Although the overall riding experience is much the same for all three, subtle differences distinguish the Touring model from its stablemates. It may look the same, but it comes with a different exhaust system, re-tuned engine, and most importantly, perhaps, a different sized rear tire.

This last item changes the way you ride the big cruiser from Hinckley. While the other two retain a massive 240 mm rear tire, the Touring model gets 180 mm rear rubber, which really enhances its handling and "leanability". The bigger rear tire looks pretty cool, but it adversely affects hard cornering and tends the make the Rocket III "stand up" when you want it to do just the opposite. It doesn't like to be leaned over, in other words, and its natural tendency is keep going straight ahead when you hit the twisties. Of course, you can lean any bike over, but the 180 mm tire opens up a whole new dimension of rideability with the Touring model. The Rocket III has always been a surprisingly manageable motorcycle, considering its massive weight and long wheelbase, but the Touring version almost feels like a different machine.

About the engine. "Re-tuned" is probably the wrong word. The 2.3 litre three-banger has actually been de-tuned, and develops 106 horsepower.....down some 34 hp from its brethren. On the other hand, it puts out 7 foot-pounds more torque: 154 ft.lb. vs. 147 ft.lb. It's mated to a five-speed transmission and features shaft final drive. Brakes are an intriguing combination of a pair of Nissin discs with four-piston calipers up front, and a single Brembo two-piston disc in back.

Horsepower and torque disparities notwithstanding, this is still a bike with an absurd amount of power.....in all gears and at all rpms. Crack the throttle and you better have a good grip, because it breaks away at the slightest provocation and gets up to 160 km/h and beyond with ridiculous ease. The Rocket III still has the largest production engine on the market, and, combined with its 358 kilogram weight, is a dreadnought of a motorcycle. By way of comparison, it weighs less than a fully-loaded Harley-Davidson ElectraGlide, but has almost twice as much power. There are plenty of compact cars on the market that have smaller engines.

But a motorcycle will only go as fast as you want it to, and, aside from some low-speed snatching issues, the Rocket III Touring is civilized and well-behaved. Like most large displacement/shaft drive bikes, it doesn't like low-speed trolling, and seems to be most comfortable cruising along in mid-range. There is no tachometer, so I could only guess at engine speed, but at 160 km/h in fifth, it doesn't feel like it's turning over at more than 2500 rpm. In the world of long-distance touring bikes, this is like an all-day sucker.

Riding position - at least for me - is fairly upright , with wide beach-style handlebars, generously-sized footboards and a heel and toe shift lever. I have always found the Rocket III, in all its configurations, to be a good fit and, once I got its measure and found the bike's sense of balance, I was as comfortable as I've ever been on a large bike.

Some other nice touches: easy to open hard bags that have a slick little netting and velcro pouch for small items, a low profile windscreen that does an amazing job of blocking most of the buffeting, while still allowing enough to keep you in the wind, and a single large headlight - as opposed to the two smaller ones found on the base and Classic models.

All things considered, I really like this bike, but I do have a couple of negatives. First, I just can't get my head around its physical appearance. Thanks to the two-branch exhaust and different front end treatment, the Touring model is better looking than the other two, but it's still a massive looking piece of equipment and definitely not in my top ten list of beauty queens. Secondly, at really low speeds - parking, for example - it's a pig. It's heavy, unresponsive, and a real handful. Again, better than the other two in this model range, but still, care must be taken when manhandling it in a parking lot, or else, over it goes, and I can testify from bitter experience that once a motorcycle of this size starts to go down, there's no power on earth that can stop it.