Considering a rocket.....questions

[dazco]

well, as you see i own a speedmaster i've had for 2 years now. Love the thing, but i'm always wishing i had another 20 or so HP. Never the less i love the bike. I've decided however to sell it within maybe 6 months or so and i have 3 possibilities i'm looking at

New EFI speedmaster or america ('08's will be EFI)

the rumored 1500 cruiser should it become more than a rumor

R3

The 1500, if it meets my requirements in looks, power and ride would be my first choice because chances are it will cost less than a R3 not only initially, but as far as maintenance...tire cost/life, gas, etc. But being a rumor i can't really add it into the equasion till it arrives.
The EFI speedmaster is a possibility because to me it is the perfect motorcycle aside for the power. But i figure EFI should add a few HP and should allow mods to do more than they do now.
And then theres the R3. And I gotta say it feels light sitting on it which is a good thing. And when the triumph truck is here next weekend i intend to test ride one. But the things that concern me are as follows....

1)-how long do tires last, what cost, and how much to change em?

2)-gas milage?

3)-how much trouble is it to adjust the valves, or are they self adjusting?

4)-with all that weight, if you drop one even at a standstill do they tend to destroy enough parts to eat up 1/2 your years salary? And are they impossible for a 5'9" 53 YO to pick up? I've tipped the speedy before and picked it up, but it was a bit of a strain and thats 200 Lbs less. Maybe weight distribution would make the R3 easier than it seems tho?

5)-is low speed handling going to be a lot less controllable than my SM?

6)-what is that monstrosity of a chrome thing on the sides of the tank, and why is it only on some models?

Thanks. Chances are better that i won't end up with a R3 than i will. But if the 1500 isn't announced by the end of the year then the chances will increase a lot. Partly because another thing that bothers me about the SM unlike my 05 is that the wheels on the current model and surely on next years EFI version are ugly as F ! And i must say that i have been liking the R3 more and more over the last year. Till then i was really put off by the looks of the engine. But now that it's black it looks worlds better. And overall i'm just beginning to dig it more and more. But the SM will always be my perfect bike as looks go. It's as tho i designed it myself.

[Yelwoh]

I had a speedmaster. I now have a 2007 Rocket III Tourer.

I love the bike. The gas milage is ok, up to about 35 mph but less if I am heavy on the throttle.

If you go with the Rocket you will be very happy. Ps, it take a little getting use to due to the difference in size compared to the Speedmaster. But I have gone on the highway a lot and it is so much better of a ride than the Speedmaster.

Don't get me wrong. I loved the Speedy but it just didn't have enough power on the highway.

[ This message was edited by: Yelwoh on 2007-07-09 23:24 ]

[Ugarte]

I'm a 5'9" 53 year old and I've dropped my rocket twice, and picked it back up twice. Just need to use the proper method.

My rear tires last 8k miles and cost about $220 total to replace if I take the wheel in. The Rocket wil never get boring......its an amazing bike and hellacious fun.

What I don't like about the Rocket, and this goes for any heavy bike, is I tend to stay away from those skinny rough roads that might lead to nowhere or to an unpaved road with no turn around at the end and ditches on both sides......
The Rocket is fairly easy to pick back up if you drop it on pavement......but on a gravel road you are likely to need two people to get it back up.

I get 35 to 40 mpg doing 80 mph.,...not bad for 2300cc's.

I had my valves checked at 10k and all were within tolerance. The recommended interval is 20k miles, but I doubt if I will have them checked again. I have 50k miles on the bike and it runs like new....still has the original plugs too!

The Rocket is by far the best bike I have every owned. And even though there are lots of other bikes out there I would like to have, I doubt if any of them would beat the overall satisfaction that the Rocket delivers.

[rndtaylor]

My back tire was showing cords at 7300 miles. replaced immediately at $337.00! no burnouts, wheelies ever. what a sh@#$ty tire!
PLEASE Dunlop make us a good tire!
gas mileage improves with miles on the bike. Im at consistent 42 -44 normal riding <65 mph. @ 80 and up it drops to 35mpg.
low speed handling is better than you think. dont be afraid of it, just take charge and try one in a parking lot.
Monstrosity is just cover for efi and intake plenum.
Why do the british do things like that? I dont know. I dont care. I wouldnt have done that, but then again, Ive never built a bike as wonderful as the Rocket III either!

[dazco]

$220 vs $337 is huge. I must assume rndtaylor had the shop do everything while as Ugarte he took it in. Thats what i usually do, tho i can't help but wonder how hard it might be to remove and replace on the R3. On my SM it was easy, but the bike is 200 Lbs less and the R3 on a bike jack while removing that huge rear wheel and thereby radically changing the front/back weight balance is a somewhat scary thought.

42-45 at 65 dropping to 35 at 80?! Ouch ! Up to 10 MPG less by going 15 MPH faster seems like a lot, especially since at 80 the bike should be almost lugging it in 5th considering the 140+ top speed. You sure bout that?

as to the chrome cover, i see some rockets don't have them and that would be an absolute must for me because to my eye it totally ruins the bike's looks. What years/models don't have that cover ?

[tbsrider2000]

When my RIII was stock I was getting close to 40 MPG. With the TOR/cat by-pass and PC-III I'm getting about 35 MPG cruising at any speed below 80 MPH. If I'm really getting after it, my MP drops, of course. At 80 MPH, it's turning just above 3,000 RPM.

My rear tires have lasted 10,000 miles each. Most of my riding is highway, avg about 80 MPH. I have do spin the tire but not very often, and pull the front wheel every now and then. I am on my 3rd rear tire now. On the bike it cost me between $270 - $300 for a rear tire installed. Off the bike would be much cheaper. Tires can be found for around $200.
The front tire is good for about 20,000 miles.

The chrome "bear claw" is on all Rockets. Some chose to remove it along with all the intake plumbing and just run 3 K&Ns or some alternative.

At 5'9, you may want to go with the Triumph Low Rider seat. or pick up some shorter rear shocks. There are shorter RIII riders though. I am 5'11" and the stock seat fits me just fine, but I have the Low Rider seat because it goes with the gel passenger seat that I HAD to buy

[dazco]

The chrome "bear claw" is on all Rockets. Some chose to remove it along with all the intake plumbing and just run 3 K&Ns or some alternative.

Are you sure? Cuz theres a pic w/o it on the official triumph site and one at a dealer i saw w/o it.

[rndtaylor]

Yes, I did have the shop do everything on the tire replacement. This is at a dealership that I have had harsh words with before, they dont like me too much, I showed up at 3:30 pm on july 3rd, and they squeezed me in that day. Yeah, I got hosed, but I expected it.

I watched the work being done, and I must say I have no problem with the service techs at this dealer, just the management, and the process to get the bike up and the tire off is not something I look forward to. 2 jacks and three techs to get it up and later get it down.

I do check my mileage every tank, but dont keep a log of it. 80 mph and up is interstate miles, and I must emphasize the "and up" part of that. 35 -37 is actually where I am at under those conditions with completely stock bike, with leather bags hanging in the wind.
Slower touring under 65 mph brings me 42 -44 mpg. I check mileage every tank, and it keeps getting better incrementally with additional miles.

[Ugarte]

On 2007-07-08 11:12, rndtaylor wrote:
, and the process to get the bike up and the tire off is not something I look forward to. 2 jacks and three techs to get it up and later get it down.

I've replaced my rear tire 5 times using just one jack and one person. Getting the tire off is pretty easy, getting it back on with only one person takes some ingenuity. I put a jack on the rear seat, wrap some webbing around the jack and the rear tire to lift it into position, then run the axle through, then work it on to the shaft drive. Hmmmmm, guess I use two jacks after all...

The process does scare me though cuz you have to lift the bike pretty high to get it out from under the fender.

[dougl]

On 2007-07-08 13:13, Ugarte wrote:

Well, you've convinced me!