Help me decide !

proimage1

.020 Over
Joined
Aug 10, 2012
Messages
19
Location
Florida
I'm on the fence right now and need some advice and suggestions. I have an 04 Speedmaster which I love and plan to keep, but within the next few months, I plan on buying either the Thunderbird or R3. My plans are to keep the SM for running around town and short jogs. I want something bigger for longer trips and highway and interstate rides. I'm torn between the TB and R3.

My questions to you R3 owners. How reliable is the R3 - I really don't enjoy turning wrenches and prefer to have mechanical work done by MC shops. Are there any known issues or problems. I'm leaning more toward the roadster over the touring just from a cost standpoint, then adding a couple of items later ( bags, windshield, etc... )

I'm a bit confused as far as the riding position between the Roadster and Touring -- is the Roadster more a cruiser type with more forward type controls and footrest ?

Any help would be awesome. I'm in the Florida panhandle area by the way !

Regards - proimage1
 
I've owned both and MUCH prefer the Thunderbird. It handles better (best handling of any cruiser I've been on), is more comfortable (for me @ 5'10 & 150) and is a much better looking bike. Overall, it's a more reliable bike, and a 1000 times more reliable than my old Rocket III Touring. I've never had an issue with my Thunderbird, or any other Triumph I've owned (Speedmaster, Tiger 1050 and Bonnie T100) except the Rocket III Touring. Mine had a long list of issues that ranged from minor to major (head gasket and broken lifter shaft). Triumph hit a home run with the Thunderbird and it's no accident it has won "Cruiser of the Year" 2 years in a row.

The Roadster has mid mounted pegs for more of a standard riding position, very much like I have on my Bonnie T100.
 
Roadster or Touring just depends on which style you like. The Roadster pegs are more in a 'standard' position. The frames are really different and they ride very different. The Touring comes with much less power, but that can be changed with a few mods. Tires are probably the biggest expense on the Roadster. Tires on the touring are smaller with a wider variety available.

Mine is an '04 Rocket III Standard. The Standard evolved into the Roadster a couple of years ago. It currently has 71K+ miles on it and runs great. Mechanically, it has been pretty much bullet proof. My biggest gripes are the Primary Throttle Position sensor, I am on my 3rd one, and dealer service support. Triumph dealers with a competent service department seemt to be few and far between, however, the Florida guys on here usually have good things to say about their dealers.
 

Well, that certainly helps. Yes, from all I read Triumph did hit a home run with the TB -- I'm 6' and weigh 155, so it sounds like we're close to the same size. I've only briefly sat on the TB and honestly, in a way it feels smaller than my SM. I hope to get over to my local dealer next week and take a closer look. The R3 might be a bit much for me due to the weight - but the single most important factor is reliability !

I appreciate the advice !
 


Thanks - good advice -- as noted above - our local Triumph dealer is great - so I guess we're lucky with that !
 
I have an 08 R3T and to date I have not had any issues with it at all, (Knock on wood!) Last year at a Triumph Demo I rode the Thunderbird I couldnt get used to how small it felt, (I'm 6'1" 240 lbs) otherwise I would seriously consider buying one, not to replace my Rocket but to keep it company
 
proimage1 said:
D & D is GREAT - that's who I currently use to service my SM - I'm 60 miles east of Pensacola in the Destin area, but make the ride to Pensacola fairly often !
Click to expand...

I'm in Crestview. Chances are good we've probably met before if you get out to any of the local hangouts.
 

The Rockets seem to be a crap shoot. Scot in Exile has an '05 Standard with around 60k miles and has only had one issue (ignition) that I'm aware of.

I, like you, had an '08 Touring. Here's just a sample list of the issues I had.

- Mirrors constantly vibrated loose from day one
- Blown head gasket at 5k miles
- Tires recalled at 5500 miles
- Gear position sensor at 5500 miles
- Snapped lifter shaft at 5800 miles

There was more, but I can't remember all the little nuisance crap that I had to deal with.

And, just to be clear, I don't flog on my bikes and am very anal about maintenance and upkeep and cleanliness.
 
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