I’ve always had a love of classic, retro and café racer styled motorcycles and when a friend pointed out the Triumph motorcycles showroom in Wichit, Phuket I had to pay them a visit.
My brother Ad and I met with sales staff Khun (means Mr. in Thai and is polite) Mike and Khun Ford and got down to the business of seeing what the set up was like and what machines they had on offer. I was not prepared for what I was about to see.
“You’d be embarrassed to start my car up next to that”.
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We decided to review three bikes, with the showrooms piers de resistance being the Grande finale. Believe me when I tell you it was truly Grande, however, you’ll just have to restrain yourselves, wait, and read on.
Khun Mike led us toward the first machine of the day, a stunning classic Bonneville T100 poised in vintage retro glory. It was blue and white in colour and would not look out of place in a 1960/70’s movie, the era in which they are styled. This bike comes with a 900cc lump and could be yours for around 400,000Baht (£9,140.00GBP or $12,437.66USD). Being a fan of retro and café racer styled bikes the Bonneville was a particular favorite of mine.
The second machine on the list was a street racing Triumph Trident T660 that bares the same engine size as its names describes.
Street racers don’t really float my boat, however, I got the impression from the guys that they are popular.
We all moved on from the three Tridents on display to the final serving, and following the maneuvering of neighboring machines, Khun Mike and Khun Ford pulled out a brand-new Triumph Rocket 3R and planted it centre stage. Just looking at this bike sent a chill down my spine.
As I say in the video that supports this review (do watch it – link below), this bike has presence. Like a mafia boss or figure of significant authority, it lets you know it’s there and demands you be respectful or else.
Ad hit the nail on the head with his ‘cyber punk’ style reference to the R3; I was getting hints of otherworldly influence like those produced by the likes of H. R. Giger (creator of the alien from the movie ‘Alien’). I can assure you if another Terminator movie is in the pipeline and Arnie said yes, then this would have to be his steed.
I watched as Khun Mike made adjustments to the electric control panels and eventually started this keyless behemoth. The key fob does have a key, however, this is for the petrol lid. The fob itself just sits in your pocket. You can’t start the bike without it on your person. The sound erupted from the pipes and rumbled for several seconds before we had to turn it off to hear ourselves speak. The preceding silence was also deafening, as we took stock of what we just witnessed. I was speechless and Ad said “I’d be embarrassed to start my car up next to that”.
We then got a chance to sit on the 3R and relay some of the bike’s statistics. The 3R holds the world record for the largest production bike in the world at 2,500cc and it also holds a Triumph in-house record of 0-60mph in 2.75 which is MIND BLOWING. The plan was to have either Khun Mike or Khun Ford follow our camera car riding the 3R around Phuket, however, heavy rains put an end to that.
The rest of time at the showroom was spent looking at some other interesting stock to include a Limited edition Steve McQueen 1200cc Scrambler no 0307 of 1000, a Tiger 900 Rally, a Speed Triple street fighter, and a Thruxton 1200 R café racer. The Thruxton R without question being my favorite of the day.
Thank you to Khun Mike and Khun Ford and Triumph Motorcycles Phuket for a morning well spent. We will return for that Rocket 3R ride.
Thank you for reading and watching.
James Alexander
Company details
Triumph Motorcycles Phuket
Sales: Khun Mike and Khun Ford.
Address: 33/17 Chaofa da wan oork เจ้าฟ้าตะวันออก Wichit, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000.
Call: 076 604 335
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TriumphPhuket/
Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/yvZN9wrcVxjx1GjG8
To watch the video that supports this article please use the media viewer below or go to the Farangbowl YouTube Channel.
