New...and tryin' to figure it out.

[Rocket4me]

I've a R3R myself. Given your two up situation and the riding you plan on doing, go with the R3T. Straight up stock it will fulfill everything you want it to, then when you get the time you can retune and mod. The Roadster, while capable of two up riding, isn't as comfortable for the passenger when it's coming straight off the floor. Going with the R3T now will give you riding time and the familiarity with the bike so you can make informed decisions about mods you need/want.

Good post, thanks for the info. A question: I was talking to the dealer I am thinking about buying from and he mentioned that the Roadster has a different cam, in other words it was more than just the pipe and mapping to increase the power. Any validity in what he is saying?

 

[idk]

I would be very interested to know the two part numbers.

 

[Rocket4me]

It only takes a slight tweak for the Touring to out perform a stock Roadster but it takes a fair bit to make the roadster into a two up Touring motorcycle ,full screen,footboards, spotlights, back rest ,panniers , luggage rack ,Full size Gel pillion seat ect, a stock touring has enough power/torque to satisfy most people but just knowing there are 40 odd more horses in there that are easily released is too tempting, and you have the best of both worlds

Need to validate something that the dealer mentioned yesterday. When we were talking about the differences between the Roadster and the Touring, he said that the cams were different and that pipe and mapping wasn't enough. Any validity in what he was saying?

 

[Rocket4me]

Welcome to the horde from Northern Michigan. I love my Touring and with the tune in it, I am quite happy. I pull a Bushtec trailer on long trips also.

I havn't seen a bike towing a trailer yet. Do you have a photo to post? How much weight can it handle? How does it feel when you are riding?

 

[kipper]

AS usual the dealers mouth is brown, the camshafts are the same in both bikes

 

[Chris Kelley]

Good post, thanks for the info. A question: I was talking to the dealer I am thinking about buying from and he mentioned that the Roadster has a different cam, in other words it was more than just the pipe and mapping to increase the power. Any validity in what he is saying?

If it's true it's irrelevant from what I've seen here. I'm not terribly into the technical stuff myself, but what I've seen here in the forum is that the R3T is always just a little shy of the top numbers the R3R is able to put out. For example a setup that adds an average 40hp on R3Rs will only give a 38hp boost to R3Ts, pretty trivial differences. I know the final drive for the R3T has a sharper angle than an R3R to handle the smaller rear wheel and this is what I always attribute the power difference to.

 

[Steel]

I havn't seen a bike towing a trailer yet. Do you have a photo to post? How much weight can it handle? How does it feel when you are riding?

You may want to ask @STRIPES how much an R3 can tow.

 

[1olbull]

You may want to ask @STRIPES how much an R3 can tow.

Great pix, @Steel!
@slidderhd tows a few ton as well.

 

[Steel]

Great pix, @Steel!
@slidderhd tows a few ton as well.

Just pix I've downloaded. Like I said that is Ken AKA Stripes. I've always liked the one where he towed his HD to the shop.

 

[Rocket Xtreme]

Hello Rocket4me and welcome from VA. I have the 2014 R3T and just turned over 30K miles. For what you just descried above, I would say the Touring is the bike for you. Yes it is slightly heavier than a stock R3R but after adding the touring stuff to the Roadster, you will be close to the same weight as a touring. At the price you mention, I would jump on that R3T now. The guys above have already mentioned adding the TORs exhaust and a new tune, I did that and love the slight sound increase that is not too loud for my neighbors. The tune, cat delete with TORs and there bigger inner diameter make a noticable bump in power.
Both bikes love being rode hard and long so you can't go wrong there. For me and the long trips I make once in awhile, I love stretching out on the T and I think it is the best long distant bike I have ridden out of 27 other bikes now.
Good luck

How do you go about the cat delete? I have emailed just about every US and UK parts dealer looking for a cat by-pass or decat box etc and no one has one for sale? I tried to get my dealer to do it but they said they can't touch it. They are happy to re-tune the bike once it is modified but can't sell me anything to remove replace it. I also have a 2015 model so maybe that is the difference??? I want my X to sound a little more aggressive just not HD annoying. I did just order the K&N filter kit that requires cutting of the bearclaw. I am told the "sucking sound" they will now create makes for a unique sound but still not a rumble.