Rocket III

[Mogan]

Anyone ride one of these things? Impressions?

I'm tempted (as an addition to the stable).

 

[mindtrip]

Anyone ride one of these things? Impressions?
I'm tempted (as an addition to the stable).

Freaking fast. 0-60 in about 2 seconds, and I wasn't pushing hard. Quiet, like riding a sewing machine, which was actually kind of creepy at 80mph; If *I* can't hear the engine, how do I expect the cages to? Surprisingly agile for such a fat *******, but the pegs scrape waaaaaaay to early for my liking. And too Hardley-ized for my taste, with your feet stuck out way ahead of you. I know you can get used to that position, but I don't like it in the twisties. Then again, people who ride a bike like this don't really push it in the twisties. I ride in a Triumph club on a Thunderbird, and the people I know who really like this bike are all 6'5" or over, and 230+ pounds--fits them well. But too big a cockpit for me (5' 11", 180 lbs), and had to really reach for the bars. In the end, FJR was the one for me!

 

[Mogan]

Like the sound of it except the ergos. I'm 5'8" and 165lbs.

 

[MrVvrroomm]

I demo'd one last summer. It's a fricking HUGE bike. I used to own a Valkyrie & a Goldwing. The Rocket III absolutely dwarfs them.

I was thoroughly impressed with the way the big girl hides her girth once underway. The motor is awesome! Three cylinders, 2300 cc's! I rev'd the bike in neutral and it actually made the bike lean left each time the throttle was twisted.

It was impressive. They gave me a t-shirt when I got done with the demo.

 

[mindtrip]

Like the sound of it except the ergos. I'm 5'8" and 165lbs.

Yeah, in the end it was the ergos that killed it for me, too. Also, I hated the lack of OEM touring accessories for this bike--I mean, it could make a *great* tourer, but their luggage addons are small, and no option for a trunk. Oh, and the fact that when I've had breakdowns on the road, finding a Triumph dealer to get a part is next to impossible.

I demo'd one last summer. It's a fricking HUGE bike. I used to own a Valkyrie & a Goldwing. The Rocket III absolutely dwarfs them.
I was thoroughly impressed with the way the big girl hides her girth once underway. The motor is awesome! Three cylinders, 2300 cc's! I rev'd the bike in neutral and it actually made the bike lean left each time the throttle was twisted.

It was impressive. They gave me a t-shirt when I got done with the demo.

Hey, I got the same shirt! I wear it to the gym, fun to watch the girls read 'SIZE MATTERS'...

I take several trips each year with the triumph club; one guy we ride with is a HUGE, and I mean HUGE German guy (Mannie, 6'7", pushing 300 lbs), who bought a new Rocket III last year. We went to the Dragon and the Cherahola, and he did a great job keeping up in the twisties with me, a Speedmaster, and two Daytonas. Not right on our tails, but caught up quick even in the short straights.

The bike lean when revving at idle comes from the crank being mounted in-line with the frame (as opposed to the transverse mounting of every other Triumph Triple). Wouldn't surprise me if the other triumphs, especially other triples, leaned if their engines were mounted in a similar way. Still, was fun to do!

 

[jimbemotumbo]

I almost bought one last year. Only downside is that they are not very comfy for touring and have a horrible range. When some good seats, bars, bags, and windshields are available, it could be a great hot rod tourer. Still, mpgs are about like my old Valkyrie - not good enough. Maybe a ten gallon tank would fix it. Scary torque and nimble handling for a fat girl.

 

[arnoldinup]

I almost bought one last year. Only downside is that they are not very comfy for touring and have a horrible range. When some good seats, bars, bags, and windshields are available, it could be a great hot rod tourer. Still, mpgs are about like my old Valkyrie - not good enough. Maybe a ten gallon tank would fix it. Scary torque and nimble handling for a fat girl.

I sat on one at the IMS/Minneapolis, and my knees banged the tank sumthin' awful ! I'm a current Triumph owner (2nd bike), and I love the marque, but I hope their Rocket doesn't turn into what happened to Honda with the Rune, or Ford with the Edsel. Especially with the current geo-political situation with petroleum supplies.

I often criticize myself for ordering an FJR because of the scary future! It seems that the American people think that the party is gonna go on forever. I'm not quite so sure.

Best regards ! :dribble:

 

[Mogan]

I think I'm nuts.

I'm still intrigued by this bike and can't help myself. It it were just me, I'd pick one up tomorrow. BUT, the wife woud surely divorce me if I increase the size of the stable from two to three.

So...

the question becomes, should I keep my beemer or sell it to by a rocket. Or, should I do neither and focus on a different machine? The next vmax?

I enjoy riding the K12S, but I'm not a "hard core" crotch rocket kinda guy. I've modified the ergos so it's pretty comfy and it has lots of kickass options.

HELP!

 

[shokdimn]

I really liked the looks of the 04 TBS. Flavored in black and yellow, and complimented with just the appropriate amount of chrome, it beckoned me. Also, the 03 Tbird caught my eye. However, when it came time to buy, both logic and emotion ruled. So I got the FJR, and I think it’s a looker too.

Anyway, shopping for Tbirds is what brought about my introduction to a R3. Man was that thing awesome. They had some aftermarket pipes on it, I don’t know which, almost sounded like straight headers when they fired-up that beast. I’m telling ya, it felt like the “ground shook” each time he cracked the throttle. Now, I’m not into thunderous pipes on my street-bike. But I was impressed by the bike’s looks. It was an 05. Then they came out with the R3 classic :specool: in 06. Decorated it beautifully in a two tone red and white. That’s the one that really got to me. It’s on my “dream-sheet”. I’m gonna go test ride one in the not too far and distant future. As in, within the next month or so if I get a chance. Would have gone this weekend if my left hip hadn’t of been banged up.

So, count me in with the intrigued crowed. Perhaps, even more so, infatuated :yes: wouldn’t be too strong a word in my case! Cause I want one. ..... I think. .... Just for a while, maybe.

All in good fun.

 

[Bikewhore]

I have a coupla thousand miles logged on my father in laws. It's a neat bike. Runs out of gear really quickly though. When I first rode it, I was hitting the soft limiter all the time. It's very large. I mean, feels twice the size of the Valk to me. What gear you are in is pretty much irrelevant. It pulls pretty much the same in any gear, regardless of speed. It feels very solid at speed but pitching into some sharp esses is more pucker factor than fun. The rear suspension is very harsh and while the seat is decent for small jaunts around town, it's not so good after an hour or so. The cam chain on his is very loud and sometimes after longer rides it will stall at idle. To my knowledge, the only way the idle can be adjusted is through the ECM and only by the dealer. (this is when the bike was stock) The shifting action new is really clunky. Neutral was sometimes an effort and the shift to 2nd was sometimes very deliberate.

He bought a Jardine 3 into 1 into 2 and a PCIII that I installed. The exhaust went on in about 40 minutes and 2 hours for the heat shields. haha. It woke up significantly with the exhaust and PCIII. I think Jardine claims 20hp and 13ftlbs or so. I think the HP might be a little optomistic but it certainly did pick up some ponies via the SOTP dyno. It's also LOUD. I mean LOUD LOUD. It sounds like a GM V6 with no muffler. At WOT it really barks.

It's a fun bike. Lots of people stop to look at it when it's parked and I get lots of thumbs ups from HD guys and sportbikers alike.

**My personal take on the Rocket III**

It's a great bike when you first get it. After the novelty of a 2300cc bike wears off, it's just a big bike with lots of torque. It's not as fast as you'd think. It will certainly get the jump on the FJR down low but honestly, the FJR is about the same to 100 or so and faster as you get to higher speeds. The instant roll on power of the rocket is great but sometimes is a detriment. Rolling along leisurely on the highway and giving slight throttle imputs sometimes ends in a giant shaft induced lurch. I am probably being a bit critical.

The paint and finish is great. The chrome looks very nice and it's really good at hiding it's chrome plastic parts. Maintenance it pretty straight forward. It's an awesome bike to borrow but after riding his off and on for a year, it's not on my list of bikes to buy anymore. I really wanted to love it but came away luke warm to it. If you want something that gets serious attention and makes jaws drop when you tell them it's a 2300cc bike, you'd be hardpressed to find something this side of a Boss Hoss to do that. If you want an asskicking power cruiser that is tons of fun to ride, buy a used Vmax. To me, the my old max was a lot more fun.

YMMV

If you have any other specific questions, I'll do my best to answer them, or find out.

I just now saw that you had a Vmax. haha

 

[kindofblue]

I was riding my road bike (Trek) last spring out on Rte 66 east of Abq when I heard this roaring noise coming down the other side of the divided 4 lane highway (at that point). It sounded like a semi-truck but NO, it was a Rocket III. Boy it made a lot of noise.

Rode one at the invitation of PJ's, the local Triumph & Ducati dealer (great guys). It had a lot of grunt but I didn't think it was significantly faster than my FJR. A lot heavier though.

 

[MCRIDER007]

After the novelty of a 2300cc bike wears off, it's just a big bike with lots of torque. It's not as fast as you'd think. It will certainly get the jump on the FJR down low but honestly, the FJR is about the same to 100 or so and faster as you get to higher speeds.

That is the way I felt about it after a test ride. If I had one I do not know what I would use it for because it is a monster to ride anywhere but in a straight line. If I did something really bad and my punishment was that I had to ride a cruiser cross country on the freeways, the Rocket would probably be my choice -- but I hope that never happens.

 

[Mogan]

I have a coupla thousand miles logged on my father in laws. It's a neat bike. Runs out of gear really quickly though. When I first rode it, I was hitting the soft limiter all the time. It's very large. I mean, feels twice the size of the Valk to me. What gear you are in is pretty much irrelevant. It pulls pretty much the same in any gear, regardless of speed. It feels very solid at speed but pitching into some sharp esses is more pucker factor than fun. The rear suspension is very harsh and while the seat is decent for small jaunts around town, it's not so good after an hour or so. The cam chain on his is very loud and sometimes after longer rides it will stall at idle. To my knowledge, the only way the idle can be adjusted is through the ECM and only by the dealer. (this is when the bike was stock) The shifting action new is really clunky. Neutral was sometimes an effort and the shift to 2nd was sometimes very deliberate.He bought a Jardine 3 into 1 into 2 and a PCIII that I installed. The exhaust went on in about 40 minutes and 2 hours for the heat shields. haha. It woke up significantly with the exhaust and PCIII. I think Jardine claims 20hp and 13ftlbs or so. I think the HP might be a little optomistic but it certainly did pick up some ponies via the SOTP dyno. It's also LOUD. I mean LOUD LOUD. It sounds like a GM V6 with no muffler. At WOT it really barks.

It's a fun bike. Lots of people stop to look at it when it's parked and I get lots of thumbs ups from HD guys and sportbikers alike.

**My personal take on the Rocket III**

It's a great bike when you first get it. After the novelty of a 2300cc bike wears off, it's just a big bike with lots of torque. It's not as fast as you'd think. It will certainly get the jump on the FJR down low but honestly, the FJR is about the same to 100 or so and faster as you get to higher speeds. The instant roll on power of the rocket is great but sometimes is a detriment. Rolling along leisurely on the highway and giving slight throttle imputs sometimes ends in a giant shaft induced lurch. I am probably being a bit critical.

The paint and finish is great. The chrome looks very nice and it's really good at hiding it's chrome plastic parts. Maintenance it pretty straight forward. It's an awesome bike to borrow but after riding his off and on for a year, it's not on my list of bikes to buy anymore. I really wanted to love it but came away luke warm to it. If you want something that gets serious attention and makes jaws drop when you tell them it's a 2300cc bike, you'd be hardpressed to find something this side of a Boss Hoss to do that. If you want an asskicking power cruiser that is tons of fun to ride, buy a used Vmax. To me, the my old max was a lot more fun.

YMMV

If you have any other specific questions, I'll do my best to answer them, or find out.

I just now saw that you had a Vmax. haha

Wow! Great response. I can relate. I do love the rush associated with huge amounts of toque. Perhaps I got this from the very bike you reference -- a VMAX. That was my first bike after a 15 year vacation from cycles. It was awesome! But, I didn't care for the unbroken wind and the difficulty of keeping the carbs in proper tune. At least on paper I was impressed with the Rocket's power and brakes. Perhaps I should wait for the next generation power cruiser, like the yet to be released '08 VMAX!

See if this pup gets your blood flowing...

https://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...0330&rd=1,1

 

[Bikewhore]

The supercharged one is crazy looking. Motorcyclist or Cycleworld did a story on a guy who turbocharges them. I think the HP numbers were really close to that of the supercharged one. I couldn't imagine.