Custom Triumph Rocket 3 takes excess to new levels
Named after an artist you’ve probably never heard of, the Agostino custom build is a thing of beauty.
It’s not a bantha, but it looks a bit like something Boba Fett would ride. Or, at least, what that thing would look like before Boba got a hold of it and rode it into a sarlacc pit.
In actuality, the thing in question is a Triumph Rocket 3 that’s been given the customisation treatment by Dubai-based Box39 Motorcycles. Called the Agostino, it is named after Italian painter Agostino Carracci.
Carracci was a late 16th-century artist who is best known for being related to more famous artists Anibale Carracci and Ludovico Carracci. He’s not even really known as a painter, with his more famous work being in the medium of engraving.
He is also, according to the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, “widely recognised as having been one of the originators of caricature in Western art in the mid-1580s.” In other words, he sort of invented cartoons.
How any of this connects to a fat-tired, power cruiser is kind of a mystery. Perhaps Box39 was hoping no one would search Agostino Carracci’s name. Or perhaps they’re making a subtle statement about the nature of excess. Customised to run a 280mm wide rear tire, the 2458cc, 180 bhp Rocket 3 is an exaggerated view of what a motorcycle is supposed to be - a caricature, if you will.
“With the Agostino project we are entering a new era of premium touring custom projects,” states Box39 on its website. “Now art will comfortably accompany you on the longest road.”
For the most part, Box39’s changes to the standard Rocket 3 are aesthetic. There appear to have been no changes to the engine, electronics, or brakes. Though the front discs are different.
Box39 has made some chassis changes. In addition to increasing the width of the rear tire, wheel size front and back has been boosted to 18 inches. A custom cantilever swingarm was created to accommodate the larger rear tire.
“The fuel tank is made of steel, which significantly enhances its performance characteristics and safety,” says Box39. “The rear section features only the original motorcycle's brake light; everything else has been custom-designed by us to attain the best possible results.”
Box39 doesn’t offer any clue as to how much money it’s asking for this custom machine. We’re guessing the answer is: a lot. Even a bog standard Rocket 3 is a pricey affair.
As such, I doubt anyone would choose to tour on this bike, as Box39 suggests, but they’ll have a hell of a lot of fun wherever they go. As we pointed out in our review of the platform when it was updated last year, “the bonkers engine, the surprisingly sharp handling and the general absurdity of the whole idea [mean that the Rocket 3] becomes an extremely appealing bike, and one that’ll surprise you.”
For more motorcycle news, stick with Visordown.com
Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
