Considering a Rocket 3..

New guy here. Prior bikes were Honda, Kawi and most recently a Ducati S4.

Been off bikes for 8 years. 61 years old. 5 ft 11. 250 pounds. Very active and fairly fit.

Looking for a new bike. Read about the R3 and looked at one. it is huge. When i sit on it my are seem a bit too far apart and the tank feels pretty massive. I suppose that is what to expect on a beast of this size. My other options are Ducati Diavel.

I have no interest in V rod !

Riding will be local on weekends and maybe a bit of commuting but no panniers makes that tough with laptop. No touring in my future.

I asked about a test ride and salesman said if i call ahead they will set up an appointment."We have a nice 6 mile loop we can take you on."

Never before have I been escorted on a test ride and certainly not limited to a 5-10 minute test ride. i'd like to keep it a bit longer and experience highway and some twisties.

Am i being unreasonable? Are they being unreasonable?

They are the only dealer within 100 miles so i am sort of stuck.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Truthfully how does the R3 respond in the curves? I know it is heavy and will respond slower than a Diavel or Duc monster but I assume once I commit to a line it will hold it pretty well.

Lastly any of you folks sorry you got the R3 as opposed to something else.

Welcome, great bike you will not regret getting one. The power is unbelievable and the handling is dam good for a bike its size you will be surprised once you get above 5mph how agile it is for such a monster. Don't get me wrong she's a bike bike, but you will get use to it real fast. Good luck with your search and enjoy.

first of all where do you live?a rocket to a diavel big difference in my opinion if you do get a rocket you will end up doing some sort of touring ,it just feels so right.wished they would have escorted me would have saved me a 150dollar ticket I picked up on my unescorted check it out ride.am I sorry I bought one, hell yes should have bought more than one.other than my wife BEST thing ever.dont think about it I am sure you wont regret it from open roads to twisty to commuting best ride I have found but what do I know

At 5'11" 250lbs you will feel right at home on an R3. They really do handle well for a big bike. The weight is down low. I think 6 miles would be plenty sufficient to see if you like the feel. You won't really need to test the full power or speed on an escorted test ride, just know that it's plenty powerful. If you get the chance to crack the throttle wide open though go for it. Just hang on!

As to your last question, when the Powerball lottery was really big a couple of weeks ago my daughter said if she won she'd buy me any bike I'd like to have. I told her I already have it!

breeze said:

first of all where do you live?a rocket to a diavel big difference in my opinion if you do get a rocket you will end up doing some sort of touring ,it just feels so right.wished they would have escorted me would have saved me a 150dollar ticket I picked up on my unescorted check it out ride.am I sorry I bought one, hell yes should have bought more than one.other than my wife BEST thing ever.dont think about it I am sure you wont regret it from open roads to twisty to commuting best ride I have found but what do I know

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I live near Ocala, Florida. Yes Rocket and Diavel are different but both have power and a roadster type ergonomic setup.

Sure I can look at Victory, Indian and Harley as well as others but must draw the line at some point and these 2 bikes are speaking to me.

I am thinking if the local guys won't allow a good 30 minute test ride I could always travel to Daytona or Tampa, roadtest and buy there and have it serviced locally.

Wonder if local service dept will have an issue if I did not buy the Rocket from their sales department.?

Hi
I am 60 also and same height weight and it's a great ride for me.
The best bike ever , that I have owned period.
I did however get the lower seat made by Corbin it helped me a lot to place both feet firmly on the road .
You will not be disappointed !!

Welcome drjay9051 ,I also live near Ocala personally I would stay clear of Ride Now .Daytona much better to deal with for warranty work .PM me if you' like I'll explain further.

one test ride is all it takes
and u will have a smile like thisor maybe like thisor take the money with u

You won't need 30 minutes. I don't know of anyone on the site who didn't know if they were taking it home within 10. Also I think your dealer is being pretty reasonable escorting you about. It's an easy bike to get into trouble with.

Things you'll notice:
- With stock tires you're going to have to counter steer a LOT. It surprises most folks. However once you figure it out it'll hold your line. (This is easily dealt with by a new set of wheels in the future if it's an issue for you).
- She'll lean more than you expect. She's a big girl but someone made sure to put her through a gymnastics course.
- She's got more pull then people expect even when they know the numbers. Poke around a bit on this forum and you'll find plenty of stories about guys getting the front tire up on their first ride because they whacked the throttle.
- Whack the throttle while she's not in gear and she'll twist hard to the right. This won't happen with the drive train engaged but it's something that reviewers tend to complain about and not bother to clarify.
- Your face might start hurting. This is normal. No one's facial muscles have the endurance to maintain a grin that long except Saint Nick.