Triumph Unveils TFC Thruxton and Rocket III Concept

More power, less weight, and liberal amounts of carbon fiber take Triumph’s Thruxton R to the next level; meanwhile the company also pulls the cover off the Rocket III concept, a sportier power-cruiser for 2020.

In the last decade or so the custom motorcycle scene has permeated what feels like the majority of the bike market. Many of today’s hottest styles and trends in the motosphere can be directly traced to one-off builds. With this in mind, quite a few manufacturers have introduced their own respective versions of “bespoke” models like Harley’s Custom Vehicle Operations (or CVO models).

Taking a page out of the MoCo’s playbook, British marque, Triumph Motorcycles has just pulled the cover off its own custom-inspired model, the TFC Thruxton. Short for “Triumph Factory Custom”, the first new premium offering in the iconic brand’s TFC lineup is the TFC Thruxton.

TFC Trick Bits and Running Gear

These exclusive, limited edition Thruxtons boast gorgeous full carbon fiber bodywork, titanium silencers with matching carbon caps courtesy of Vance & Hines, Brembo radial master with adjustable lever, spoked rims shod in race-spec Metzeler Racetec RR rubber, fully adjustable Ohlins suspenders fore and aft, and a machined billet triple top with a plaque denoting each example’s production number. Other customs-inspired pieces include special grips capped-off with bar-end mirrors, and micro LED turn-signals.

Revised Power Plant

Dethroning the R-spec as the top-of-the-line Thruxton, the new TFC variant reportedly offers around 106 horsepower — ten ponies over last year’s Thruxton R. The massaged TFC mill also puts down a cool 85 ft-lbs of torque (at the 4,850rpm mark) while weighing less than the outgoing R-spec — granted Triumph fails to cite an exact figure here.

Pricing & Availability

Touted by Triumph as being “the most beautiful and desirable Triumphs ever made”, only 750 units will be produced worldwide. Scheduled to roll into

showrooms in early summer of 2019, Triumph has announced the US MSRP at $21,500, while the Canadian price has been set at $23,500. Keeping in line with the typical high-dollar presentation associated with limited edition European models, the TFC Thruxton comes with a “personalized TFC handover pack including a book and signed letter of authentication”.

While these aren’t technically customs, they do sport the trick materials, sex-on-wheels style, high-performance components, and acute attention to detail typically associated with high-level customs. Plus the Triumph “Super Awesome and Trick” range doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Though Ducati’s new Scrambler Café Racer definitely gives it a good run for its money, Triumph’s Thruxton (R) is widely considered to be the ultimate retro-themed production café racer. So it’s awesome to see Triumph making moves an in effort to retain that honor for the Thruxton.

A Rocket of a Concept Bike

According to Triumph, the next model slated to wear the distinguished TFC badge is the upcoming 2020 Rocket III. Though the base model is already something special, a “Factory Custom” variant of the massive triple is undeniably an intriguing offering. Unfortunately today’s press release gave little to no information on the new Rocket 3 concept — aside from two photos — however we can still glean a decent amount from the pair of pictures alone.

Meet The Rocket Three

This news probably means little to you if you have yet to be acquainted with the gargantuan inline-three, so here’s a quick rundown…

First introduced in 2004, the Triumph Rocket III bares the distinction as the world’s largest displacement production model at a whopping 2,294cc’s (140ci). Penned by John Mockett — the creative force behind another legendary Brit bike; the Hesketh V1000 — the Rocket III was propelled by a massive liquid-cooled, DOHC inline-three that generated 127 horses at the rear wheel and a cool 145 ft-lbs of torque. The project that eventually became the Rocket III first kicked off in ’98, with Triumph taking aim squarely at Harley’s Ultraglide and Honda’s Gold Wing — both of which were selling like hotcakes in the US at the time.

Now that you have a tenuous grasp on the original model, let’s dive into the new concept…

A Picture Paints A Thousand Words

Looking at the photos (and zooming in and playing with the lighting) we can see the powertrain is still of the massive straight three variety, though rumors suggest the 2020 model’s displacement is expected to be bumped up to closer to 2.5 liters. (Yeah, we know…bonkers).

Because of increasingly strict emissions standards overseas, the Rocket III is no longer sold in Europe or India, so it’s assumed this updated version of the cult cruiser is being churned out to pass Euro4 regulations. Assumably done in an attempt to comply, the new concept boasts an all-new exhaust setup with a trio of pipes cascading from the right-hand side of the behemoth of a triple. From there two pipes exit on the right side while a single can protrudes to the left — a la the original Rocket III’s exhaust layout (or like the old Kawa triples). 

Thanks to the shorter pipes, the single-sided swing-arm is now on full display, and we can confirm the 2020 Rocket will be shaft-driven. The trick single-sided setup means the revised frame now sports a monoshock instead of the dual spring unit on previous gens. The beefy cruiser-style forks have also been jettisoned for a modern inverted unit — probably from Ohlins on the TFC Rocket III.

It also appears the new frame is far less raked than its predecessor. As a whole, it seems like Triumph has opted to make the Rocket III decidedly sportier than the original, not too unlike Harley’s current FXDR 114 — which we recently reviewed.

The more aggressive nature is bolstered by ABS-linked Brembo hardware fore and aft. And while the design retains the overall cruiser designation and side-by-side round headlights from the first Rocket 3, the 2020 model’s design is far sleeker and markedly more modern. As a whole the concept is more reminiscent of Ducati’s Diavel — being a modern Euro power-cruiser —than it is of a traditional cruiser from the likes of Harley or Indian.

We’re still not entirely sure why anyone needs close to two-and-a-half-liters of power on two-wheels, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t itching to ride one. Though that’s all we’ve got for you on the Rocket III for now, be sure to check back in on May 1, 2019 when Triumph reveals full details at the cruiser’s official launch.