1969 BSA Motorcycles Rocket III

Introduced in 1968, the 750cc, 125mph three-cylinder Rocket III was crucial to BSA, whose future hinged on the bike’s success. The Rocket III was critically acclaimed by the motorcycling press, which labeled it the world’s first Superbike. BSA earned its reputation with four-stroke singles and twins, but in 1968, the company broke with tradition and introduced the three-cylinder BSA Rocket 3 motorcycle. Nearly a clone of the Triumph Trident, the Rocket 3 was powered by an alloy 750-cc overhead-valve engine producing 58 horsepower -- enough to propel the bike to near 120 mph. The original Rocket models were for export only and it was not until 1969 did British customers come to grips with synthesis machines.