pm } · { Hobbies }
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Earlier this year, I decided to replace my trusty but ageing BMW R1100RS, not least because a few of my friends had decided to plan a trip to Spain from the UK.

My first stop was to a BMW dealership, but I was very unhappy at the standard of service I received, or lack of it, so my next stop was 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”.

The machine turned out to be a Rocket 3, all 2300cc of it!

I have been riding bikes for many years and have had a good number of modern Triumphs, and have always been fascinated by the Rocket.

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.

Nervously I turned the key, pulled in the clutch and started the engine.

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.

Given the low seat and overall design of the bike with the engine running parallel with the gearbox, Triumph has done a remarkable job. Low speed stability is second to none, and the balance is fantastic.

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

In fact, the power peaks so low down in the rev band that the throttle feels very controlled at all times. Sure, if you open it more than a quarter of an inch you then find yourself going to warp drive, but if 50 -60mph is your thing, you never feel the bike is disagreeing with you.

This is one heavy bike with not a lot of ground clearance, so some care must be taken, but this was not designed for scratching, so comparisons with the Suzuki Hayabusa for example, (the bike journalists favourite for some strange reason), are really totally irrelevant.

However, it’s important to pay attention to the road as this is no sports bike. You need to think about the corner ahead and adjust your sped in good time as there is not a great deal of ground clearance.

I’m looking forward to seeing how this bike copes with the hairpins in the Pyrenees!

Zac knows how important is regular motorcycle maintenance and enjoys nothing more 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.

Classic Motorcycles – the Honda CB750

{ December 22, 2010 @ 6:11 pm } · { Auto and Trucks }
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British, American and the European manufactured motorbikes enjoyed world wide dominance until the late 1960s.

The Japanese were coming however, and had indeed made significant inroads into light and middle weight classes since 1948.

However, in 1968, everything changed. No one had really seen it coming. It may have been complacency when the British motorcycle industry decided that the Japanese would never enter the big bike scene.

October of 1968 was a momentous year in motorcycle manufacture. Triumph had in the early part of the year, launched their new big bike – the 750 Trident. Despite this, the end of the year would be a body blow for Triumph, something that they just did not see coming.

In late 1968 Honda took the big bike world by storm, launching the CB750. Four exhausts, electric start and styling like nothing seen before, along with a super smooth new engine meant that Honda had not just caught up, it had completely overtaken the competition.

One of the main aims was to develop a machine that could be ridden comfortably for long stretches. One of the keys to this was reducing vibration, and many configurations were studied to find out what type and size of engine would offer the least amount of vibration.

To reduce vibration levels, Honda had to design a completely new engine, as anything over 500cc in traditional parallel twin format was far to “buzzy”. After testing a range of configurations, the in line 4 was settled on, and formed the basis of superbike manufacturing for many years.

Honda succeeded in producing a smooth, reliable machine, capable of long distances with minimum fatigue for the rider, who at last had a machine that started with minimum effort and did not need the constant mechanical attention so common in owning a large capacity motorcycle of the time.

Many people feel that the CB750 represented such a leap forward in motorbike design and thinking, that it was, in fact, the first modern day superbike.

Bikes are Zac’s first love. He loves nothing more than riding, cleaning and maintaining his collection of bikes, and knows how important it is to store them correctly. He uses genuine Harley Davidson motorcycle covers. For more information and fantastic deals on bike covers, visit www.harleydavidsonmotorcyclecovers.net.