Motorcycle specifications BSA750 Rocket III 1968

Why keep it simple when you can keep it complicated? This question must have been at the top of every page of the specifications when the BSA Rocket III was designed. This "3-cylinder rocket" is the result of a project initially developed by 2 Triumph engineers (Bert Hopwood and Doug Hele). Presented in the early '60s to the management of BSA, owner of the Triumph brand, the Trident project was initially rejected. Hopwood and Hele, passionate engineers, far from giving up, continued their development without factory support.

back in BSA's good graces a few years later, the idea of a large-displacement motorcycle was revived on behalf of BSA and jointly with Triumph. The 2 engineers' Trident served as the basis for the 2 models. However, at a time when the group's financial situation was already weak, BSA's management took the preposterous decision to develop 2 technically similar but distinct motorcycles.

thus, while the engine base is a 3-cylinder, 4-stroke 741cc, with 3 Amal carburetors and a 5-speed gearbox, the BSA will have a bank of cylinders inclined 15° forward compared with that of the Trident. Technically, this decision implies entirely different lower-engine castings, without altering the engine's performance (58 hp at 7,250 rpm). The same goes for the chassis: while the constraints are more or less the same, the BSA will have a double cradle steel frame, while the Triumph will have a single cradle. In the eyes of the decision-makers, differentiation of the models required systematic cost overruns.

released in 1968 at the same time as its sister Triumph Trident T150, the BSA Rocket III was one of the most powerful and fastest street bikes ever built (before the arrival of the Honda CB750 Four the following year).

aesthetically, the BSA had modern lines for its time. The fuel tank (slightly rounder than its sister model) is adorned with chrome strips and plastic protectors. The laterals are wraparound, and the specific mufflers are immediately identifiable with their triple tailpipes (miraculously common to the BSA and early Triumph Trident). The Rocket3 will be offered in a single color: Red. A version was developed specifically for the USA in 1971, but it kept this color.

apart from the engine, the rest of the bike is very classic: telescopic front forks, twin rear forks and drum brakes for all. The bike is a success: fast, well finished, with an attractive displacement and engine architecture. It would certainly have been a success had it not been for the arrival of the more powerful, more reliable Honda 4-leg, equipped with a disc brake, in the year following its launch. The Rocket 3 didn't have time to be fitted with a disc brake (the Triumph Trident did in 1972). Put into liquidation in 1971, the BSA group was bought out by Norton-Villers. The new Norton-Villers-Triumph entity sold BSAs until stocks ran out (around 1972), when the brand was mothballed.

Tanthallas - Photos: Manufacturer

Thanks to the BSA Club of NSW Australia for permission to use their documentation. Please visit http://www.acay.com.au/~shanep/pages/catalogs.html
Thanks to Winni Scheibe for permission to use the photos