Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT and R (2024) – Technical Review

Price: £23,195 (R), £23,895 (GT) | Power: 180bhp | Weight: 317kg (R), 320kg (GT) | Overall BikeSocial Rating: TBA

Two decades ago Triumph unveiled the original Rocket III in the midst of a trend for ever-larger cruisers, outgunning rivals with a massive 2294cc triple. Tastes have changed since then and the Rocket evolved with them to gain an even more powerful 2458cc engine in 2019. In 2024 it develops again – transforming into the Rocket 3 Storm and displacing the Speed Triple 1200 as the company’s most powerful bike.

While the Storm name makes it sound like a special edition, all Rocket 3s from 2024 onward will be Rocket 3 Storms, available like their predecessors in sportier ‘R’ form or more touring-oriented ‘GT’ spec, each putting out 180hp compared to the 165hp of the 2019-23 versions.

Review – In Detail

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Price

It’s not just power that increases for 2024 with the Rocket 3 Storm, as prices are up as well. The cheaper ‘R’ version slides in at £23,195, while the GT is £23,895 – each representing a £1200 hike over the previous generation. That’s around 5%, which in the light of recent inflation rates doesn’t seem unreasonable, particularly since you’re getting 9% more power than before.

Each version of the bike is available in three paint options. The R comes in Carnival Red over Sapphire Black, Satin Pacific Blue over Sapphire Black, or Sapphire Black over Granite. The GT flips those schemes, putting Sapphire Black over Carnival Red, Sapphire Black over Satin Pacific Blue, and Granite over Sapphire Black. All the options are heavy on the black, which is traditionally the most popular colour for Rocket 3s, and the chrome and aluminium highlights of the previous models are scaled back, with black finishes on the exhausts, engine, radiator cowls, wheels and headlight surrounds.

The three colours of the Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT…

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Engine & Performance

Ever since its launch back in 2004 the Rocket’s centrepiece has been its massive three-cylinder engine and the current version’s vast 2458cc triple is still the bike’s focal point both visually and viscerally.

It’s perhaps a side effect of that vast capacity that the 15hp power increase for the 2024 Storm models has been achieved purely through changes to the engine mapping. On a smaller-engined bike you’d need a thorough redesign to achieve so much extra performance, but for the Rocket it’s been a case of finessing the tuning rather than reworking the mechanicals. The updates see the peak power rise from 165hp to 180hp, with the maximum arriving at 7000rpm instead of the 6000rpm of the previous model. It means the Rocket edges past the 177hp Speed Triple 1200 to become the company’s most powerful mass-produced bike ever. There’s a small increase in torque from 163lbft to 166lbft, still peaking at 4000rpm. That’s twice as much as a typical 1000cc superbike and feels like even more thanks to that low-revving peak.

Not only is the new bike more powerful and torquier than before, it’s also more economical and the changes to the mapping allow it to meet the latest Euro5+ emissions rules – again a benefit of the large capacity and relatively low state of tune in terms of horsepower-per-litre.

The power level and peak torque are on a par with the limited-edition Rocket 3 TFC (Triumph Factory Custom) from 2019. Only 750 of those were made, a tiny fraction of the 18,000-plus examples of the 2019-on Rocket 3 that have sold over the last five years, and the new bike manages those figures without the racy Arrow silencers of that machine.

…and the three options in the Rocket 3 Storm R model

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight & Brakes)

The extra power hasn’t required a significant rework of the Rocket 3’s chassis – and in fact there are no substantial changes to the frame or suspension.

That means you get the same aluminium frame that was introduced in 2019 – it’s half the weight of the original 2004 bike’s steel chassis – and the same Showa suspension, with 47mm USD forks and a single-sided swingarm attached to an offset, piggyback monoshock. As before, the suspension is fully adjustable, with compression and rebound damping adjustment at the front and compression, rebound and remote preload adjustment at the rear.

The brakes are unaltered, too, with Brembo Stylema M4.30 radial four-pot calipers at the front on 320mm discs and a single Brembo M4.32 four-pot at the rear on a large 300mm rotor. The brakes are helped by lean-sensitive ABS operated with the assistance of the bike’s six-axis IMU.

Despite the unaltered specs, Triumph says the new bike handles better than before thanks to one subtle update – a new set of wheels. These redesigned alloys are only 1kg lighter than the earlier design, but since that’s unsprung, rotating mass it makes a disproportionate difference to the handling, allowing the bike to change direction more quickly than before.

Although the wheels are lighter, the bike’s overall mass hasn’t dropped. The Rocket 3 Storm R comes in at 317kg wet, the Rocket 3 Storm GT at 320kg. It’s hard to compare with previous generations, which were always listed by their ‘dry’ weights, but Triumph says the overall mass is essentially unaltered.

Those new rims are wrapped in different rubber, too. The Avon Cobra Chrome tyres that were purpose-designed for the 2019-on Rocket 3 has been discontinued, so Triumph has swapped to Metzeler Cruisetecs of the same sizes – 150/80-17 at the front and 240/50-16 at the back.

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Comfort & Economy

You’re probably not dropping the thick end of £25k on a 2.5-litre, 320kg cruiser if MPG is at the top of your priority list, but the new model is a fraction more economical than the 2019-23 variant, with lower emissions despite its extra power.

In standard tests, the 2024 Rocket 3 Storm models managed 42.8mpg, up from 41.45mpg for the previous version. That means the 18-litre tank gives a theoretical range of 169 miles, five miles further than you’d get from the same amount of fuel in the previous model.

Emissions, meanwhile, are rated at 152g/km CO2, down from 158g/km for the 2023 version. So you can burn more rubber without increasing your carbon footprint (or something).

Comfort is unchanged for the Storm models. As before, the R has lower bars and mid-mounted foot controls that are adjustable vertically between two positions, allied to a 773mm seat height. The more laid-back GT version has higher, pulled back bars and forward foot controls with three positions of horizontal adjustment, plus a slightly lower 750mm seat, a more comfortable pillion seat with an adjustable backrest, and heated grips as standard.

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Equipment

The Rocket 3 Storm’s equipment is essentially unchanged compared to the 2019-23 model, with TFT colour instruments, cornering ABS and traction control, four riding modes, cruise control and hill hold control as standard. There’s also full LED lighting and keyless ignition, along with backlit bar controls and a USB port.

Heated grips are standard on the GT and an extra-cost option on the R, while other optional extras include an up/down quickshifter with auto blip downshifts, a tyre pressure monitoring system and a Bluetooth connectivity module for phone-based navigation and media.

There options catalogue, as on the previous model, includes different bars, foot controls and seats to tailor the bike’s comfort, a pillion backrest, a flyscreen and various luggage options including 25-litre panniers, a 12-litre tank bag and a 9-litre tail pack.

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Rivals

Picking rivals for a bike that’s defined by being the biggest is a conundrum – only one bike can carry the title of being the largest-engined production motorcycle on the market, and it’s the Rocket. But you might consider one of these:

Ducati Diavel V4 | Price: £23,595

Power/Torque: 168bhp/93lb-ft | Weight: 236kg

Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 114 | Price: £19,245

Power/Torque: 93bhp/114lb-ft | Weight: 306kg

Indian Sport Chief | Price: £20,295

Power/Torque: 89bhp/119lb-ft | Weight: 311kg

2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R Verdict

We’ll let you know when we’ve ridden the Rocket 3 Storm.

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2024 Triumph Rocket 3 Storm GT & R - Technical Specification

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