On to my fourth R3T

[El Toro Rosso]

Several of us have the McCruise cruise control from Australia -- with the R3's abundance of torque the cruise control is "effortless".

And the kit has been recently upgraded to their electric servo (a more compact and straightforward installation).

Install that and you can have your cake and eat it too.

I've thought about McCruise and maybe I'll go that route. I had been hoping that Triumph would add cruise for 2017, but they have not.
The 2015 isn't materially any different than the 2017, so rather than wait for the 2017, I jumped on a leftover. Between Triumph's rebate money and the dealer's upcoming end of year inventory tax, plus continuing floor plan costs on a 2015 model, the deal was pretty sharp.

So ... I may look further into McCruise. I've been considering them for about 6 years.

Thanks for the tip on the updating of their kit. The original kit was not for the faint of heart.

 

[Joesmoe]

You don't say where you are. It would help to be a little more specific than "USA". If you were anywhere near several of us scattered around the country, I'm sure you'd have help. I would do it.

 

[El Toro Rosso]

You don't say where you are. It would help to be a little more specific than "USA". If you were anywhere near several of us scattered around the country, I'm sure you'd have help. I would do it.

I'm OK. 2017 will be my 50th year on two wheels on public roads. I've been a wrench wrestler for longer than that.

When I say that the original kit was not for the faint of heart, I'm thinking about the "roachification" potential of such an aftermarket kit.

When I worked in a dealership (I left over 43 years ago, and yes we did have Triumph, along with Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Bultaco, Hodaka ...), we would cringe when we would see bikes with such farkling (unknown word at the time).

I still cringe.

But that's just me.

I appreciate the offer of help.

 

[Joesmoe]

You may be old enough to remember Haynes manuals. I had three Jaguar E-Types -- two Series 2 (the six cylinder) and a Series 3 (the V-12), and those manuals with their photos of actual cars, with the gotcha steps you'd never find in a factory manual, were what kept those cars running for me, when dealers had long since abandoned them.

Similarly, the two brothers who are McCruise come out the Australian aviation industry with a similar penchant for documenting their kits, complete with helpful photos based on an actual bike for that specific kit.

So while there is a substantial job given all the connections, it is fairly straightforward requiring no special tools, and in the event one needs it, they offer telephone help -- one of the brothers not some clueless staff.

Just sayin . . .

And you made an excellent choice on the left over model -- timing is everything and while I'm a bit envious, I would not have given up the two years of riding I've had so far.

 

[El Toro Rosso]

You may be old enough to remember Haynes manuals. I had three Jaguar E-Types -- two Series 2 (the six cylinder) and a Series 3 (the V-12), and those manuals with their photos of actual cars, with the gotcha steps you'd never find in a factory manual, were what kept those cars running for me, when dealers had long since abandoned them.

Similarly, the two brothers who are McCruise come out the Australian aviation industry with a similar penchant for documenting their kits, complete with helpful photos based on an actual bike for that specific kit.

So while there is a substantial job given all the connections, it is fairly straightforward requiring no special tools, and in the event one needs it, they offer telephone help -- one of the brothers not some clueless staff.

Just sayin . . .

And you made an excellent choice on the left over model -- timing is everything and while I'm a bit envious, I would not have given up the two years of riding I've had so far.

I do remember Haynes manuals and owned many of them. Also for American cars I always had the hard bound Motors Manual.

I suppose because I came up through a dealership, and have cultivated good relationships with many in the industry, I am more inclined to buy (and use) the factory service manual.

A nice thing about the Rocket III Touring is that after the first few hundred, they've all been pretty much the same. There was that difference in the bottom case, and there was that Bridgestone Excedra fiasco. But that's about it.

I will look into McCruise. But what I am more likely to do is ride the Vaquero when I want cruise. And when Triumph finally adds cruise to the R3T, I'll trade the 2015 R3T AND the Vaquero to get the new one. If it's 2018, that would probably be close to a 0 dollar swap. If it takes more years, I may have to add some cash to the deal, but that can come from reduced maintenance and insurance costs of reducing the motorcycle count by 1.

I don't like to focus on what the Rocket doesn't have. I like to focus on what it has ... and for me, that's always been a visceral thrill compared to other hard baggers.

I really do love the Rocket. I did not have seller's remorse when I sold the 2014. But when the end of season deal came along on the 2015, I was just hooked. The bike played me for two months, and as the price dropped, every dollar drop was another step closer to my final cave in.

I do not have buyer's remorse now either. The R3T is just meant to hold a spot in my garage. There's nothing I can do about it. Except enjoy the ride.

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

The eight hundred bucks I spent on the McCruise cruise control was the best investment I made on that bike. It works flawlessly, like a cruise control in a brand new car. The bike is a great long distance cruiser with that addition. Many times I've taken the Rocket over my Boss Hoss just because it has the cruise control. My Boss Hoss has the gizmo that clips onto the throttle and you rest your wrist on it. Its cheap and it woks ok but no comparison to the real deal. Triumph should have the cruise standard on the touring mode or at least an option but it is what it is. I have three bikes in my garage, they total nineteen cylinders.

 

[El Toro Rosso]

FWIW, after buying the 2015 R3T, the Vaquero languished in the garage without any of its magnetism left. Even it's factory cruise control was not enough to save it.

So .... on the last business day of the year, my dealer really sharpened his pencil, and the Vaquero got turned into a leftover 2015 Tiger Explorer.

I love the TEx. Both the new R3T and TEx are now broken in, and the ZX14R and 100th Anniversary T100 are competing for ride time.

The TEx is the bike that I had hoped my R1200GS would be, but wasn't. And it has Triumph factory cruise control.

Triumph appears to be putting cruise control on their ride by wire bikes. So until the R3 gets that upgrade, factory cruise isn't likely.

 

[Frosty Rider]

wow thats pricy, but i can see the value in it, i love having the cruise control on my goldwing, makes those long stretches easier to deal with, but i think i'll stick to the brake away throttle lock for now in the triumph, it seems to work pretty good as well

 

[El Toro Rosso]

wow thats pricy, but i can see the value in it, i love having the cruise control on my goldwing, makes those long stretches easier to deal with, but i think i'll stick to the brake away throttle lock for now in the triumph, it seems to work pretty good as well

I'm actually happier with the throttle on the 2015 R3T than I was with 2014 throttle. It seems less fatiguing.

I've had four R3Ts, four FJR AEs, three BMW K1300Ss, and a pair of modern Bonnevilles. Something I've noted in all of these duplicate bike cases is that every sample is different, within model years, and from model year to model year for the same nominally unchanged bike. My experience is that formal magazine reviews are often not as useful as they might at first appear since YMMV.... that's what I've found.

Regarding the price issues, I had bought the Vaquero as a 2016 end of year blow out in October for short money, and when I traded for the 2015 TEx, it was for very short money .... so the deal was pretty much a wash, and I ended up paying what amounts to a "doc fee."

The TEx is a much better compliment to the other bikes that are currently here. These four are distinctly different.

I did tell my wife that I would not put new cash into bike trading for two years, but that doesn't mean that I'd not be willing to do further sales or trades to make changes, as long as the "new cash" is in the chump change level (say less than $500).

The cruise control on the TEx is better than the cruise control on either the Vaquero or the K1600GTL that I owned. Neither of those bikes lasted very long here.

I was thinking about it last night, and of the couple/three dozen bikes I've owned, there were only a handful that I did not enjoy.

The worst of the clunkers was the Suzuki Burgman 650, which may not even qualify as a real bike. It had small wheels, and a very poor suspension. On twisty roads with washboard surfaces, it would pogo stick in the corners.

The next worse was the Moto Guzzi Norge, mostly because of it's poor build quality in its first year. There were so many foolish and poorly thought out design and manufacturing issues with that bike, that even the ghost of Giuseppe Guzzi couldn't make it worthy of long term ownership.

Then there were the two serious BMW disappointments, among seven BMWs owned. The two I disliked enough to shoo out of the stable in less than a year were the 2009 R1200GS and the 2012 K1600GTL. Both were bought new. Both were traded away mid season.

Even the Vaquero does not make the serious clunker list. It was my first introduction to V-Twin Cruiser world, and it was enlightening. My take away lesson was that the R3T is NOT typical of V-Twin cruisers at all. The R3T takes the whole cruiser game to another level. All of the amenities packed into the Vaquero, from cruise control to hot rod instrument panel and radio, were not a fair tradeoff against the immense torque of the Rocket.

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

I have had many cruisers, 2, 3, 4, and 8 cylinder bikes. The Rocket RT3 is better than anything as an all around long haul cruiser. Great power, very good handling, very comfortable, very good gas mileage, excellent brakes, passenger friendly, good lights, decent storage, and great reliability. I still have some other bikes and I like them a lot but the RT3 is a keeper.