Considering a Rocket, but have some Doubts.....?

[Wetrudgeon]

Tazmool:
We sold a Valkyrie to get our '08 standard and we certainly understand missing the Valk. However, while Honda reliability is legendary we think your concerns about Triumph reliability are exaggerated. We have had precisely zero problems with our Beast (admittedly through only 8500 miles so far).

As an aside, you will find that the Beast is not as smooth as a Valk, but it is measurably more powerful and handles better. Go and try one. You will like it.

We trudge on.

 

[Willtill]

A beast is not smooth and domesticated. A beast has raw, unadulterated power. When you mount a Rocket, you are mounting the back of a beast.

You will smile when you twist the throttle, and feel the beast open up and roar.

And you had better hang on mister....

 

[Tazmool]

Thanks for the input!

Thank you for the input!

To answer some questions,
I excluded the touring R3 because its way out of my price range, I would like to find an older R3 std/classic (low mileage etc) and dress it up to my riding style (which will most likely be a set of bags and maybe a small windshield)

Because I'd be looking at the earliest R3s, that is why I'm concerned with reliability. If I decide to go for a newer R3 or a Roadster, I'm probably looking at another year of waiting... in which case, I might as well just buy something cheaper, altho not quite as fun. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a good newer R3 within my price range when the time comes.

Thank you all for alleviating some of my concerns. Its true, problems with a model can look a lot more than they really are. Few people go online and say that they're got 100k miles out of their bike trouble free (they're usually out riding anyway) mainly people who are having issues go online and post to find solutions.

Now onto some more questions:

The Valkyrie and ST1300 being my last 2 bikes, how does the power of the R3 compare to those two bikes?
How much different is the handling of the R3 vs the Valkyrie std? (I know my ST1300 could fly rings around the Valk)

As suggested, I'd love to take a test ride on an R3, but the closest dealers don't have any (new or used) in stock, plus they would not let anyone ride them anyway (they don't have any demos) and afaik Triumph does not do demo days in Canada.

How is the fuel range on the R3? how many miles before reserve? is there a reserve? (both of my last bikes could pull 300+ miles on a "tank", the ST had dual tanks from the factory, the Valk had a belly tank giving it 8.3 gallons fuel cap)

How difficult is to work on the R3? changing the output bearing, ignition, service, (anything that may potentially fail)?
As I mentioned before, the closest triumph dealer, would make it almost an all day affair to trailer the bike there and back, plus the bike would be out of warranty anyway, so I'm 99.99% sure I'd be doing any and all work on it myself (which is fine, but I'd prefer not to have to tear the engine out of the frame and split the cases to replace shredded gears etc)

Thx again everyone!

Regards,
Tazmool

 

[HellFire]

A real Triumph dealer will let you ride, that is one of the Triumph selling strategies ... get them on a bike.

 

[benelli_4572]

The bike is pretty easy to work on. It is though a little goofy wrenching on some times. I got a 05 standard and have had it since 1500 miles. Zero problems. With limited tire resources... Go darkside... Opens a lot of doors. I was super concerned with early problems. but one thing I have found is that the triumph dealers will work with you and so will the factory if any problems happen. Both my speed four and my speedmaster had issues right from the start. Both were fixed instantly with no flack!

 

[Wetrudgeon]

Taz:
For us, the Beast is noticeably lighter on its feet than the Valk. Holds a line better and responds better to counter steering. Cannot account for why, as both weigh about the same and have close to the same length. But the Beast is a better handling bike for us.

The Valk is no slouch in the power department, but the Beast has a good deal more especially at lower rpms. A Valk is smooth. The Beast is not smooth, with noticeable vibration in the pegs and bars, especially at around 2-2.3K rpm in all gears (especially 5th). The Valk motor is a bit "busy" at 70 mph (3300rpm), the Beast's motor is much more relaxed (2600 rpm). Fuel economy was/is roughly the same for us.

Brakes are good on the Valk and linked. We find the brakes plenty good on the Beast, also, but if one gets down too hard on the rear, one finds the rear coming around and attempting to pass the front, with potentially disastrous results. Take care.

Remember the annoying motor heat on hot days with the Valk? The Beast is no better, and perhaps even more annoying (if that is possible).

Looks are subjective of course. We think the Beast is handsome in a massive, bulldozer kind of way, while (in our opinion) Honda's mighty F-6 Valkyrie is the finest looking motorbike that has yet to be assembled.

As observed by Willtill, the Beast is simply a bit more "raw" than a Valk. Both are fun bikes. Having owned (and thoroughly enjoyed) both, our vote goes (marginally) to the Beast.

We trudge on.

 

[gwilliams290]

Most of the previous posts have addressed what you were looking for. I have always been a bit of an "individualist". I like not seeing myself coming down the street. I'm willing to put up with different things for that exclusivity. That said my 2006 Classic has been fine. No major hick-ups to date. Not even the ones mentioned that are "expected" for an earlier Rocket. THAT being said, mine isn't stock. It has a turbo. There will be things that pop up. Speed ain't free. To me the bottom line is that the bike won't be any better or more reliable than I am. That means that I'm willing to give things a good look before I take off and proper maintenance is a religious experience for me. I love the power and handling that I get from her!! Best of luck in your hunt for the perfect bike for you.

 

[CanberraR3]

'09 Standard with a few of the more common mods to exhaust, intake, timing and tune. Ride it every day in all weather. Always starts first time. Couple of longish trips and several ball tearing runs on very challenging roads plus a fair bit in traffic (if you can call it that in Canberra). Had my tacho go silly once when I first got it but that fixed itself overnite (the great Pommie fix-all) but appart from that haven't had one problem with it. Best bike I've ever owned for just about every reason you could think of but especially because it's special. Love the attention it gets everywhere and the way it still makes me grin.

Go for it!

 

[ashtonford]

bikes

I have a 2005 and havent had abit of trouble with it at all! been 100% reliable. I use to ride a harley sold that and moved recently to canada and shipped my rocket 3. I wouldent let any of the negative things sway you its a awsome bike love it.

Howdy,

I have been with out a bike for just over a year now, my last one was a ST1300 which I enjoyed, but eventually sold as its intended purpose was now complete, and I just did not ride it that much.

My pre ST1300 bike was a Honda Valkyrie, and as many ex-Valk owners, I have regretted selling that beast, and would like to get back into riding a cruiser.

Hence, my interest in the Triumph Rocket.

Reading lots of owner opinions, the R3 has been described as Out-Valkyrie'ing a Valkyrie (ie its a smooth, powerful, good handling cruiser)

But the one BIG doubt I have about the R3 is its reliability.....

Is the R3 really plagued with poor design, bad quality control and drunk assembly workers as it seems?

I have owned 9 different bikes, sport bikes, cruisers, sport-tourers, and have only come across one other bike that seemed to have as many catastrophic problems as the R3 (and that was my old TL1000S which grenaded its tranny locking the rear wheel [among other issues], a problem I see on the R3 forums that more than a few R3 owners have had happen)

What bothers me even more about the R3, is that it seems that the problems stem from Triumph themselves and not poor maintenance or abuse, I keep hearing about "upgrade kits" from the factory that get installed on the R3 to "fix" problems owners are having, and these kits require a major tear down of the engine which can take months and a competent dealer. I hear of dealers taking 3 or 4 tries before the problems are fixed..... my closest dealer is 2+hrs away, next one is 4.5hrs away... (hence I would be doing 99.9% of the work on the bike myself, and out of pocket)

"Paint can rattle" problems..
Idle problems....
Tranny/Shifting problems (really don't like this one)
Bearing issues, wiring, etc etc etc...

Now I'm not trying to bash Triumph bikes, and I have my eyes set on a R3 for some time, it seems to be the ultimate cruiser, but I do want a bike that is reliable, one that I can ride across Canada & USA and not have to ship it home in a box and grumble over a ruined dream ride....

Are there any R3 owners (not Rocket Touring owners mind you, I'm looking at the R3 classic or Std) that have had zero problems with their bikes? and how many miles/km have these owners put on their bikes?

Another possibility I am contemplating is maybe waiting another year and saving up, and getting the Triumph Roadster...
Is that 2nd gen Rocket 3 more reliable? has it had the bugs worked out?

Or should I set my sights on a different bike all together?

Again, I'm not trying to bash any bikes here, I'm looking for honest opinions from owners of the R3, I want an R3 myself, but I'm more than a little discouraged...

Thx in advance

Tazmool

 

[atomsplitter]

Are there any R3 owners (not Rocket Touring owners mind you, I'm looking at the R3 classic or Std) that have had zero problems with their bikes? and how many miles/km have these owners put on their bikes?

Yup. I have an 05 standard with closing in on 30k miles. I rode it to DC and back in 2009, no problems. I have a dark side tire since 2008, no problems. It still is running the original battery when I bought the bike in 2006, no problems.

Here's the deal. Some bikes had problems on the assembly line, that's because the assembly line runs all models, not just a specific model. So if you go to the factory you'll see all the different makes rolling off one after another on the same line. This caused some problems early on that have since been remedied. Another problem was some design flaws that had to be fixed after they surfaced under daily use. Triumph has pretty much backed this bike well beyond the warranty period. They don't have the volume sales of Honda so they need satisfied customers.

If you ride a Rocket you'll either pass right there or snap open the check book. This bike isn't a me-too bike. I rode in the 2009 Run For the Wall and was the ONLY Triumph Rocket in that herd.

Go ride it, if you don't think the bike is worth fiddling with after that, pass. Simple decision.