2011 Rocket Tour ABS Brakes

[Tripps]

Originally Posted by dougl

Having had a Rocket w/o ABS and now having a T-Bird with ABS, I would strongly recommend ABS for the Rocket. The back wheel is really easy to lock up.

Real easy!

[rockymtnguy]

Greetings guys. I have a 2013 R3T, phantom black/crystal white, that I picked 2 months ago. It has ABS. I'm in the U.S.A. (Colorado) and they'd just gotten the bike in the week before I purchased it. I don't know about the bikes in the U.K., but the ones shipping to the states, from what I can see, do have ABS as part of the standard configuration (along with quick-release backrest/luggage rack, engine guards, accessory light-bar and windscreen (which was too short .. kudos to the guy(s) who told me about ClearViewShields.com .. have their windshield on now and it is awesome!)).

v/r

Kevin

[sgl0226]

Originally Posted by rockymtnguy

Greetings guys. I have a 2013 R3T, phantom black/crystal white, that I picked 2 months ago. It has ABS. I'm in the U.S.A. (Colorado) and they'd just gotten the bike in the week before I purchased it. I don't know about the bikes in the U.K., but the ones shipping to the states, from what I can see, do have ABS as part of the standard configuration (along with quick-release backrest/luggage rack, engine guards, accessory light-bar and windscreen (which was too short .. kudos to the guy(s) who told me about ClearViewShields.com .. have their windshield on now and it is awesome!)).

v/r

Kevin

Interesting because my dealer said 2013 didn't have ABS. Which ClearView did you get? I'm thinking of changing. My 2012 stock shield is the 16 inch.

[rockymtnguy]

Originally Posted by sgl0226

Interesting because my dealer said 2013 didn't have ABS. Which ClearView did you get? I'm thinking of changing. My 2012 stock shield is the 16 inch.

I'm 6'2" and got the 19" clearview shield with the curved-upward top edge. It works great. There is some airflow right along the top of my helmet, but that is fine considering the heat the bike puts off . I do realize that when I upgrade my seat to a Corbin or similar I may regret not having gotten the 21" shield, but I'll cross that juncture when I get to it (and may be selling the 19" one at a great price to someone here . The windshield is awesome and looks really sharp on the bike.

v/r

Kevin

[sgl0226]

As an update, I added Hagon Nitro shocks and a 19 inch Clearview shield. I just love this bike. It handles so well that I just don't feel the weight. I even find it relatively easy to move around when I'm parking. The shocks make a huge difference and the larger shield is nicer for the cooler weather (I'll put the 16 inch stock shield back on in the spring). I find that the bike is great not only for the longer rides (for me that's about 4-5 hours) but even for short spins around town. It took me awhile to find the right bike (wanted ABS) but it was absolutely worth it.

[Joe S.]

I had an interesting conversation with my Triumph dealer yesterday.
They have a 2012 Rocket III Tourer on the floor and I was told if they sell it, they aren't yet able to order 2013s, but might be forced to take Canadian bikes that are then converted to US spec with parts supplied by Triumph. Apparently Triumph has some excess of some models in Canada.
Not clear to me if they would be sold as 2013's or what would happen.
Lots of strange and conflicting stories floating around about these bikes, whats available and whats not.

[Rocket XIII]

Before buying the used 2008 R3T to replace the one I'd traded last December, I stopped at my Triumph dealer to ask about current and leftover models. They'd sold all of their 2012s and had two 2013 models on the floor (solid black and two tone cream and black).

The 2013 models on the floor did not have ABS, but they had stuff like light bars and some chrome parts that didn't used to be standard in 2008. I asked about ABS and the salesman said he could try to get me a 2012 with ABS, but that Triumph had done a poll of owners and prospective buyers, and the result was that buyers would prefer extra accessories to ABS, so that was the route they'd gone.

I think this is just a story. The Triumph web site still calls the 2013 a Rocket III Touring ABS, but it appears that they are not putting ABS on many bikes.

From my own point of view, I had thought I would like to have one with ABS. But if the 2013 didn't have it, I was just as happy with the low mileage 2008, and that's what I bought.

I am a fairly conservative rider, but I have had a couple of situations where I think ABS would have been helpful on my R3T rides. Still, there's no substitute for caution and careful consideration of the 3 second box out in front of you. Even ABS won't save your butt if you're seriously in over your head.

FWIW, a nice part about the non-ABS bikes is that it is a simpler matter to renew your brake fluid every two years as recommended. I am willing to do non-ABS brake fluid renewal in my own garage, but I'm reluctant to tackle the job with ABS equipped bikes.

My dealer now seems to think that, if I ordered a new 2013 with ABS, they could probably get one, but I would have to wait for it. If it really were offered at the same price as the non-ABS bike, I'd probably be willing to wait.

For now, I'm very happy to have a low mileage 2008 back, even without ABS.

I don't really see where Triumph is going with the Rockets. They seem to be promoting the daylights out of the other bikes, including the Thunderbirds (which look to me like Bonnevilles on steroids). When the Thunderbird first came out, my dealer tried to sell me one as a companion bike for my Rocket III Touring. Made no sense to me, but ymmv.