Fresh meat!

[xhdskip]

Here's my take on it.
I have an '07 model.
It was a demonstrator,
Rode harleys for 35+ years.
one, that's 1, ride on the Rocket
and I changed brand loyalty..
Liked mine so much,
I bought the wife one.
she was on a harley
and I hate riding in third gear more than necessary...
Which I had to not to run off and leave her..
Plugs, no problem, raise the tank.
Get a Russell day long rider seat
and ride forever with no issues, heat or discomfort.
Tires, go darkside for $100.00 and forget about it for 35,000-45,000 miles.
The guy I bought my wifes off of was going back to a "real motorcycle", a harley.
the goober, his loss, my wife loves her big red bike
and now we ride together and she loves running up on harleys.....
overtaking them, then leave them in her wake as she smokes em.....
Me?
I like telling all my harley friends,
my wife rides a bigger bike than that....,.,.

Welcome to the site BTW, from Oklahoma, Gods country....

 

[mexican]

Rockets are such a manly bikes,, and i make mine look goooood

 

[albertaduke]

fresh meat

you still have that BD5 how high can it cruise?? how much jet A can you put in the fuel tank and what is the range..

 

[HansO]

Take it for a ride find a straight bit of road the first time (oh yes they do go well in the twisty stuff too), hold The F##k On and give the throttle a good twist you will either Sh1t yourself and never go near a Rocket again or you will get the Rocket Grin and that my friend will be the end of you as you will have stuck on your face after every ride. Even after 3 years and 43,000Km I still come home with one

 

[cardinal93]

Welcome from Germany (by way of Mississippi)!!

Think you've seen most of the answers, but here's my 2.5 cents worth (inflation!)
I have an 07 Classic, rode stock for first five years and just started playing with mods this winter.
Tires (MT) will run you about $550/set every 4-8K miles so it depends on how much you ride each year and your riding style. I like the twisties, but don't do too many burnouts. Just put on the Avon front and Bridgey back and total cost was less than $500 mounted!

Heat: yes, if you use her as a commuter and you spend more time idling than riding, she can get pretty warm in the summer. But she wasn't meant to sit in traffic. Park her or ride her, but don't walk her slowly through the city.

Maintenance: She's a triumph, you won't need to work on it as much as a harley! But you can certainly change the oil, plugs, etc, on your own with no more work than any other bike.

Seat: Haven't met a stock seat on any bike that was worth the long haul. But it's a simple and relatively cheap fix. Daylong, Corbin, etc., pick your poison and stay comfy

Mileage: Before the triples/secondary removals, and open tune I was getting around 38 mpg and from what I understand many on here got much better. Now, between 32-34. But honestly, you can't ask about getting more hp and worry about losing gas mileage! The big tank is so you can ride worry free longer and not have to constantly look for a gas station. My wife's Striple gets upward of 45, but we still have to stop and fill hers up while I have another gallon and a half left!

Decent cruiser: Like I said stock, threw two fender protectors on, a set of $100 easy on/off saddlebags and my ruck sack strapped down (makes a great backrest), and rode her comfortably through 11 countries on a 28 day 4500km trip last summer. Doesn't get much more decent than that

Bottom line, hop on and ride her...you'll love her or you won't, but obviously, we're all on here because we LOVED it!!

 

[STRIPES]

The only info posted so far is accurate except the part about darksiders. Every Rocket Launch or RAA event I have attended, the darksiders were around 40 percent or more. There were 10 darksides out of 23 Rockets at RAAVIII. Two of the 23 were changing.

 

[CanberraR3]

32 Rockets at RDU, only 1 with a car tyre and he was towing a trailer.

 

[HansO]

32 Rockets at RDU, only 1 with a car tyre and he was towing a trailer.

1 that thinks for himself and outside the square

 

[CanberraR3]

1 that thinks for himself and outside the square

Pretty sure we all think for ourselves, mate.

 

[norseman]

I haven't ridden a Harley so I can't make a comparison, but the power of these bikes is just breathtaking. I nearly flew off the first time I really twisted the throttle on a green light, the front end got light (didn't lift off) and I blasted through that intersection with the aforementioned idiot grin on my face.

As for the dark side, it definitely seems to save money on tires, but I tend to ride pretty tame compared to most of the darksiders. I'm not about to switch, but there are good arguments on both sides.

I don't know about Italian girlfriends, but I looked hard at some Italian bikes. If you want a cost of ownership that'll turn you pale, pick up a Ducati and drag her in to get that desmo valve train adjusted every 5k miles. The Rocket's not made for economy, but she's not constantly emptying your wallet either.

Welcome to the forum! I hope to hear that you've fallen in love like the rest of us and given that poor unloved British lass a good home.