Marsh.z
Standard Bore
- Joined
- Oct 31, 2026
- Messages
- 1
- Ride
- 2026 Rocket 3 Storm GT
I first entered the Rocket scene back in 2009, when I decided to spend a good chunk of my military enlistment bonus on a Rocket III Touring. And I still have that very same bike today, although unfortunately, things haven't always been sugar cookies and sunshine along the way.
About seven years ago, I took a pretty nasty spill on my way home from work. I hit a corner a little too hard, dug the peg into the pavement, and went down. The result? A broken ankle, several cracked ribs, and one of those ribs puncturing a lung. The Rocket, on the other hand, came out looking like it had barely noticed. Virtually no cosmetic damage, no mechanical damage, just a cracked weld on the saddle cage and a little road rash on the end of the handlebar.
Needless to say, it shook my confidence. I wasn't quite ready to climb back in the saddle, so I drained what fuel I could and parked the Rocket under the carport. And there it sat. For years. I walked past it every single day on my way to work, knowing it was there, but never quite ready to ride again.
About two years ago, that started to change. Watching other riders cruise past me became almost unbearable. I wanted back in. Unfortunately, the Rocket had been sitting long enough that bringing it back to life was a serious concern. The battery was long dead, and the tires had deteriorated to the point that cracks were forming in the sidewalls.
I started calling every motorcycle shop I could find within 100+ miles. The responses were almost comical. Most hit me with some variation of, "Nah, we only work on Harleys." Others admitted, "I've never worked on one of those. I'd be too worried something would go wrong." I did eventually find one shop 173 miles away willing to LOOK at it, but for a pretty hefty fee. That's a long way to haul a bike just to have someone look at it and potentially decide they don't want to touch it.
So, in the spring of 2023, I found myself at a somewhat "local" motorcycle dealership. I went in looking around and walked out with a brand-new 2023 Honda Rebel 1100. Nothing too fancy, but after test-riding a handful of bikes, it was hands-down the most fun of the bunch. Plenty of get-up-and-go, playful in the corners, and just an all-around blast to ride.
And now here we are, winter of 2026. Probably not the ideal time of year to buy a motorcycle, but I couldn't shake the itch for that big, unmistakable Rocket power. I missed it. I missed that ridiculous, instant torque and the feeling that comes with knowing there's an absolute monster sitting beneath you.
So today, I walked out of the dealership with a brand-new 2026 Rocket 3 Storm GT (Granite / Sapphire Black).
I handed my girlfriend the keys to my truck (something I almost NEVER do) and told her, "I'll see you at home, but it'll be a while!"
And it was.
I spent the next three hours doing what any reasonable person who just bought a new Rocket would do: riding absolutely everywhere. Random turns, interstate stretches, backcountry roads. No real destination, no particular plan. Just riding.
And WOW. That feeling of twisting the throttle and having all that power instantly come alive beneath me was every bit as thrilling as I remembered. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend, except this friend happens to weigh a ton and has an absolutely ridiculous amount of horsepower.
I probably would have ridden another three hours if the weather had let me. Unfortunately, the sun went down, the temperature dropped, and I was woefully underdressed for the occasion.
After all these years, I'm back on a Rocket. And that first ride was worth every minute of the wait.
Maybe someday soon.. I'll be able to restore my Rocket III back to the machine it use to be.
About seven years ago, I took a pretty nasty spill on my way home from work. I hit a corner a little too hard, dug the peg into the pavement, and went down. The result? A broken ankle, several cracked ribs, and one of those ribs puncturing a lung. The Rocket, on the other hand, came out looking like it had barely noticed. Virtually no cosmetic damage, no mechanical damage, just a cracked weld on the saddle cage and a little road rash on the end of the handlebar.
Needless to say, it shook my confidence. I wasn't quite ready to climb back in the saddle, so I drained what fuel I could and parked the Rocket under the carport. And there it sat. For years. I walked past it every single day on my way to work, knowing it was there, but never quite ready to ride again.
About two years ago, that started to change. Watching other riders cruise past me became almost unbearable. I wanted back in. Unfortunately, the Rocket had been sitting long enough that bringing it back to life was a serious concern. The battery was long dead, and the tires had deteriorated to the point that cracks were forming in the sidewalls.
I started calling every motorcycle shop I could find within 100+ miles. The responses were almost comical. Most hit me with some variation of, "Nah, we only work on Harleys." Others admitted, "I've never worked on one of those. I'd be too worried something would go wrong." I did eventually find one shop 173 miles away willing to LOOK at it, but for a pretty hefty fee. That's a long way to haul a bike just to have someone look at it and potentially decide they don't want to touch it.
So, in the spring of 2023, I found myself at a somewhat "local" motorcycle dealership. I went in looking around and walked out with a brand-new 2023 Honda Rebel 1100. Nothing too fancy, but after test-riding a handful of bikes, it was hands-down the most fun of the bunch. Plenty of get-up-and-go, playful in the corners, and just an all-around blast to ride.
And now here we are, winter of 2026. Probably not the ideal time of year to buy a motorcycle, but I couldn't shake the itch for that big, unmistakable Rocket power. I missed it. I missed that ridiculous, instant torque and the feeling that comes with knowing there's an absolute monster sitting beneath you.
So today, I walked out of the dealership with a brand-new 2026 Rocket 3 Storm GT (Granite / Sapphire Black).
I handed my girlfriend the keys to my truck (something I almost NEVER do) and told her, "I'll see you at home, but it'll be a while!"
And it was.
I spent the next three hours doing what any reasonable person who just bought a new Rocket would do: riding absolutely everywhere. Random turns, interstate stretches, backcountry roads. No real destination, no particular plan. Just riding.
And WOW. That feeling of twisting the throttle and having all that power instantly come alive beneath me was every bit as thrilling as I remembered. It felt like reconnecting with an old friend, except this friend happens to weigh a ton and has an absolutely ridiculous amount of horsepower.
I probably would have ridden another three hours if the weather had let me. Unfortunately, the sun went down, the temperature dropped, and I was woefully underdressed for the occasion.
After all these years, I'm back on a Rocket. And that first ride was worth every minute of the wait.
Maybe someday soon.. I'll be able to restore my Rocket III back to the machine it use to be.
