Help me decide !


I don't ride in car parks, you big silly. We were just goofing off at a club "skills day".

Cruisers aren't known for having a ton of lean angle. My Tiger and T100, OTOH...
 
You guys are scaring the S __ __ T our of me !

You guys are scaring the S __ __ T out of me talking about all the darn weight and power of the R3 -- I'm pretty sure I want to get one. I'm a careful guy now - wasn't always the case. Back in my high school and teenage years I had all kinds of stupid all over me and was pretty much fearless. I'm 58 now and just glad to wake up on the sunny side of the dirt everyday.

I had the typical run of bikes back then including a 650 Bonneville which up until I got my Speedmaster a couple of years ago was the biggest and heaviest bike I'd ever owned.

I guess just hearing about the sheer raw power and torque of the R3 and the weight of course, has gotten me a little jumpy thinking I might reconsider ? Now, my next door neighbor has a HD RK that I ride with no problem - I can handle the balance, weight, etc... with no problem what so ever - BUT it ain't no R3. I've ridden the HD RK around the neighborhood many times and 50 mile trips on the highway with no issues at all. I'm 6' tall and weigh in at about 160 soaking wet - yep, I'm a skinny guy.

The truth is - I have no desire to go 130 mph or do from 0-60 in 3 seconds and my days of having to prove something on a quarter mile track are way in the past. What I do find the most compelling part of the R3 is:
# 1 - it's a Triumph
# 2- it's so darn unique ( like me )
#3 - that power is there when needed and never an issue again. For example when I'm on my SM going down the interstate and cruising at 70 - an 18 wheeler blows past me and all of a sudden I've got the death grip to keep from being blown off the road. In addition, I know everyone says the SM is made to rev high, but seriously when I'm doing 70 - I'm constantly thinking I need a darn 6th gear for it to smooth out.

So should I be concerned with the issues I've mentioned and is this gonna be way more than I can handle ? I guess that's something no one can answer but me, but maybe some of you were in the same boat / saddle at some point and can give some input !

Thanks guys ( and gals I'm sure ) !
 
Don't worry about the power of the Rocket - that's why the throttle is there... LOL

I just came in from a ride and what I really like is that I don't have to down shift 3 gears every corner to come out with some grunt. I can run the backroads all day in 4th (5th if you really want the truth of the matter) and don't have to ever worry about shifting down. The bike just pulls and pulls and that's with a 6'-1" 275lb guy sitting on it. Now, if you down shift, twist the crazy stick, you better be hanging on!

The first weekend I had it I went on a benefit ride with some friends of mine. The bike got all of the attention that weekend but what got the guy behind me is he couldn't keep up through the corners. We entered at the same speed but by the time he was exiting I was gone. I had a LOT of fun accelerating out of the corners... My right shoulder hurt for over a week... It's hard to hold on! LOL
 
I'm a pretty darn new R3 owner with an '05 that I bought a mere 10 days ago.

Fear not. While this is a hefty bike, it balances quite nicely and feels like it has a lower CG than the big V-twins.

As far as power goes, it's all there when you want it, but rolls on smoothly and in a nicely predictable fashion. It's your choice: cruise sedately about the town or let 'er rumble. The R3 seems happy with either.
 
Great - that's exactly what I was hoping to hear -- I'm not as much concerned about the weight as I was about the unpredictable power and having it get away from me in a hurry. But as long as it's a deliberate twist of the throttle - I'm good with that.

I was leaning really hard toward the TB, but the more I read and think about the R3 - the more I want it instead. I'm not reading to much in the way of breakdowns and problems either and that's a huge plus with me. I'm not really big into wrenching - I do just enough to be dangerous. The truth is - I'm a full time professional photographer - been self employed with that for the past 20 + years - I tell the place that works on my cars and the place I take my bike to - " You know your job, and I know mine ", so I let them do what they do best and since I have a lot of faith in the places I take them - what could be better !
 

I've only had mine a couple of months after riding a HD Roadking. I don't find the RIII unpredictable in any way. It's not really any harder to ride than the Roadking - just better!
 
I've not seen a thread with some many different ways of saying pretty much the same thing.

TB is really just a big Speedmaster and about as effective as a head turner. They're pretty, beautiful to ride and plenty of power but not really exciting to look at.

Rocket is a real crowd puller wherever you go and has more of everything. I hate the Roadster peg set up so doubt I'd ever get one unless I could swap out the pegs for the older version. I'm 5'11" (ish) / 150lbs, by the way. If you like the feet forward feel of the Speedy or TB you're not going to much like the upright feel of the Roadster. What was Triumph thinking

BUT don't be put off by the size (not much heavier than a TB) or power. Have no idea where the notion of it being unpredictable came from. There's so much torque there you can get to any point on the road as quickly or as slowly as you want, which coupled with it easy handling and shear presence, actually makes the R3 one of the best bikes around for riding in traffic.
 


I've not seen a thread with some many different ways of saying pretty much the same thing.

I hear you, but you know how us wannabees are -- but soon I'll just be a newbie instead. I do like the forward feel of the SM - but I'm thinking with the engine guard and highway pegs , I could still stretch the legs out when I need to.

Not even 5 minutes ago, I took a ride around the block and low and behold - I pull up right next to 3 bikes - a Honda Goldwing, a Honda Valkerie, and an R3 -- I followed them into a gas station - just had to take a look -- nice guys. The R3 was an 06 with 3500 miles on it. Barely broken in to me. It was the Roadster Model - but I guess they called it something else then -- a deep maroon and cream color and super clean. He let me sit on it and get the feel of it. One word - WOW -- and that was just sitting and not moving. Told me he bought it new at the end of 06 and got a crazy deal on it - actually he said below cost ( don't the dealer's always say that ). At any rate - I really like the colors they used the past few years - on the 2012 you have your choice in either black or black ( matte or gloss basically ) -- which is ok - but coming from an all black SM - sure would be nice having one of the two tone ones.

At any rate - I appreciate all the comments - hopefully I'll be posting back within a few months or less with pics of my new R3. Of course, I'll still be soaking up all the threads already posted !
 

Go the thunderbird then mate its a bit lighter but feels much lighter has plenty of power just nothing like the r3 but definitely nothing to sneeze at and its a **** nice bike,
But in saying that i only weigh 76kg and i have no problem in riding the r3 i was nervious of it when i first got it becoase i came from a 750cc it has a fantastic centre of gravity making it surprisingly managable at carpark speeds. Just respect the torque they are not a fast bike but they do have a huge amount of torque. Test ride them both mate in my eyes it doesnt matter which one you go for its still a trumpy and a **** sweet ride ............................enjoy whatever you go with
 
proimage1 said:
The R3 was an 06 with 3500 miles on it. Barely broken in to me. It was the Roadster Model - but I guess they called it something else then -- a deep maroon and cream color and super clean. !
Click to expand...

Roadsters didnt come out til 2010 mate so if it had two tone paint maroon and cream or as we call it Blood and bone with floor boards She was a Rocket 3 Classic . If she was a solid colour than she was a Standard . The standard and classic model was replaced by the roadster model at the beginning of 2010 where they went from 3 silencers to two and added abs brakes moved the peg position and blacked out a few things like the forks and the final drive.
 
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