Introduction

[Torque for England]

Hi,
Just wanted to introduce myself. Don't shoot me . . . but I've been a Harley rider for 18 years now. Previously, many Jap bikes, my last and favourite was my Eddie Lawson rep ZRX1200R (god I miss that bike!). I've loved Rocket 3's since they first came out, however, once you're in Harley's grasp it's hard to break out with the p/x's and the 'devil you know' attitude. The problem is, they're all compromised. my current ride being a Sportster S, which is a great looking bike and insanely quick for a Harley. However, it only has 1.5 inches of suspension travel, a Rizzler seat and a 100 mile tank (for good reason lol).
I'm sure this has been brought up by other potential buyers, but my other favourite would be a V4 Diavel. So, my question/s are as follows:

Has anyone ridden both, what made you go for the Rocket?
What is it like living with the Rocket?
Handling?
Wind buffeting a 70 + for long rides?
Servicing?
Issues?
Things to look out for?

I'm not a fan of the new blacked out Storm models. I've seen they've been remapped to 180bhp. I wonder if you'd notice the difference. as I really prefer the previous version colours and manifolds etc.

Thanks for reading this far....

 

[TURBO200R4]

Welcome from Tucson Arizona USA

 

[atomsplitter]

Greetings from sunny North Texas. To answer some of your questions lets start out with HP. The pre-storm models are severly restricted, even in SPORT mode, so you can gain roughly 30HP just by removing the throttle restrictions in sport mode using TuneECU. There's a Youtube video shows you how to do it (took me about 20 minutes and the delta is eye opening). I have six Triumphs and my Bobber is closest to your Sportster S and I had to dump about $2K to get the suspension to liveable for all day. The Rocket is far more adjustable and comes with upgraded suspension parts from the factory. Big plus.

Handling the Diavel will out hustle a Rocket, but then so too will my Speed Triple RS. The Rocket handles amazingly well for such a large beast, but the real answer lies in the torque band of its motor. Simply put it's the most thrust you can buy without having to have a jet pilot's license. Wind can be tamed with any number of aftermarket options, I have a taller screen on mine and have no wind buffeting problems. Servicing is pretty straight forward if you can change oil and spin on a filter. The single sided swingarm is a plus and no chain to dork with. Tire changes are a challenge if you want to wrestle a 240 spec tire onto a rim with no drop. Brakes are very good Brembo's so not much to do there but change pads and clean on occasion. I bought my bike used with 146 miles on it two weeks ago and now have over 600 miles so it's ready for the first oil change to regular oil, which is 15W50 full synthetic so finding a source for that (I use Amazon) can be a little tricky. The Service manual for the bike is 1800 pages and the owner's manual over 200 pages. A lot of features (like cruise control, heated grips, riding modes including a rider configurable mode, bluetooth connectivity, etc) and of course the various forums when you get stuck with figuring out something.

 

[Kiwicol]

Gidday mate, welcome to the forum. If you're considering buying a Rocket 3, best idea is get yourself a ride on one & see how you like it. I agree with Atomsplitter, if you get a Gen 2 & install a tune & de-restrict it you're at least on the same page as the Storms, probably even higher. The Storm ECU's are locked up, well, at this stage they are anyway.

 

[Jagster]

Has anyone ridden both, what made you go for the Rocket?...............If the Diavel is a Ferrari, the Rocket is a Bentley........kinda, sorta...

What is it like living with the Rocket?.......It taught me the art of giggling, strangely...........and it adds extra length to your arms.......Enjoyable.....comfy if ridden sensibly.

Handling?..............Surprisingly good, but you need to focus on the art of the counter steer especially on mini-roundabouts.

Wind buffeting a 70 + for long rides?..........Yes......next question.... (naked, big cross sectional area & wide bars......need I say more?)

Servicing? ....................no different to any other modern large motorbike.

Issues?..............Heavy to push around........too wide for widespread use of filter in traffic.......Can be thirsty if abused......Small tank range if abused......Hot right leg in summer traffic stops.

Things to look out for?...........Blurry scenery............and fuel stations.......Parking against the camber of the road (no reverse gear).......and.......shirt sleeves getting shorter....

 

[Torque for England]

Greetings from sunny North Texas. To answer some of your questions lets start out with HP. The pre-storm models are severly restricted, even in SPORT mode, so you can gain roughly 30HP just by removing the throttle restrictions in sport mode using TuneECU. There's a Youtube video shows you how to do it (took me about 20 minutes and the delta is eye opening). I have six Triumphs and my Bobber is closest to your Sportster S and I had to dump about $2K to get the suspension to liveable for all day. The Rocket is far more adjustable and comes with upgraded suspension parts from the factory. Big plus.

Handling the Diavel will out hustle a Rocket, but then so too will my Speed Triple RS. The Rocket handles amazingly well for such a large beast, but the real answer lies in the torque band of its motor. Simply put it's the most thrust you can buy without having to have a jet pilot's license. Wind can be tamed with any number of aftermarket options, I have a taller screen on mine and have no wind buffeting problems. Servicing is pretty straight forward if you can change oil and spin on a filter. The single sided swingarm is a plus and no chain to dork with. Tire changes are a challenge if you want to wrestle a 240 spec tire onto a rim with no drop. Brakes are very good Brembo's so not much to do there but change pads and clean on occasion. I bought my bike used with 146 miles on it two weeks ago and now have over 600 miles so it's ready for the first oil change to regular oil, which is 15W50 full synthetic so finding a source for that (I use Amazon) can be a little tricky. The Service manual for the bike is 1800 pages and the owner's manual over 200 pages. A lot of features (like cruise control, heated grips, riding modes including a rider configurable mode, bluetooth connectivity, etc) and of course the various forums when you get stuck with figuring out something.

Thank you for a great insight Atomspliter. Liberating the 30 extra horses sounds amazing.

 

[Torque for England]

Gidday mate, welcome to the forum. If you're considering buying a Rocket 3, best idea is get yourself a ride on one & see how you like it. I agree with Atomsplitter, if you get a Gen 2 & install a tune & de-restrict it you're at least on the same page as the Storms, probably even higher. The Storm ECU's are locked up, well, at this stage they are anyway.

Thanks Kiwicol. I’m not a fan of the blacked out Storms, so it sounds like a win, win with the previous gen.
Sounds like the remap would bring the performance more in line with the Deavil.

 

[Kea]

Welcome from the top of Mount Pleasant Michigan USA!

 

[Mike188]

Welcome from South Australia.