Time for a new ride

Octagun said:

Thanks Tripps. Do you have an R3? How’s the reliability and maintenance compare to Honda?

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Octagun said:

Hello from Florida! I’ve been riding motorcycles for most of my life. Started with an 80-something Suzuki that was in real rough shape but it got me hooked. Upgraded to a Honda 750 Magna which was an amazing motorcycle and kinda stuck with Honda ever since. Got into sport bikes with Honda 600 F4i which lead to a 954RR and eventually an 1100xx Blackbird. That Blackbird was by far the most fun I’ve ever had on 2 wheels. Recently I’m trying to transition back into cruisers so I picked up a super clean 2014 Honda Valkyrie. It’s a solid bike but being discontinued for so long gives me some part availability concerns.

So I’ve been looking for a new bike and am leaning hard towards a new Rocket 3. Figured I’d join this forum and see what I can learn from you fine folks. Thanks for having me!

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Tripps said:

I do have an older Rocket Touring, 2010. I have not been impressed with Triumph's reliability, to be honest. My R3 ate the transmission ( common known issue), my 2002 Sprint broke the crank ( known issue for that specific year), and my TT600, first year of fuel injection, only started cold after 3 extended tries, and ran rough til warmed up ( known issue). Never had any issues with my Hondas. Your results may vary.

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Steff said:

I still got the BB. A fantastic machine. IMO it's the best engine ever built. But now my ride is probably my last, as I'm an Old Fart, and wanted something I've never tried. It's the Gen 1 Rocket. I've not had it long, about 4 months. So far it's not let me down, and I'd definitely say it's different. A couple of issues with the rear wheel and diff finish peeling away. That can get sorted for a couple of 100 You hear the horror stories about the gearbox but have not had any. Ride on Bro, with a grin

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Octagun said:

Glad to hear you still have your BB, I sure wish I still had mine.

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Octagun said:

Sounds like there are some issues out there with the R3’s I need to be watchful for I guess .

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Jhortz said:

The first model had a couple of big issues that resulted in things like transmission failures, or at least expensive repairs. Those things seemed to be largely addressed as time went on though.

From what I've seen the current model has no serious issues. There was an issue with the rear brake going soft, which has been addressed but some people still report issues. I have heard the odd problem with starting, but beyond that I haven't heard of things like major component failures. But I'm not a font of knowledge, hopefully others will jump in if I've missed something.

The other thing to remember too is that a rocket is really pushing the limits in a lot of regards, unlike your typical Japanese bike. More issues are to be expected, and the ability to cause harm through abuse is higher too.

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Jhortz said:

The first model had a couple of big issues that resulted in things like transmission failures, or at least expensive repairs. Those things seemed to be largely addressed as time went on though.

From what I've seen the current model has no serious issues. There was an issue with the rear brake going soft, which has been addressed but some people still report issues. I have heard the odd problem with starting, but beyond that I haven't heard of things like major component failures. But I'm not a font of knowledge, hopefully others will jump in if I've missed something.

The other thing to remember too is that a rocket is really pushing the limits in a lot of regards, unlike your typical Japanese bike. More issues are to be expected, and the ability to cause harm through abuse is higher too.

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Octagun said:

This is reassuring and good to hear. Thanks.

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