Fixing a flat in the middle of nowhere

[ZoneIII]

Thanks for all the good information here. As for riding a Triumph where there are no dealers - that's something I never worried about. Back in the late 60s, I was on the road for 18 months straight, averaging probably 300 miles a day and much of it was in the middle of nowhere. I avoided urban areas like the plague. I was on a Bonneville and never had a problem I couldn't fix although I did stop in San Diego to have an oil leak fixed on the push rod tube seals when the bike was still under warranty. That was a problem for that year. But the fix didn't work and I fixed it myself on the road. I had to pull the head but that was an easy matter with a Bonneville.

I find it funny that someone wouldn't take a Rocket on a long distance ride since that's what it's made for, IMO. In fact, I was just thinking today that I'll take it to Oregon to see my son this summer. I'm located in Northern Illinois. I won't have second thoughts about that at all. But I am good at fixing things and I'll be prepared as good as possible. That's why I posted the original question. I'm glad to hear that I probably don't have to worry about the bead breaking if I get a flat.

The compressor I ordered is a CyclePump. After doing a little research, it sounds like that's just about the best portable 12V compressor available for use with a motorcycle or even a car in a bind.

As for those mushroom shaped plugs: I may order a kit but the reviews I read were not that good. Many reviewers claimed that they had bad experiences with them and preferred the old sticky rope plugs. But I may just take both kinds along.

Now I have to get back to picking the right luggage. Now that I'm planning a solo trip to Oregon this summer, I want to make sure that I can use it behind the passenger seat for when my wife is with me and on the passenger seat when I ride solo. I have a separate thread about that and I think I know what I'm going to order. I think my wife and I will take a trip around Lake Superior very soon.

 

[TRIIICK]

I find it funny that someone wouldn't take a Rocket on a long distance ride since that's what it's made for, IMO. In fact, I was just thinking today that I'll take it to Oregon to see my son this summer. I'm located in Northern Illinois. I won't have second thoughts about that at all. But I am good at fixing things and I'll be prepared as good as possible. That's why I posted the original question. I'm glad to hear that I probably don't have to worry about the bead breaking if I get a flat.

I felt the same way until i joined this forum and read about final drives..eastern beavers....seized brake calipers....dead batteries etc etc.. Every dealer I've dealt with has been a financial horror show. Like someone said on this forum finding a qualified Triumph dealer is an oxymoron. This bike isn't for the faint of heart you need to maintain it or she'll leave you stranded..

 

[ZoneIII]

"I felt the same way until i joined this forum and read about final drives..eastern beavers....seized brake calipers....dead batteries etc etc.. Every dealer I've dealt with has been a financial horror show. Like someone said on this forum finding a qualified Triumph dealer is an oxymoron. This bike isn't for the faint of heart you need to maintain it or she'll leave you stranded.."



I mean absolutely no offense but I have to wonder why you even own a Rocket if you feel that way about them. I'm assuming you do own one. Why in the world would you own a motorcycle made for touring if you think it won't hold up when using it for what is designed for? If you really feel that way, why don't you sell it and get a different bike?

I did enough research before choosing a Rocket and what I found was contrary to what you imply about the bike. Also, I DO maintain all my machines - motorcycles, cars, trucks, SUVs, shop machines, outdoor machines, etc. That's part of owning them. I'm not worried about being ripped off by dealers and, yes, from my experience, dealers do rip you off. Of course you have to maintain it. That's part of owning a bike. IMO, if someone is the type of person who has to have someone else work on their bike, they shouldn't own one in the first place. I never cease to be amazed at how so many motorcycle owners these days apparently don't know how to work on their bikes. That was unheard of in the past. I've even read of guys who have dealers change their oil!!! Amazing! I guess I'm just old school and that type of thing seems incredible to me.

I haven't been on these forums long and I've just posted questions but I'll take a look and see if there are all the horror stories here that you mention. I'll keep in mind, though, that in forums like this, you can get a distorted view of a product because people tend to ask questions about problems they may be happening. They're less likely to post about how wonderful their bike has been. You have me curious, though so I think I'm going to start a thread on this very topic to see what responses I get. I want to see if owning a R3T is really such a horror story.

 

[TRIIICK]

Folks, are Rocket's really as bad as TRIIICK implies? I'd like to hear your opinions.

Don't get me wrong i was one of the first to buy a Rocket III i was just about to seal the deal on a 2004 when i heard about the final drive problems. I waited till the 2005's came out to buy one. I've been very lucky with my bike so far i did have an idle recall that Triumph took care of, other than that she's been good to me. I've had eleven years of riding pleasure on this bike. I'm a building contractor not a mechanic. i joined this forum in 2008 and i guess after being here awhile I've become a little paranoid about reliability. Despite what everyone says about maintenance there isn't a Triumph dealer in my area that will sell you a set of tires and mount them for less than $800.00+-. I've traveled over 200 miles to get certain parts and labor done on my bike. My point is if I can't find a trusted or reasonably priced dealer in my area without going the distance,whats it going to like if your stranded in no mans land.

 

[Joesmoe]

I suspect all but one or two captains have enough life experience with performance (and no performance) machines to realize they have their characteristics, and we have our expectations, and for us there is enough overlap to plunk down the money and the time, make the machine in our own likeness, and enjoy it on our terms, and if on this forum, generally enjoy the company.

And for most, we won't have this forever. Time waits for no one, and the same interests that changed to make us meet up with the Rockets, will likely change again either by choice or by life circumstances. Just look at some of the old threads, and click on the handles, and see the "Last seen" dates, often years gone by. One can see the passion they shared, and moved on.

So beauty here, as elsewhere, is in the eye (and wallet) of the beholder.

I dare say you're preaching to the choir here.

 

[Ygransom]

I got my Rocket for trips, and have no worries about it. We go to Utah yearly and have been to Denver area twice. I do make sure I there is enough tire and oil life left for the trip, but I do that when we take the truck, so don't see an issue.

 

[ZoneIII]

I got my Rocket for trips, and have no worries about it. We go to Utah yearly and have been to Denver area twice. I do make sure I there is enough tire and oil life left for the trip, but I do that when we take the truck, so don't see an issue.

Thanks for your reply. (I started a separate thread on this subject after receiving the comment I've quoted.) I have no qualms about taking a long road trip with my new R3T whatsoever but after receiving that response, I got curious about how other R3T owners felt about their bikes. Thanks!

 

[ZoneIII]

I suspect all but one or two captains have enough life experience with performance (and no performance) machines to realize they have their characteristics, and we have our expectations, and for us there is enough overlap to plunk down the money and the time, make the machine in our own likeness, and enjoy it on our terms, and if on this forum, generally enjoy the company.

And for most, we won't have this forever. Time waits for no one, and the same interests that changed to make us meet up with the Rockets, will likely change again either by choice or by life circumstances. Just look at some of the old threads, and click on the handles, and see the "Last seen" dates, often years gone by. One can see the passion the shared, and moved on.

So beauty here, as elsewhere, is in the eye (and wallet) of the beholder.

I dare say you're preaching to the choir here.

Huh?

 

[cr0ft]

I'm just getting as prepared as I can for issues I can deal with myself (got a new, real, tool roll from Kriega and am stocking that with the tools I need to get into the bike - been working out of the tool roll for a while already and when I missed a tool, I added it, haven't missed a tool in a while) and now also making sure I have what I need to fix punctures, just makes sense if you're going further.

But if something does crop up, my insurance includes towing and all that stuff anywhere in Europe, basically. So if something major happens, I'll just have it hauled to the nearest repair shop. No big deal.

In fact, while we're on the topic: read this, and get insurance that's not ridiculously bad. Adjust the numbers up by 25%, the document is 10 years old now, and inflation is a thing. You can actually insure yourself so you have coverage for both towing and storage, you know.

http://faq.ninja250.org/images/b/b0/Insurance_options.pdf

It's also worth keeping in mind that the original Rocket and the newer models have had multiple improvements done to them along the way to deal with the teething problems, so early models just weren't as reliable.

 

[EasTexRIII]

AND THE WINNING ANSWER IS !!!!! ................................................................................