Now owing Rocket 3, how do you tolerate other bikes? What would your next bike be?

[Steff]

I have one. It's my favorite hop and go bike in the garage. The low low seat and easy steering are a real asset. When I bought it the engine was very punchy down low so I put a booster plug in to add some fuel above idle and that cured the engine jerks at take-off. It has limited cornering clearance so scraping the 'bank angle' feelers happens sooner than you want. Power is good if not overwhelming. The suspension is total crap. Non adjustable rear shock and under-sprung forks make for a jarring jolting, spine crushing ride until you upgrade it. I went with an Ohlins TR-729 rear shock and Matris full emulators with 10NM/MM springs in the front. Cured the harsh ride and now plush as the Rocket with lots of preload dialed up on the rear shock. There's only 3 inches of swingarm travel so the less static sag the better. The Vance and Hines exhaust makes a beautiful note especially when honking hard on the fun grip. Forward controls were a must because the mids were wadding my blubber buns too much. Had them powder coated before installation because I wanted to keep the blackout look. The wind pressure on my chest made my arms tired at highway speed so a Dart fly screen solved that and the custom Tom Hurley seat completed the comfort upgrade and now it's a day long pleasure to ride:

Very nice. I can imagine butt stress on longer journeys, or not? Definitely my next bike. I said this Rocket would be my last bike, but I can't stop that itch. Anyway, what else am I supposed to do, crawl under a rock and fade away?

 

[509GT]

Picked up from.the dealer about 5 weeks ago. I have sold off all 15 of my other bikes and am down to the 25 Rocket and 24' ZX14R