R III or Victory XC

[TxRIIIRider]

Great write up Yogi.. Are you from here in San Antonio?

I am a fan of both bikes, I've had my Rocket for quite a while, and still love it. I did have to experiment with shocks and seats to get it right for those long trips. The power is so addicting though. I think about switching every once in a while, but I have my Rocket dialed in just right, and with 63K+ miles, she runs awesome and shifts smooth too. Maintenance costs are a little high, especially tires ( I get about 10K out of a set), but the thrill arm-pulling accelleration is hard to replace. The Victory Cross bikes are very appealing as well and appear to come out of the box ready for those long trips and maintenaince costs are very low and the bikes are gorgeous. A jamming stereo would come in handy from time to time as well... lol If I were looking right now, it would be a tough choice!

 

[yogi1]

Nope not from SA, though I seem to be there a lot. I'm flying out again next week to work with some folks at Trinity University. I have friends in Houston and Bryan, so I tend to ride over once or twice a year from home which is now in Western NC.

As I said in my post, this is my 3rd Rocket, The '05 blew up (cam gear) Triumph replced it with an '06, then I had a desire to go the Sport Touring Route (ST1300) never could get used to not having the power of the R3, so when I saw the Roadster, and that they have fixed all of the issues, well that was it. The Vic is actually my wifes. She loves it. But I can say that I like to take it out for a run every now and then. Especially if I'm going to the store, I can get a weeks worth of groceries in the bags

 

[sandman1852]

Before i bought my rocket 3T i was ridding a 1500 nomad not bad average at best, a harley dresser b4 that again nothing to brag about, i was looking for something to equal my beloved valkyrie well i found it! the rocket! except alot better this monster fly's handeles and rides like a dream, it does everything i want to do.could not be happier i don't need all the dodads the harley had. so this bike fit my needs.this past summer a dealer was having test rides on the victory xc soooooo i said why not he told me were not to busy so take your time,i did not even a little impressed no power kinda tinney had to shift it to much imo it didn't handle well it did look good and had a nice seat other than that it wasen't my cup of tea. when i got back to the dealer he asked me what i thought so i told him he was not happy, then he said what do you ride? a rocket 3t i thought he was going cry.......oh well just my 2 cents..........sandman

 

[xhdskip]

typical story Sandman.
i took my Rocket to the harley dealer for a test ride on their newest models.
Parked out front like always,
they seen me come through the door,
asked what I wanted because I was wearing a Triumph T-shirt, belt buckle, bandana,,,
told em I wanted a test ride their new lineup.....
they asked "WHY"?
i thought about that for about half a second and said,
"Ya know, you're right",,,,,
Walked back outside, scooted my way through the 8 or so people
looking at my car tire and bike, climbed on, fired her up,
and left a black mark right in front of their door (again)..
Wheelied down the road and had a nice ride after that with a huge grin on my face....

 

[CanberraR3]

typical story Sandman.
i took my Rocket to the harley dealer for a test ride on their newest models.
Parked out front like always,
they seen me come through the door,
asked what I wanted because I was wearing a Triumph T-shirt, belt buckle, bandana,,,
told em I wanted a test ride their new lineup.....
they asked "WHY"?
i thought about that for about half a second and said,
"Ya know, you're right",,,,,
Walked back outside, scooted my way through the 8 or so people
looking at my car tire and bike, climbed on, fired her up,
and left a black mark right in front of their door (again)..
Wheelied down the road and had a nice ride after that with a huge grin on my face....

Hanso, is this really you???

 

[CTCruiser]

LMAO! Bro realy, what kind of replys did you expect on this board

The truth is both bikes have there pro's and con's The Victory is definatly more feature rich and has more creature comforts standard.It also has a much greater after mkt following.

Wile the r3t has a real motor but takes more of a bear bones aproche.And almost no after mkt support.

It realy depends on what you need in new ride' figure that out then go for it.

 

[rocketbill]

xhdskip, Love it, thats awesome. Sick of Harley riders thinking they have the ultimate bike, yea right! When Harley makes something with tons of power at a reasonable price i'll think about it.

 

[xhdskip]

same ole song and dance at the harley dealers ain't it Bill?
They "think" they've got something everybody wants,
and truth be told alot of folks do I suppose,
Lord knows there's plenty of them around.
That's one of the nice things about having a Rocket or two in the shed,
they're different, and a better value, not to mention a better bike.
So I'm happy just having mine, and everybody else can be happy
with their expensive underpowered harleys.

 

[Big Marty]

Mate after reading the whole thread I can only ask two questions.

1. Have you ridden both bikes?

2. What's the problem?

Every one who rides a rocket, first is overwhelmed just by the power and torque you get instantly at your request with a twist of the throttle. After the initial shock and ore when you first crank the rocket into life, you get that silly little grin we all share. It's not rocket science mate it's a rocket on two wheels and there's nothing better.