Help me decide !

comparisons

I have found my current 2005 Rocket to be very reliable. It seems that the Rocket has been constantly improved upon by the mfg. I wouldn't hesitate to upgrade to a purchase a new one. I haven't ridden the Thunderbird but I have sat on one in the showroom. It seemed small , thinly padded to me and I didn't like the way the seat positioned my family jewels right against the fuel tank. I' 5 foot 10inches and only did one adjustment to my Rocket's seating position. I moved the handlebars 2" further back towards the rider. It was a simple fix. It definitely can make touring the roads a breeze. The only bikes that seem to out do me thru the curves are ****** rockets. I have an 2003 America also, which I find great for local rides. But I still saddle up the Rocket , for most of the local ridding. Powerful, unique, and respected by all by other bikers! I mean the Rocket even though the description could apply to the owner.
 
I appreciate all the comments and suggestions. I still have a couple of months before I'll have the funds available to make a purchase. Sounds like the R3 is a great bike with a very loyal following. That says a lot.

Regards !
 
Re: lean angle

Here's me goofing off at one of our (riding club) skills days. As you can see, the TB has plenty of lean angle. I still have a good inch or two before scraping the hero bars. The TB is regarded as one of the best handling cruisers on the market.

p.s. Never mind the lady watching me. She likes to pretend to be a "coach". Truth is she does that because she's incapable of doing the majority of the exercises we set up; all talk and no action.
 
I agree on testing both. The TB feels rather small after riding an R3. I liked the test ride on the TB and was impressed with the snap it had. Pretty peppy mc!

Personally (being older) I do not care for the new adjusted ride position on the R3R and am in the process of changing mine with new handle bars and seat. I am in pain across my upper shoulders after a few hundred miles if I have to lean forward very much.

Sounds like you have already made up your mind on the R3. That'd be my choice. If I were to buy another Triumph (smaller), it would be a scrambler.
 
Or what it is worth here is my honest opinion the rocket has had issues with earlier models but are pretty well much solved the early tourings (08) seem to have had a few issues which seems strange as the 08 Std's and classic have been trouble free the only one thing that I would recomend would be the Eastern Beaver headlight relay kit or you can make your own relay kit for a fraction of the price as I have done for myself and several other Auss rocket owners

What you really need to do is test ride them both, but be warned once you have ridden a Rocket with the right hand twisted hard you will do One of Two things you will need to change your underwear or you will hand over a deposit even if you have to hock your first born! the Thunder bird will seem under powered and remember it is only 60 lbs lighter and a lot less power yes I am biased I test rode a classic in 2007 and finally bought one in 2010 my faithfull old bike which I did not trade in is sitting there in a corner untouched since, guess I'll have to sell her now
 
Get the one that fits you well.

Before I found my R3, I was quite interested in the Yamaha V-Max (the earlier 1200cc flavor). I've had Yammies in the past (since late 70's) and have always like the way they're designed and built. But, after spending 30 minutes riding an '03 V-Max, I no longer wanted one. I've got longish legs (35.5" inseam) and the bike was simply too small for me to feel comfortable.

The R3, on the other hand, fits me rather nicely which goes a long way to help make it a pleasure to ride.
 

No arguments with the handling i thought it handled great the pegs touch down far to easily is what im saying but i must like to lean a little more than u and i dont ride on flat carpark surfaces i rode the tbird over mount glorious and she was touching down left rite and centre apart from that great bike just needs that big bore kit because it was a little under powered
 
Dad and I just bought Triumphs within a week of each other. I went with the Rocket Roadster and he went with the Thunderbird.

They are completely different bikes and the TB is a GREAT riding bike. However, coming off the rocket to his TB, I feel like I'm on a kids bike with pedals. It's 1600cc and has plenty of power but it's really smooth and rolls on the power easy. You still get up to highway speeds quickly but it's really no comparison. The sitting positions and the feel of the bike going down the road is different.

If you are going new bikes - I think you would be fine either way as far as reliability. Every manufacture will have those "stories" of bad bikes making the market but buy the extended warranty and give yourself some additional peace of mind.
 
Having had both, I liked both. The Rocket (07 Classic with the floorboards), as everyone has said, is fast and I took it on a good trip down to Key West via Daytona back in 08...no problems at all. I then rode it, in one day, 855 miles back to Molino, FL (just north of Pensacola) thru around a 120 miles of rain...again no problems.

I then bought the T-bird (1700 version) and it was no slouch at all in the speed department...unlike Daryl...I occasionally go above the speed limit. In the last year I took it on two 2,600 mile trips and didn't give it a thought about where any repair dealerships were...I just rode.

Both are great bikes and again like the others have said test ride one of each and with the T-bird get the 1700 to properly compare it to the Rocket.

Good luck.

Dennis
 
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