[5] The main competitors were the Harley-Davidson Ultraglide and the Honda Gold Wing so the initial idea was to develop a 1,600 cc performance cruiser.

Mockett experimented with 'futuristic' styling that included "raygun" silencers and a large chrome rear mudguard, but consumer focus groups did not like it.

Twin butterfly valves for each throttle body were used to increase control and allow the ECU to vary the mixture flow and ignition map according to the gear selected and speed.

The 1,500 W starter motor on the Rocket III puts out as much power as the engine on the very first Triumph motorcycle, Siegfried Bettmann's 1902 1.75 horsepower (1.30 kW) single.

[8] Andy Earnshaw was responsible for designing the gearbox and shaft drive to a 240/50ZR16 bike specific rear tyre.

Ride handling is controlled by purpose built rear shocks and a Triumph first, 43 mm 'inverted' front forks.

Sold in the UK from the spring of 2004, it was awarded 'Machine of the Year' by Motor Cycle News at the 2004 NEC Motorcycle Show.

Secondhand values remain high and providing you keep to 3-4000 miles a year it won’t depreciate faster than a Harley, either".

The addition of a windscreen, panniers (saddlebags), backrest and luggage rack from the factory, and a choice of two-tone paint schemes Triumph began developing the Rocket III Touring version in February 2004 following the launch of the original model, to target the large cruiser market which represents 50% of all US motorcycle sales.

[20] The five-spoke design used on the Rocket III was replaced with billet aluminium slotted wheels and narrower tyres were specified to improve steering with a 180/70 x 16 rear tyre to make it easier to fit detachable panniers that come as standard, together with a removable windscreen and Kayaba rear shock absorbers.