JAMAL: This motorbike was built as a tribute to Triumph Motorcycles; it started out as a brand new Rocket 3. A combination between The Chop Shop USA, and another friend of ours, Dusold Design, did the original work. I was in the States shopping around for some bikes when I saw it. It was on display and had been on a tour to Malaysia and Europe. We modified a few more things on it at The Chop Shop before bringing it home to Australia. 

We didn’t know what direction we were going with it at first, but when you see something good, you come up with ideas every day and you keep on modifying it until it’s perfect.

If you look at the Blue Rocket 3, you won’t see any wires, cables or anything; it’s very neat. It’s got the only 380-rear, single-side swing-arm in the world. The tower shaft has been removed and the driven shaft is where the gearbox is.

The brakes are in the gearbox, not on the wheel, which will slow the gears instead. Not many people do this because it’s pretty pricey.

James Baker six-speed gearbox; twin Air Wright suspension front and rear with the air tank under the bike — it collects the air and shifts it from front to back — which lifts it six inches off the ground to give you clearance if you were going to ride it. 

The radiator, water system, and everything is hidden underneath the bike instead of at the front of the bike, which keeps it neater.

JANELLE at 2SUS Custom Resprays: Jamal came across the bike in the USA, pulled it apart, then we painted it when it was brought back to Australia.

KEN at Cobra Craft: We reassembled it and did some modifications because there were a couple of little problems on it. We modified the rear-end, from a six-piston we put on a four-piston caliper because the disc wasn’t big enough and two pistons were hangin’ in the air. We made another set of trumpets because he lost one of those.

Jamal rode it up the road once and he had to get blokes to push him back from the U-turn. You’ve got to know how to ride the bike because the front and rear breaks are on the one side — on the right hand side — so you need to lift your foot up to get to them. When you get to a U-turn, you’ll go up into a hill then roll back; you’ve got to have it in gear and operate the clutch and the throttle — which is on the grip — because you can’t operate the brakes. When he rode it back into here, I saw his hands on the bars and I thought, he’s fucking forgot where the brakes are. I ran alongside and jumped on the brakes. He nearly ran into the machines.

It’s a radical bike and once you get used to it, it’s not a problem; but if you’re not used to it, it’s a drama.

The air bag is to one side so it wants to fall to the right on the expressway. It’s over 370 kilos; it really is a good bike but a bastard to ride.

JANELLE: It’s not an easy bike to move. It’s a show-bike so usually Ken will either assemble it there or one of the boys from the shop will be there to help set it up because we don’t have any accidents or it doesn’t fall on anyone.

JAMAL: It’s been all around the world on show. It was one of the best bikes at the Daytona Bike Show and winner of every bike show here — at the Bankstown Bike Show we won five trophies in one go; at the Gladiators in Newcastle we won about five trophies again; and Silverwater it hit the top.

We’ve been asked to use it for a few movies; there is always someone wanting it. If people want to use it for something, it can be hired out. 

Words by Jamal, Ken at Cobra Craft, & Janelle at 2SUS Custom Resprays. Photos by Wall 2 Wall

More amazing Ozbike features to check out:

• Rocket III Three Wheeler
• Grim Reaper Triumph Rocket 3