The Albrex Triumph Rocket III Turbo: "Rocket Roll!"

Triumph Rocket 3 Turbo
The Albrex Triumph Rocket III Turbo: "Rocket Roll!"
wBW Special Report - Edited by webBikeWorld Staff
750, 800, 850 pounds plus rider -- who cares? When three cylinders and 2,300 cc's get hit by a
turbocharger driving a single wheel, Weight Watchers is the last thing on your mind.
Much more important is both hands on the bars, a grip of iron, upper arms more like the Governator than
Gumby, cojones of steel and rock-hard butt skin. Because when the right wrist cracks the whip and the
reinforced clutch sends all that power to the gearbox, the forward thrust will squeeze you into the single
seat like you've just been pancaked by a fusion-drive freight train.
The Triumph Rocket -- er, Rocket III -- starts life as a production bike with the biggest capacity in
motorcycledom (with apologies to the Boss Hoss). And there are very few who would say that the stock
140 hp at 5,750 rpm and 147 lb. ft. (200 Nm) of torque at 2,500 revs makes it wimpy ride.
There are rumors that Triumph's engineers actually toned down the elemental force of the Rocket's three
cylinders by backing off the ignition and injection mappings. But I'll bet that most of the owners are more
than happy with the output of the powerplant, especially compared to the lame stock HP of the Rocket's
Made in the U.S.A. competitors.
But for those Rocketeers who believe in the old adage "More is Never Enough", we have Conrad Gruber.
The forty-something Austrian has developed a following by specializing in helping bikers to whom bigger,
better and faster is a matter of principle.
They come to him from all over the world, leaving their Ferraris or Lamborghinis at his workshop at 1,200
meters above sea level in the picturesque Wildschönau, one of the most beautiful spots in the Kitzbühel
Alps. They return after two, three or six months, depending on the schedule of the custom tuner, and they
leave delighted that their favorite toy now has at least 50 per cent more power.
Two turbochargers for a Ferrari F50 to ensure that the V12 engine delivers brutal 850 instead of the
standard 520 horsepower? No problem!
A hefty power injection for the Diablo? Can do!
With lots of love for details, Gruber’s Albrex shop fulfills the dreams of eternal boyhood, fueled by
testosterone and money.
Of course, most of his customers also have one or more motorcycles in their garage. And since Yamaha
made the macho-bike devotees wait for a new V-Max for at least 15 years and the Suzuki B-King wasn’t in
sight, many muscle bike owners purchased a Rocket III instead.
So a guy who gets his Ferrari pumped up to the max naturally also can’t live with the fact that his Triumph
could let its 240 rear tire go up in smoke much more quickly if it only would have “real” power.