2005 TRIUMPH reviews

I just finished a 1,200 mile ride down to Florida and back and the 2005 Rocket Three performed perfectly - about 40 mpg. It's very stable even in great crosswinds. The power is second to none!! The engine has a great sound, great throttle response and not a trace of oil leaks. This is my first shaft drive bike, very clean and quiet. Fortunately with this much power, it has great brakes. In cool weather it's perfect, but in stop and go traffic on a hot day the engine heat is a bit much. This is my favorite bike except on really hot days, then I park it and ride my 750 Interceptor Honda. Show less

I have had my Speedmaster for just over a year now and I absolutely love this motorcycle. This is my first bike and I think I made the right choice. My friends who have rode my bike that have had Harley's and Honda's tell me that mine is the most comfortable riding bike they have ever rode. The only problem I have had is the computer went out a few months ago, but other than that, it's a wonderful bike that I am very proud to say is mine. Show less

This is a real sweetheart. I love the looks, the performance, the quality in every detail. Slab rides or twisties, my Speedmaster takes it all in stride. I've ridden in all conditions, including wet snow, and it handles great. I like the extra stopping power with the dual front discs. I experimented with several other bikes before deciding on this one. None seemed to feel right for my size and weight, but the Speedmaster fits like a glove. I recommend: a beaded seat for long trips (rolling back and forth gives you a massage a louder horn (Stebel is good). OEM shorty pipes allow easier access to rear wheel, and they sound great without being obnoxiously loud or Harley-hey-lissen-to-my-rolling-thunder. Kudos to Triumph and the Hinckley plant for reinventing classic biking! Show less

Love my Triumph and my wife loves it too. I get lots of comments. I was riding down the Highway the other day and a guy on a really nice Harley pulled up beside me and gave me the thumbs up. I added DD and pipes it sounds great and I get lots of comments on the way the bike sounds. Show less

I'm 64 years old and bought my 05 Bonnie new. It currently has 19,000 miles with no issues. Replaced rear pads at 9,000 and just replaced the front pads at 19,000. Owned Bonnie in 60's while in military in Europe and just had to have another one. Got 14,000 out of the original tires. Replaced them with same tires due to good tread life. I have factory windscreen, sissy bar and off road pipes all of which add to the enjoyment. My wife much prefers riding on the Bonnie as versus our Honda 1100 cruiser. I often ask myself why I even own the Honda. I think Triumph is making a mistake by fitting different seat, pipes and mag wheels on the new units. I am seriously considering buying a low mileage used one and putting it up on blocks so I'll have a good original product. Performance is more than adequate as I run the speed limit and it has more than enough power to pass on the highway even when riding two up. Best part of the Bonnie is all the questions from gray hairs like myself that remember the Bonnie but are currently riding the plastic bikes and complain their back hurts! Show less

I got this bike new out of the crate with less than 1 mile on the odometer. It has started first time, smoothly every time, including after being locked up in the garage for 6 month periods a couple of times. It is to me the motorcycle equivalent of the classic (Coca Cola) bottle design, I want to keep it in my living room as a piece of art as it's so classically beautiful. Anyway, It get's better as it also rides like a dream ,great power for me,superb nimble handling due to it's light weight. This must be my tenth Motorcycle in my life, from dirt bikes to Honda Interceptors and between and it is the best overall bike of all. It's not a Japanese Rocket,It's not yet another Harley clone cruiser... It's just a perfect bespoke trouble free motorcycle. I have the Triumph 'off road' pipes,larger main jets that come with the pipes,T-100 tachometer,I painted Gold inlay in the indented Triumph seat logo and removed the disgusting looking big red rear mudguard reflectors and orange front side reflectors..they went in the trash! I will never sell this Bike...I am at 5,000 plus perfect fun miles now with nothing but three oil changes, chain adjustments and a set of new rear pads. It's the best $6600 I ever spent! Show less

This is my second bike, my first being a 1986 Honda VFR fixer upper. I researched for 2 years before I bought my 2005 Thruxton and I am not disappointed. I chose this bike over any other bike simply because it offered the very best combination of the features I wanted. Sure, there are faster, louder, meaner, more agile bikes out there, but most bikes that excel in one category fall way short in the others. The Thruxton actually manages to put it all together quite successfully. Want power? Plenty of acceleration here for me. Something that looks good? In my opinion, no bike looks sweeter than a classic (or classic-looking) Triumph (I'll admit the Ducatis are pretty sexy looking too). Want a mean sound? You've got a variety of non-EPA approved aftermarket pipes available. Got twisties? This bike is not bad at all. Reliability? So far, everything is rock solid (no leaks, no repairs, no problems of any kind). How about something intangible? Triumph is the oldest motorcycle marque still in production (yeah, even older than Harley) and what an illustrious history it has had over (most of) its 100+ years. Put it all together and the Thruxton is a bike you will enjoy riding, looking at, and talking about for a long, long time. The only shortfall I can come up with is maybe comfort. The sitting position is more aggressive than a cruiser's or even Triumph's own Bonneville, and your wrists can take a while to get used to it. Also, the gas tank is smallish (about 3 gallons), so this would not be my first choice for a touring bike (but people still use it for that). But bottom line, I could't be happier (Oh, mine is racing yellow with checkered stripes, gorgeous). Show less

I live in MN and took my Rocket on a 3000 mile trip through ND, MT, ID, NV, UT, WY and SD. I had zero issues and got about 38-41 mpg. I had a heck of a good time. The only thing I would change is the seat; maybe a gel seat or a good Corbin seat. Every time I stopped at a gas station I was asked questions - everyone loved the look. I can't blame them. Show less

Looks awesome, great speed, pretty aggressive styling which gets heavy on the wrists, but if you don't want to be like everyeone else, this is a great sport bike. Show less

This bike seems to get better and better every year since I purchased it. I have not had a single problem with it like the overpriced Harleys I had that spent at least two visits to the shop a year. The bike is as awesome and powerful if not more than the day I bought it. Every other 2 fill ups I add some octane boost and this scares the hell out of the poor guys on their little Harley's and the custom bikes with their 103-124ci mills learn the hard way about true acceleration. I just smile as they finally turn off to a side street to end the humiliation. The silencers are even more deep and throaty than in 2005. I called the two Triumph dealers here in Denver to see how many women have bought one of thes beasts and was told only two! I've yet to see them on my day long rides on the weekends. Maybe I don't want to see them. Show less