Definitely maybe buying an R3

Well I am back.

Today I put down a deposit on a 2006 R3 standard. Previous owner did some mods (LED indicators, TOR pipes) so I had to haggle a bit with the dealer.

Basically I think I've done alright. They've warrantied the bike for 3 months PLUS 1 year against all the recall defects (meaning, if there are any outstanding recalls they will do it...triumph UK VIN tracker seems to indicate that there is something, but the mechanic swears its all been done. Best to get it written in anyways until they can find the proof). New battery, new fixings on the LEDs, new pipes (got to be road legal and I work in audio so I don't like loud!), new plates (road legal size) and a couple of $k off the price too. It had been in the showroom for 6 months, competing with newer R3s as people are chopping them in for the Roadster, so I went for the bargain.

The bike has 30,000km on the clock and is very, very tidy for its age. Engine is sweet as a nut.

Just got to wait a few days while the work is done and it gets through the MOT test.

Now...need to add a socket and nice subtle mount for my GPS, and find a sympathetic bag for the pillion seat. I think that is all for now...

Congrats Twisty,,, welcome from Tulsa OK, the hard part is done!!

Well congrats then and Welcome to ownership.
What "sold" you on it?
price?
uniqueness?
test ride

Congrats for sure.
I bought a suzuki wide passenger p-pad off e-bay,
and pop riveted it to the p-pad bracket.
it fit real good behind the stock solo seat,
even matching the curve well.
daughter said its comfortable and it was cheap and easy to do.

xhdskip said:

Well congrats then and Welcome to ownership.
What "sold" you on it?
price?
uniqueness?
test ride

Click to expand...

OK this will sound strange to most riders out there, but in Singapore it isn't possible to do test rides.
Firstly, the big bike market in a country of only 5 million people is not that great. Buying bikes in Singapore is ridiculously expensive at the best of times, so dealers can't afford demo models.
For example, a new 2011 Roadster would be in the region of USD 40,000!

Secondly, the insurance industry here is not set up for dealers to offer insurance on demo models to a cross-section of riders. Its all a bit weird and different as zip code, theft risk etc is all the same for the whole of Singapore they load premiums based on rider profile.

So yeah, no test rides here.

What sold me on the Rocket is oddly, the H-D Road King. A couple of years back I did a week long road trip out of Vegas taking in a few national parks. See my blog here.

I realised then there is room in my life for another horse alongside the 800GS. Different horses for different courses, right? But I could never bring myself to buy a Hardley-Davidson (although being slightly related to the original Mr Davidson!). I just don't want to be a pirate. Or wear leather chaps. And the Jap cruisers, although looking very comfy and reliable just seemed to be pretenders.

I'd sat on most big cruisers in the meantime, but nothing seemed to fit. I even sat on the new Ducati Diavel a few days ago - great looking machine but crappy seat, cramped knees and too many gadgets to go wrong. I learned my lesson about buying a tricksy bike in its first year of launch when I got the 800GS. I wanted basic.

Then a few weeks back I visited the Triumph dealer with a vague thought of chopping in my 800GS for the new 800XC. Within seconds I knew that there was no way I was going to do that...the 800XC is almost a clone of the 800GS and I would lose out on all the farkling big time.

Then I turned round and saw the Rockets...the music swelled, the camera went misty-eyed and everything went slow-motion. I had to grab a Shoei Multi-tech from a nearby shelf to hide my arousal.

I am a firm believer in buying bikes from the heart. All bikes have some drawback, and riding in Singapore heat and humidity has its own set of challenges on any bike. At least if you're in love you can forgive a few faults.

My 800GS is my girlfriend - I live with her, she looks after me, its a long term thing.
The Rocket is my mistress - she is for the wild rides of a different kind.

Oh and I'm British. I should own a Triumph, right?

So the big girl gave you a boner? Fair enough too! Welcome aboard.

I understand completely.

Hi guys,
Back again and seeking some general advice now I've had a week with the bike.

Firstly, the dealer only put a measly 6L in the tank on collection which was probably a lot less...I managed 26km before running out 200m from the gas station However, no fuel light in all that time...obviously the battery had been out - does it need a full tank after the battery is connected to 'calibrate'? Or could it be the dreaded fuel sensor issue? In the last week I have only managed my regular commute so haven't managed to get thru a whole tank yet. Maybe I will find out more this weekend.

Secondly - steering. There seems to be a definite 'strong arm' required at a certain speed, like the crossover to counter-steering speed. Not having much experience on cruisers or bikes this big, maybe its a characteristic? The tyres are almost new, but otherwise I would say that changing direction feels like squared off tyres. Maybe I am not used to a 240 profile. Maybe I just need to check pressures

Lastly, checking the VIN on the triumph website, it says there are outstanding issues, but my dealer is adamant there is nothing required. Any friendly dealers on here who can check my VIN and tell me what is outstanding? Or any nice Captains who could ask their dealer?

Otherwise, I am getting used to the agricultural characteristics of the gearbox and the ache in my arms from accelerating Got a big ride planned this weekend, I am already loving this bike.

Twisticles said:

Hi guys,

Secondly - steering. There seems to be a definite 'strong arm' required at a certain speed, like the crossover to counter-steering speed. Not having much experience on cruisers or bikes this big, maybe its a characteristic? The tyres are almost new, but otherwise I would say that changing direction feels like squared off tyres. Maybe I am not used to a 240 profile. Maybe I just need to check pressures

.

Click to expand...

Steering can be affected by more than tire pressure (yeah, check that). Increase your pre-load on the rear shocks 1 or 2 clicks to reduce your static sag, then see how it transitions. Also check to see if the forks were moved up in the triple tree. The fork top should be near flush with the triple tree top yoke. Those can affect the steering more than you might think. Also if the stock rear suspenders were traded out for shorter units, that can make the steering feel slow (trail increases).

Ok I am an eejit.

For all the times I've ridden out of the dealer with tyres at the incorrect pressure I should have checked earlier.

I've got the Metz880 Marathons on, it was running at 1.95/2.3bar (28/36psi). I've upped that to 2.4/3bar (35/43psi) as recommended on the Metz site...will see how we go in the morning. Should be a totally new ride!

The original igit was the dealer for letting you ride out with incorrect tire pressure.
Give it hell and let us know what you think.