Damn Rick!, is that a Rocket?
Hey Rick, how about bending this thread a bit and give us a quick review on the Rocket III. I got a buddy that took one for a test ride. He was impressed enough to immediately put his bike up for sale.
OK, but ya gotta remember - I'm biased.
Pros: Torque, HP, torque, handling, torque, HP, uniqueness, did I mention torque and HP?
Cons: Few accessories, a little porky, eats tires..... ummmm.....running out of bad things to say here....
It looks big, but it doesn't feel big - the c.g. is nice and low, and it's easy to do full lock turns at low speed - you can straight-arm the bike with ease. It eats tires like teenagers eat Skittles, and that 240 meat on the rear is not cheap. Of course, the tire thing may have something to do with the throttle....
It's loads of fun to ride, and feels pretty sporty. That can get you in trouble if you don't watch your entry speed on a turn; have heard several stories from Rocket captains who have run out of a turn that way. It leans nicely, and the pegs have a nice grinding noise when you reach the limit.
The acceleration is mind-blowing. It will literally rip the bars out of your hands if you're not ready for it. The bike's engine control unit actually restricts the first (of two) set of butterflies in the throttle bodies in the first 3 gears to keep you from spinning the tire every time (yes, there's a work-around). It's electronically limited to 140mph top speed; nobody has broken that code yet, or at least fessed up to it.
In case 140 hp and 140 ft-lb of torque aren't enough for you, there's a turbo kit available that claims 200 hp and more torque. If that's not enough, there's also a supercharger kit that claims 225 hp. All this is with stock pistons/internals and the stock low compression. Somebody has probably used NOS, but haven't heard any hp claims for that yet. There are a few aftemarket exhaust systems, and various people are starting to chrome geegaws for the owners who like to polish stuff.
If you ride one, be ready to get lots of questions/comments; my favorites are:
"Nice Harley!" (Thanks; you're a moron.)
"Is that a 6-cylinder?" (Nope, just a 3-cylinder.)
"Who makes Triumph?" (Elves in England.)
It's lots of fun to come up on an unsuspecting Beemer or V-Rod or "custom" hog - doesn't matter whether it's at a light or a roll-on at freeway speeds. All you see is their headlight rapidly fading to a dot in your mirror.
List is ~17K, but there are folks on the Rocket forum reporting base prices as low as 13.9K. I'm thinking of getting a spare at that price. :hyper:
