New(ish) Cruiser Rider in Maryland

Greetings all,

I'm more of a lurker than anything. I usually only end up on forums if a search engine steers me to one. I am a fan of spirited riding and generally only rode sportbikes. Ive owned naked sportbikes and fully faired race replicas. I currently own a 17 BMW S1000RR. But alas, we all age. I'm not willing to give it up but I did take to the interwebs to find a "more comfortable" solution to my need for POWA!

I discovered the Triumph Rocket and had to test ride one. Found a guy who had a 06 RIII classic in a barn with only 6K on the clock. He let me ride it. I came back the next day added it to my stable. It wasn't very well maintained cosmetically but didnt have any dings or dents. It's in my profile pic. Cleaned up nicely. Did a few mods. Currently, she is disassembled. All body panels are at the paint shop (I liked the yellow but...). The tires are still on from the original purchase so those are coming off. Got the Avon Cobras sitting in my family room. Need to figure out how to jack this thing up. Everything I've done so far has been done without the need to raise it up. Any suggestions on the tire change will be well received. Purchased a Sissy bar, found out it only fits on the Touring model and decided I should probably join a forum and run these things by somebody before I lose more money. (If you need a touring QD sissy bar let me know).

Anyway... Im interested in getting into this cruiser lifestyle and meeting some other R3 owners. Havent see one on the road around here. I did run down to OC bike week and saw 1 touring model parked. Looking forward to seeing more!

Hi and welcome. You may find some of the info you need in the link in my signature, including a simple bracket you can fabricate to use with an ATV jack.

Hey @busy_rydin welcome to the club! I live in Alexandria but commute north past you nearly every day. Sounds like we may have similar riding styles. I'll PM you my info.

Here's how I lift my Rocket when I'm working on it (I'm in the middle of replacing the rear tire):
Signature Products | Flipmeisters Specialty Products

busy_rydin said:

Any suggestions on the tire change will be well received

Click to expand...

ALWAYS grease the splines on the final drive & hub every time you change the rear tire - Use 60% Moly lube

Hi Busy ridin and welcome to the forum form across the pond. If it's info you require this place has some of the most learned guys around where Rockets are concerned. Browse the threads cos there is a wealth of information stored in these hallowed pages. Still stuck? No such thing as a silly question!

alpental said:

Hey @busy_rydin welcome to the club! I live in Alexandria but commute north past you nearly every day. Sounds like we may have similar riding styles. I'll PM you my info.

Here's how I lift my Rocket when I'm working on it (I'm in the middle of replacing the rear tire):
Signature Products | Flipmeisters Specialty Products

Click to expand...

That looks like it will work perfectly for a tire change. Looking it up now. I need to hear what that carpenter sounds like. I've had my eye on one for a while.

Hello Again @busy_rydin and welcome once more from across the river. Once you get the bike sorted and if you have the vacation time, we have a little meet up in WV called Rockets Across America in June. All that info can be found in this thread: RAA East 2020 West Virginia

Let us know of any other help you need, that Flipmiester above is money well spent.

busy_rydin said:

Any suggestions on the tire change will be well received

Click to expand...

The Cobras are great. The Bridgestone Exedra Max is also a fantastic rear tire at almost half the cost.
If you remove your rear wheel yourself, 2 Wheel Performance in Elkridge will take off your old tire, and mount and balance your new tire for $50. The front will likely be cheaper. https://www.needperformance.com/

Since you're replacing your tires, you might as well upgrade your brake pads to EBC. You'll want the FA236HH (2 pairs) up front and the FA209/2HH (1 pair) in the rear. Don't forget a thin smear of copper grease on the back of the pads and on the pins.

Since you're changing your pads (and likely brake fluid), you might as well upgrade your brake lines to braided stainless steel. I noticed a significantly stiffer response.
HEL Performance Brake Lines | Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines & Fittings

Since you're flushing your coolant, you might as well upgrade the old leak-prone hoses from rubber to silicon (see my failure thread here: Blew a coolant line). Don't forget to buy the associated stainless steel clamps.
https://racebikebitzusa.com/samco-hoses

I really like Motul 7100 4T 10W40 oil for this motor.

That should get you started on a long and loving relationship with your new ride.

alpental said:

The Cobras are great. The Bridgestone Exedra Max is also a fantastic rear tire at almost half the cost.
If you remove your rear wheel yourself, 2 Wheel Performance in Elkridge will take off your old tire, and mount and balance your new tire for $50. The front will likely be cheaper. https://www.needperformance.com/

Since you're replacing your tires, you might as well upgrade your brake pads to EBC. You'll want the FA236HH (2 pairs) up front and the FA209/2HH (1 pair) in the rear. Don't forget a thin smear of copper grease on the back of the pads and on the pins.

Since you're changing your pads (and likely brake fluid), you might as well upgrade your brake lines to braided stainless steel. I noticed a significantly stiffer response.
HEL Performance Brake Lines | Stainless Steel Braided Brake Lines & Fittings

Since you're flushing your coolant, you might as well upgrade the old leak-prone hoses from rubber to silicon (see my failure thread here: Blew a coolant line). Don't forget to buy the associated stainless steel clamps.
https://racebikebitzusa.com/samco-hoses

I really like Motul 7100 4T 10W40 oil for this motor.

That should get you started on a long and loving relationship with your new ride.

Click to expand...

Great info! I didnt know 2WP had that deal. Since we are all "quarantined" I was gonna try to swap the tires my self with some good ol' spoons. Still might if I get bored enough. I've done the oil and brake fluid already. I'll consider the lines brake lines and pads. Havent even looked at the coolant. I since I'm all torn down I might as well drain and get samco hoses. Did you get the port job done by carpenter or just the bolt ons?

busy_rydin said:

Great info! I didnt know 2WP had that deal. Since we are all "quarantined" I was gonna try to swap the tires my self with some good ol' spoons. Still might if I get bored enough. I've done the oil and brake fluid already. I'll consider the lines brake lines and pads. Havent even looked at the coolant. I since I'm all torn down I might as well drain and get samco hoses. Did you get the port job done by carpenter or just the bolt ons?

Click to expand...

Good luck with the spoons... that 240 is a bit*h to change even with professional equipment.
My only performance mods are a Ramair intake, Carpenter exhaust, and a TuneECU dyno tune in Seattle. Now that I live closer to Carpenter's shop though, I may be tempted into stepping things up a notch.