ixtlan22
.020 Over
- Joined
- Aug 31, 2010
- Messages
- 33
Just picked up my (new to me) Red and Black 2008 RT3 today from Baxter's in Marne, Iowa. She's fully equipped with awesome pipes, loads of chrome, long range gel cruising seat, all the usual and I've already put on a few things my self...tall windshield, trottlemeister CC, battery tender, chrome this and that and yes I got the 140 CI plate....let the accessorizing begin! I want to add...Baxter's is THE PLACE...eveyone there just bent over backwards to help me get the bike set up and I have absolute confidence in this bike...we covered it all...ignition switches, headlight issues, relays, pipes, tuning, air filters, tires...they addressed, in detail, every issue I brought up from this web site and my other research....and their care for their machines is legend...great people to deal with too! My thanks to Randy and Gus, Rick, Dan, Kevin, and Lauri..
Maybe of interest to some...
Who am I? and really...How bad did I want a Rocket 3?
Me? Let's see... I'm retired, been riding something since I was 15... and I plan to spend the next 2-3 years on the road...(that means no home...sold my sailboat/home in Washington and going on the road...it's kind of a bucket list thing.
I had to find a bike that "did it for me." So, if anyone's interested...here's the rest of the story...
Researched for 18 months (lurking this site etc)....trying to find "the bike" (for me)...found it (in theory at least) in Marne, IA...next ...I had to fly out from Washington State (exteme upper left hand corner of the state...I mean, near where there ain't no more dirt!). Okay...so five hours by cab, ferry, and bus just to get to the Seattle terminal...then 8 hours at SEATAC waiting on a flight..then a 5 hour flight to the frozen tundra of Minnisota...then down to Omaha at 19 degrees where Dan from Baxter's met me at the airport and drove me another hour to get the dealership...which was no where near anything....except corn fields! Way long 22 hour day!...ending up with 35-45 knot winds and very cold-cold out....buy the way did I mention I'm allergic to cold? My doctor says I can't have anything but 70+ degrees to ride in (21.1 C if you speak metric)....anyway...I should insert here I have never seen a Rocket 3 per se before I went to Baxter's...meaning only one I caught was in a display window in the mall back in the waterworld and some video's on Youtube....risky business going 1500 miles out to corn country in the middle of a cold snap/snow storm to buy a bike I'd never seen (another BTW, my luggage cost more than my flight! Very weird but I won't go there for now)....so anyway...I vowed I would not fall in love with this bike or any bike...it was not going to be an emotional thing...pure rationality was going to win out...Wrong again!!!...Sooo Wrong!....One look and it was over...there she was...in all her gleaming glory in the back of the shop up on the rack...she was one of those red and black one's like at the bottom of the page here...well, then Gus fired her up...Holy poo-poo-ka-ka!!! The previous owner had done the pipes...whatever he did they were beautifully deep and plenty loud but not obnoxious....I don't Know I think I had an orgasm right there... So I started writing out the check....but then figured...what the hell...I had probably better...like...maybe ride it first...Well...anpother big mistake!!!...19 degrees out w/snow flurries and high winds..... but that wasn't the problem.....the problem was once I got out....I didn't want to get off!!!..so I rode around until I turned into a popsicle and only had to come back in because I wanted a few more accessories...(it's some kind of disorder I think)...so, I reluctantly came down out of the stratosphere and taxied into the hanger. Spent the rest of the day with me and the cat looking out the glass doors he was wondering how he was going to make his rounds without getting his paws wet and I was wondering if I could ride better with cleated tires or chains.
Tomorrow, it's go time...heading south...weather promises to be good....well at least up to freezing and I figured you all said this bike would do okay on gravel so I figured a little ice and snow would probably be about the same thing... Now the only decision remaining is going right when I get to Arkansas and heading down towards Corpus Christi...or left, to Key West? Cruising for BBQ and Bluegrass...and by the way...this is a great forum...it really helped me make up my mind.
See you all out there...you won't be able to miss me...I'm the guy with the big ass grin stuck to his face....looking for campgounds and BBQ houses.
Maybe of interest to some...
Who am I? and really...How bad did I want a Rocket 3?
Me? Let's see... I'm retired, been riding something since I was 15... and I plan to spend the next 2-3 years on the road...(that means no home...sold my sailboat/home in Washington and going on the road...it's kind of a bucket list thing.
I had to find a bike that "did it for me." So, if anyone's interested...here's the rest of the story...
Researched for 18 months (lurking this site etc)....trying to find "the bike" (for me)...found it (in theory at least) in Marne, IA...next ...I had to fly out from Washington State (exteme upper left hand corner of the state...I mean, near where there ain't no more dirt!). Okay...so five hours by cab, ferry, and bus just to get to the Seattle terminal...then 8 hours at SEATAC waiting on a flight..then a 5 hour flight to the frozen tundra of Minnisota...then down to Omaha at 19 degrees where Dan from Baxter's met me at the airport and drove me another hour to get the dealership...which was no where near anything....except corn fields! Way long 22 hour day!...ending up with 35-45 knot winds and very cold-cold out....buy the way did I mention I'm allergic to cold? My doctor says I can't have anything but 70+ degrees to ride in (21.1 C if you speak metric)....anyway...I should insert here I have never seen a Rocket 3 per se before I went to Baxter's...meaning only one I caught was in a display window in the mall back in the waterworld and some video's on Youtube....risky business going 1500 miles out to corn country in the middle of a cold snap/snow storm to buy a bike I'd never seen (another BTW, my luggage cost more than my flight! Very weird but I won't go there for now)....so anyway...I vowed I would not fall in love with this bike or any bike...it was not going to be an emotional thing...pure rationality was going to win out...Wrong again!!!...Sooo Wrong!....One look and it was over...there she was...in all her gleaming glory in the back of the shop up on the rack...she was one of those red and black one's like at the bottom of the page here...well, then Gus fired her up...Holy poo-poo-ka-ka!!! The previous owner had done the pipes...whatever he did they were beautifully deep and plenty loud but not obnoxious....I don't Know I think I had an orgasm right there... So I started writing out the check....but then figured...what the hell...I had probably better...like...maybe ride it first...Well...anpother big mistake!!!...19 degrees out w/snow flurries and high winds..... but that wasn't the problem.....the problem was once I got out....I didn't want to get off!!!..so I rode around until I turned into a popsicle and only had to come back in because I wanted a few more accessories...(it's some kind of disorder I think)...so, I reluctantly came down out of the stratosphere and taxied into the hanger. Spent the rest of the day with me and the cat looking out the glass doors he was wondering how he was going to make his rounds without getting his paws wet and I was wondering if I could ride better with cleated tires or chains.
Tomorrow, it's go time...heading south...weather promises to be good....well at least up to freezing and I figured you all said this bike would do okay on gravel so I figured a little ice and snow would probably be about the same thing... Now the only decision remaining is going right when I get to Arkansas and heading down towards Corpus Christi...or left, to Key West? Cruising for BBQ and Bluegrass...and by the way...this is a great forum...it really helped me make up my mind.
See you all out there...you won't be able to miss me...I'm the guy with the big ass grin stuck to his face....looking for campgounds and BBQ houses.
