New Rocket III

Greetings ... I'm picking up a 2007 Classic Tourer from an Atlanta dealer on Tuesday, 5/15/07. I am a little concerned about a couple of issues with the ride, as I am selling a Suzuki 1500 LC and a Honda Valkyrie to cover the cost of this bike.

First concern: when I test road the Rocket III last week I shifted into first, the neutral light went out, yet the transmission remained in neutral. I found the neutral light five times before fiirst gear engaged, but thereafter it always went into first from neutral. The sales rep stated that it probably needed an oil change ... hmmmm.

Next, I asked for pricing for extending the warranty from two years to five and also inquired about a service plan. The reply was $4,200 for both. Now I realize Triumph needs to make a profit, but I just purchased a 2007 Toyota Highlander ... I extended the factory warranty to five years for $585, and purchased a full maintenance program for the five years for an additional $100 per year through the dealer ... that Highlander with options came to over $28K .... this bike, including taxes, etc., comes in at around $17K .... any comments?

Has anyone out there any comments about this bikes reliability? Any indemic flaws? I'm really concerned as the sales rep stated that I should purchase the extended warranty and service plan, as any work on the motor requires that the same be removed from the frame as it is a stress member.

Otherwise, this bike is a beast ... although the stock saddle isn't the best.

Welcome aboard the Rocket ship!

Yes, the tranny caused me problems at first. It may even slip out of first a couple of times on you, which is really shameful! The tranny was good to go after a grand of miles. I guess I've gotten used to shifting it although I still laugh at some of the dyno guys who have a hell of a time shifting it.

The warranty & service price I can't comment on although I've heard a 5-year warranty will run about a grand if I bought it through Triumph.

Yes, the stock seat sucks as do most stock seats. I changed out my seat within 2 months of purchasing the bike! I got a Bill Mayer custom seat and absolutely love it.

Do yourself a favor and take a few hours to read the pages in this forum. There's some great info out there!

I also traded my 1500 LC (and a few greenbacks) for the rocket and and have never looked back, you'll love the handling and performance. the trany thing goes away, mine somewhere between 1000 and 1500 miles, However the grin hangs on forever . welcome aboard:bch:

Run, don't walk to another dealer

Congratulations on going for the "beast" of the cruisers. As mentioned the shift from nuetral to first should smooth out, my Kawasaki Vulcan 1500, sometimes did the same thing.

About this dealer, it sounds like you may have gotten a great deal, possibly, on the price and the salesman is trying to make up for it on warranties. The prices quoted you are pure out and out, unadulterated BS, pardon my french. As mentioned the warranties that are available (and there are not many) do not cost that much, a lot, but not that much.

The comment about the oil change is really strange. Is this a brand new 2007, or a, could it be, a previously owned Rocket? If it is new, you need to do the 500 or so miles on it and get the first service which includes the oil change (which is a synthetic oil, I am thinking that the original oil in it is not???). After that the next service is at 10,000 miles which includes the next oil change (remember we are talking synthetic oil here it can go longer than "normal" dino oil).

In case the salesman didn't tell you the Rocket comes with a 2 year, unlimited mileage warranty. Because of his "pushing" these extended plans on you and his questionable comment "maybe it needs an oil change (if it is, in fact, new), I wouldn't feel comfortable doing business at this dealer.

As also been previously mentioned, go thru the different topics on this forum, there is a lot of info here that may save you a lot of pain and grief.
Good luck and enjoy the Rocket from whatever dealer you ultimately buy it from.
Dennis
1 dtg!

Out Of Warranty

DG....... Here's my two cents and by the way welcome to the site and Captain status!

My 2005 just went out of the 2 year warranty about 3 weeks ago. Except for getting the fuel sending unit replaced, I've.......knock on wood......haven't had any problems or complaints. Several people have had certain issues with their ride but I do believe that the majority have had a pretty easy go of it so far.

As to the price of an extended warranty...... I don't have a clue. I'm betting that, at least in my case, I've got a good one and with proper maintenance and care it should serve my purpose just fine. I wish you the best and hope you will find the answers you need either here or from fellow riders you meet.

Hey DG, great decision on saving some money on the best machine in many minds on this site. The famous 1st gear is the bane of every new owner and will work its way out with use. Mine is silky smooth. The major issue I have is rubber on the rear. I got a respectable 9600 on the 1st tire with only one flat at 5000mi. Still learning to hang on I didn't push it much. 2nd tire got 7200 with 4 flats. So now with new tires front and back we shall see what happens. Oh I did manage my 1st ticket yesterday after 11mo. of ownership. I just don't see the SOB's, no harm intended to those of you who uphold the law and all....

Baggage1

What am I to do with you? How am I supposed to maintain a leisurely 70 mph pace to Nashville when all you are going to do is show off?
Dennis
Zero hour is here!

Check the Freeplay

Back to the main issue at hand, check the freeplay adjustment in the clutch, it should be about 3mm if memory serves me. The dealers normally use the least qualified mechanics in the shop for new bike prep and an out of spec clutch cable can cause the bike to not fully engage gear, mine did it until I checked the adjustment. It was used with 6700 miles showing on the clock. Worth a look anyway.

Oh yeah, welcome to the family, the new guy gets to clean the toilets.

Welcome.....we are all a little crazy....

CADFather said:

Oh yeah, welcome to the family, the new guy gets to clean the toilets.

Click to expand...

Yes, welcome to the Captain's forum. By the way, contrary to CADFather's statement, we don't clean toilets. Forum members here all have 2 holers. You just have to worry about splinters.

Your tranny balkiness will disappear pretty fast. A lot of us still have a little problem with first and the way to engage it is to float the clutch a little while engaging the shift lever into first. It will snick right in and you'll feel it. You don't need no extended warranty. When it pukes, get another one. It's the American way.

By the way, 'ride it like you stole it'

Welcome. If you are truely interested in an extended warranty I would shop around and buy one from somewhere else. The service plan is probably not neccessary. I don't know how many miles you plan on riding but if you put 20,000 miles on in two years that would be three services including the break-in oil change. An extended warranty shouldn't be over $1200.

As far as the tranny, they are notchy at first. It takes a little bit for both the rider and bike to get broken in. Sometimes when new it will feel like it is in first but will slip out. That improves with time. Just give it a solid click into first and let the clutch out a little to make sure it is engaged, if not roll backward or forward then engage it. An oil change will help by changing the break-in oil for synthetic. Though Triumph recommends the next oil change at 10,000 miles, I split the difference at did one at 5,000 miles. It helped keep the tranny smooth.

My bike has been rock solid, these engines aren't high reving and don't have to be stressed to produce lots of torque so you should get many trouble-free miles.