hello from kennewick

[hegels]

Hello, my name is Steve, I live in kennewick washington. I just recently got a job at a hospital here and am now able to afford a nice bike. At first I was considering the tiger because i've always been around dirt bikes and the adventure bike scene. but I got to thinking about it and I realized "why do I need another dual sport I've already got my xr250l" so then I took a second look at the rocket, and now I am debating between the rocket, the rocket touring, or wait for the rocket roadster. I am a gearhead and hate taking my car to any place if I can fix it (most of the time I can)

anyways, Its nice to see a good forum that helps people with their problems rather than just say take it to the dealer(mercedes forum for my parents car)

later,
Steve

 

[snuffcityrider]

Welcome to the forum, tough choices.....but you can't go wrong

 

[HellFire]

Welcome aboard. A new Roadster would make you talk of the town but ya can't go wrong with any of them. Keep in mind that the Touring is a whole different animal than the Standard, Classic and Roadster, so you might want to do some reading here on all versions. The guys will answer your questions the best we can, so enjoy the site.

 

[hegels]

I am considering the touring because of the comfort factor due to me living 250 miles away from the rest of my family. however the guy at the dealer here said that aftermarket seats up the level of comfort consideribly(sp). also I may go camping in the summer and was told that the added torque would benefit towing a kwik kamp. the roadster however has more hp and torque than the touring. The more familiar riding position is a bonus too as I am used to a dual sport. I like the styling of the standard the comfort of the touring and the performance of the roadster. if i could get all that in 1 bike i'd be set for life

later,
Steve

 

[HellFire]

Sounds like you just described a Classic.

 

[hegels]

I think in my mind I've already decided on the roadster and i'll get a different seat. The fact that its not out yet will mean that I can save some $$$ up before I buy it so I can put more down.

thanks for the warm welcome everyone... later,
Steve

 

[flhtpi]

Welcome. No problems with my stock seat here.

 

[RocketDaryl]

Based on some of your comments, I really think you'll be happier with the Standard or Roadster. I have a Tiger and had a Rocket Touring. Now, this is blasphemous talk in here, but I'd take the Tiger 7 days a week over the Touring. The Touring just wasn't a comfortable bike to me (ergos were not right for my frame). I can ride my Tiger 100 miles and not so much as twitch in the saddle. I couldn't ride my Touring 50 miles without squirming around looking for another position to relieve neck and shoulder tension. I sold the bike and bought a Thunderbird. The Thunderbird is like my Tiger. I can ride without any discomfort. The reason I think you'll like the Roadster or Standard better is because you say you're used to Dual Sport ergos like the Tiger. The Tiger really isn't a dual sport anymore. Now days it's more like the giraffe of the sport touring bikes. I love the bike; one of my favorites of any I've owned.

Anyway, I'm the same way regarding the riding position. The Thunderbird, while being a cruiser, is *very* comfortable for me. Why do I mention that to you? Because I looked at both the Thunderbird and the Standard Rocket and while I opted for the Thunderbird, I can tell you the riding position on both bikes is very similar. In fact, I'm pretty sure had I bought a Standard Rocket when I bought the Touring (2008), I wouldn't have sold it to buy a Thunderbird last month.

 

[hegels]

Based on some of your comments, I really think you'll be happier with the Standard or Roadster. I have a Tiger and had a Rocket Touring. Now, this is blasphemous talk in here, but I'd take the Tiger 7 days a week over the Touring. The Touring just wasn't a comfortable bike to me (ergos were not right for my frame). I can ride my Tiger 100 miles and not so much as twitch in the saddle. I couldn't ride my Touring 50 miles without squirming around looking for another position to relieve neck and shoulder tension. I sold the bike and bought a Thunderbird. The Thunderbird is like my Tiger. I can ride without any discomfort. The reason I think you'll like the Roadster or Standard better is because you say you're used to Dual Sport ergos like the Tiger. The Tiger really isn't a dual sport anymore. Now days it's more like the giraffe of the sport touring bikes. I love the bike; one of my favorites of any I've owned.

Anyway, I'm the same way regarding the riding position. The Thunderbird, while being a cruiser, is *very* comfortable for me. Why do I mention that to you? Because I looked at both the Thunderbird and the Standard Rocket and while I opted for the Thunderbird, I can tell you the riding position on both bikes is very similar. In fact, I'm pretty sure had I bought a Standard Rocket when I bought the Touring (2008), I wouldn't have sold it to buy a Thunderbird last month.

Welcome. No problems with my stock seat here.

Welcome aboard. A new Roadster would make you talk of the town but ya can't go wrong with any of them.

thanks everyone. I think I am going to get a roadster and see how comfortable it is. if if nessesary i'll get a different seat. Now that that's out of the way. Any other rider's in washington state?

 

[tdragger]

If you are taller than average, the more mid set pegs on the Roadster may impact your comfort. Of course, you can add dresser bars and highway pegs to address that.

Also, heavier riders seem to have more issues with the stock seats. I have a Std. The stock seat was OK but was only good for a 100 miles or so. My main problem was my lower back due to some previous injuries so I upgraded to the Dual Tourer Seat w/ Driver Backrest. The backrest was great but the seat was brutal after 50 miles.

I now have a Rick Mayer custom seat which is working out pretty well. I haven't had the opportunity to really test it but initial impressions are good.