Hi...Contemplating buying a 05 rocket

[v*twin]

I am contemplating to buy 05 rocket 3 and needed your inputs of few questions I had.All the bike sI have owned have been Japanese bikes,always wanted a Bonneville but have come across a Rocket which is very tempting.
Have few questions
>good price for an 05
>Things to look for when buying engine,tranny,drive...any known issues to look for
>Riding position and expierence toruing on these bikes
>Reliability..will be my daily rider
thanks

 

[tdragger]

Welcome to the site.

Can you tell us a little more about the 05 that you are looking at, ie the current mileage?

The market, imho, is all over the place right now. Some rat bikes are going for much more than they should and some pristine looking units are going for surprisingly low amounts.

Take the following with the understanding that this is a blunt synopsis and may give the impression of unreliability. It is not. My Rocket is my daily transportation and I have had great service for over 40,000 miles. Just being honest and up front with you.

First, this applies to all pre-2011 non-Touring model Rockets (Standard, Classic and Roadster), the ignition switch will eventually fail if you do not fit a headlight relay kit. Sounds harsh but that is my opinion. The kit is easy to install and will prevent the failure but too many owners fail to heed the warning until it is too late.

Second, some of the older models will have the primary throttle position sensor fail somewhere between 15 and 25 thousand miles. Again, an inexpensive and easy fix but is something that might happen. If the unit that you are looking at has fewer miles, I would inquire with the owner if a new TPS has been fitted.

A small number of 05 models have had output shaft bearing issues which can be a significant gotcha. If you are truly interested in a Rocket, you may want to look towards the black engine models of the 06 and later range. Some silver engine owners may chime in but again that's just my opinion.

 

[TxRIIIRider]

I have an '05 and have just over 67K miles on it now. (and that's with it being down most of last year!). The BIGGEST problem with the Rocket is parts availabilty. My bike was down so long last year mostly because I was waiting on parts, such as spark plug wires (mine were cracked and the ends are molded on). The second biggest problem with any Triumph and I assume other brands, is dealer techinician competency. My local dealer technician has proven incompetent at anything beyond a service code, so I now use the Austin dealer, who I have been more than happy with. I try to do most of my own service, but if it starts cutting into my time, which I don't have, I take it in..

Ummm.. Primary Throttle Posistion Sensor problems.. Many of the early models have problems with the Primary TPS going bad. This causes erratic idle problems, and idle at 2000 RPM, or it won't idle at all, or anything in between. Triumph has an improved Primary TPS, which I have on mine now.. That was part of my issues last year.

A FEW Rockets have had transmission issues. The transmissions can be a bit clunky, but if it's super excessive, or if it's jumping out of gear then beware.

Tires Prices.. Metzler and Avon are expensive. However, many of us have discovered that Bridgestone now makes a 240 series Excedra Max, and a 150 series Excedra G501 (Gold Wing tire) that work on our Rockets. These tires WAY less expensive and so far have proven to be great.

1) A good price for an '05? Umm.. I had been debating on selling mine at one point. I would say about $6500 would be a good price. I think KBB is a bit more but not much.

2) See above.. overall I am very happy with my Rocket and despite lack of dealers and my high miles, I would hop on it tomorrow and take a trip across the States if I had the time!.. My iginition switch has not failed ever.. (knock on wood!)

3) Riding position is very subjective. I prefer the stock seat actually.. and I also have a Rocket Classic seat for 2-up on occaision. I ride with no windshield and a full face helmet.. I've been to South Dakota, Colorado, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma.. basically all up and down the middle of the country.. I like my Rocket III Standard peg position because I can throw my feet over them like high way pegs and just sit back and cruise.. Sometimes I fold my legs under to the passenger pegs for a different position on long days.. Others on here have there's set up more for touring than me though.

4) Like I said.. Mine is my daily driver too. I ride a 70 mile round trip to work with half interstate and half back roads.. and have no problems. and looking forward to 100,000 miles..

 

[CanberraR3]

Well those guys just about covered everything!

Get it, you'll love it. I ride mine every day. It's perfect in traffic. Big and visible yet very manueverable and can get you to any point on the road in an instant. Just do it.

 

[atomsplitter]

Loooooong rides you'll want a Utopia backrest and footboards and probably some RIVCO risers with Classic bars (or at least ones with more pull-back) so you can relax your arms. You'll want either a throttle lock OR put the full meal cruise control on (fuel injection has it's priveleges). Better shocks solo (two up the OEM's are adequate (barely)). Better front fork springs are a must as well. You'll want to ensure the Eastern Beaver relay mod is installed (or equivalent) otherwise you'll be buying a new ignition switch at some point (just search Eastern Beaver on the forum for why). Check the dealer services were done and any recalls performed.

After that you're all set (just watch how hard you pull on the right grip, it can get you into trouble with local law enforcement).

 

[warp9.9]

I have an 05 and a 06 model both are in good condition. Both have original ignition switches. The problems I have had with the 06 ar erelated to first doubling the horse power and then **** near tripling it. Before I did this the most problem I had was not being able to ride it enough. The 05 I just got last year so I have not put many miles on her but she has 35,000 or so. The 06 I have is a beast and has 53,000 on her with over 23,000 mile on the Supercharger. I did have a throttle position sensor go out on it at 23,000 miles non horsepower related. Other then that I like to say for a 200 mph bagger the Millenium Falcon is great. So if you decide to pull the trigger enjoy the ride. Be carefull some of these guys are nuts on this forum I have seen them ride and they are crazy draging the floor boards or pegs (I do not ) mostly because I am not good in the twisties

Now for the serious **** if you like raw power and I mean brutally raw and you buy the beast it will ruin you from ever wanting a tiny engined mortorcycle again The engine is muzzled but can be released depending on what you want to do with her.
Enjoy
Warp9.9

 

[xhdskip]

And there you have it.
especially the last post.
Talk about KRAZY.
Warp has the fastest bagger on earth I do believe.
But hey, a rocket is the best all around bike there is.
You want a coast to coast ride, head out, you got one.
You want to get to work , there's your ride.
You want to have all the chicks lookin' at "YOUR" ride at the bar?
again, it's yours.
Want to beat a busa red light to red light???
From what I've been told, they're not very good off road tho,
so ya might want to be careful till ya get use to it.
other than that,,,,Welcome to the forum and GET IT.
you won't be sorry.
skip

 

[datona paul]

+1 (WHAT SKIP SAID) DOESN'T DO OFF-ROAD.... BUT EVERYTHING ELSE. SMILES NEVER END.. HARLEY RIDERS QUIVER A 'LIL.. WHY BE OFFICIALY LICENSED WHEN YOU CAN BE COOL??

 

[Dennsell]

Welcome VT . I own an 05 and its had a problem or 3 but I have never riden anything in my life that has been so enjoyable.. its 1 hell of a machine..

Like any hybrid mechanical device of this nature it needs good maintenance and you certainly have to understand what your sitting on

If your nature is to complain about every little thing then that can be a problem.. take it for a good test ride and if you are grinning while you ride then your hooked mate

Enjoy and take care.....

 

[v*twin]

I did buy the motorcycle yesterday,05' 13,500 ......extemley happy with the monstrous bike .It took some getting used to the collosal weight of bike but totally impressed by the handling on interstate,totally enjoyed the 300 miles ride back after buying the bike.

My only issue is the engine seems to be running quite rough,runs like there may be some vaccum leak in the intake.I havent heard/riden a rocket 3 before so really not able to compare or if its normal for rocket's.It could be also bad gas in the tank, previous owner very rarely had riden the bike 1,000 miles in 2 years.

will look at air filter, spark plugs tomorrow,wd40 spray for vaccum leak..any heads up as to what else I can check on the engine.