RocketDaryl
Top Fuel
I made my final cut today. After checking out / riding all of the contenders, I made my choice.
Eliminated:
Kawasaki Councours - Love the bike. It handles great and has tons of power. It's also very comfortable and has some cool features (electric windshield being my favorite). That said, I have this ground covered with my Tiger and actually prefer the riding position of the Tiger. I also love the triple; great engine.
Goldwing - The Cadilac of touring machines. But, man is it ever boring. Frankly, I'm afraid I'd end up curling up in the saddle and taking a nap. That ain't my idea of motorcycling at this point. Perhaps I'll change my view when I'm 60 (I'm 45).
Harley Davidson - I checked out a few models that were on my radar. The paint and chrome are in a class all their own. No one touches them in this department. The Yamaha Star line is as close as I've found, but they're not quite there. That said, I didn't like the ergos on any of the bikes I tried except the Heritage Softail Classic. I really like that model, but again, I really have no use for the bags, shield, etc... When I take a trip, I'll be taking my Tiger. I actually test rode a Dyna (Superglide Custom). That thing **** near vibrated my teeth out of my head sitting at lights. No thanks!
Thruxton - My heart is captured by the styling of this bike. Unfortunately, after a test ride, my soul was not. It's a fun little bike, has a bit of spunk and handles decent, but at the end of the day it just didn't have enough to make me want one (thank goodness for Triumph's demo ride policy).
Standard Rocket - I *really* like this beast. It's everything I like about my R3T and fixes the thing I don't like about my R3T (Ergos). I love the lower seat height, position of the bars and the location of the foot controls / pegs. They're absolutely perfect for me; not too far out to lose feel, but not knee cramping mid mounts either. The only thing I really don't like is the *really* firm suspension, but Triumph offers a softer set of springs so that wasn't a deal breaker for me. Handling (I know, plenty of you disagree; we've had that discussion) is also a bit lacking, but it's not a big deal. I would be perfectly content with that. Again, the Tiger has all the handling I need. Bottom line, I'd forgotten what a great bike the Standard is. I'd remembered riding one some time ago, but the only things that stood out in my memory bank from so far back were the negatives. Frankly, there aren't many and they're certainly outweighed, IMO, by the positives. Oh, and I LOVE having the speedo in a location that's actually viewable without doing chin-ups on my chest.
Yes, I came VERY close to buying an 09 Standard demo bike (demo, but with less than 25 miles). In fact, I was pretty well set to buy, but decided to take one more bike for a test ride to satisfy my curiosity and I'm very happy I did.
So, what did I end up choosing? I bought a Thunderbird. It's not the monster torque machine of the Rocket, but it ain't lacking. You can slow to 35 in 6th gear and twist the throttle and it'll lunge out of the gate with quite the gallop. The parallel twin is a different feel from the triples of the Tiger and Rocket. A Triple owner will likely feel the engine pulses of the firing in the grip at low RPMs. A Harley rider, however, will likely not. As you progress off the light to cruising mode, however, it's just as smooth as the Triples. Ergo wise, it's almost identical to the Standard in terms of foot placement and arm height, etc... The thing that sold me was the handling. This bike handles better than any cruiser I've been on. It's not far at all from some of the heavier sport touring bikes such as the Honda ST 1300. That's really impressive to me considering the bike doesn't have adjustable front suspension and only preload adjustable in the rear. The gearbox is smoother than any other Triumph I've owned or ridden. The negatives are the speedo and the seat. Yes, I (the person that gives you guys crap about your seat whining), deducting some points for the seat. It's a pretty **** hard seat, but we'll see how it breaks in. The speedo is a negative, but it's nothing I haven't lived with for almost 2 years on my R3T. In fact, I'd say my chin is much stronger now.
The dealer had 2 new units; one jet black and the other was blue with white stripe. Both of these bikes were the non ABS model. They also had an ABS model in silver with black stripe. Since my wife was so cool about me buying another bike (bought the Tiger back in May), I let her choose the color. She chose the black beauty. I was happy as that was my choice as well, although I liked the silver too.
I'm picking it up Saturday. They could've had ready this afternoon, but I would've had to drive back to my house, dropped my wife off (she can't drive due to multiple sclerosis) and got my daughter, or another ride, back to the dealer.
Anyhow, I'm real happy with my decision.
Happy New Year and Happy riding!
p.s. I'm relieved I didn't have to report to this group that I bought a Nomad 1700.
Eliminated:
Kawasaki Councours - Love the bike. It handles great and has tons of power. It's also very comfortable and has some cool features (electric windshield being my favorite). That said, I have this ground covered with my Tiger and actually prefer the riding position of the Tiger. I also love the triple; great engine.
Goldwing - The Cadilac of touring machines. But, man is it ever boring. Frankly, I'm afraid I'd end up curling up in the saddle and taking a nap. That ain't my idea of motorcycling at this point. Perhaps I'll change my view when I'm 60 (I'm 45).
Harley Davidson - I checked out a few models that were on my radar. The paint and chrome are in a class all their own. No one touches them in this department. The Yamaha Star line is as close as I've found, but they're not quite there. That said, I didn't like the ergos on any of the bikes I tried except the Heritage Softail Classic. I really like that model, but again, I really have no use for the bags, shield, etc... When I take a trip, I'll be taking my Tiger. I actually test rode a Dyna (Superglide Custom). That thing **** near vibrated my teeth out of my head sitting at lights. No thanks!
Thruxton - My heart is captured by the styling of this bike. Unfortunately, after a test ride, my soul was not. It's a fun little bike, has a bit of spunk and handles decent, but at the end of the day it just didn't have enough to make me want one (thank goodness for Triumph's demo ride policy).
Standard Rocket - I *really* like this beast. It's everything I like about my R3T and fixes the thing I don't like about my R3T (Ergos). I love the lower seat height, position of the bars and the location of the foot controls / pegs. They're absolutely perfect for me; not too far out to lose feel, but not knee cramping mid mounts either. The only thing I really don't like is the *really* firm suspension, but Triumph offers a softer set of springs so that wasn't a deal breaker for me. Handling (I know, plenty of you disagree; we've had that discussion) is also a bit lacking, but it's not a big deal. I would be perfectly content with that. Again, the Tiger has all the handling I need. Bottom line, I'd forgotten what a great bike the Standard is. I'd remembered riding one some time ago, but the only things that stood out in my memory bank from so far back were the negatives. Frankly, there aren't many and they're certainly outweighed, IMO, by the positives. Oh, and I LOVE having the speedo in a location that's actually viewable without doing chin-ups on my chest.
Yes, I came VERY close to buying an 09 Standard demo bike (demo, but with less than 25 miles). In fact, I was pretty well set to buy, but decided to take one more bike for a test ride to satisfy my curiosity and I'm very happy I did.
So, what did I end up choosing? I bought a Thunderbird. It's not the monster torque machine of the Rocket, but it ain't lacking. You can slow to 35 in 6th gear and twist the throttle and it'll lunge out of the gate with quite the gallop. The parallel twin is a different feel from the triples of the Tiger and Rocket. A Triple owner will likely feel the engine pulses of the firing in the grip at low RPMs. A Harley rider, however, will likely not. As you progress off the light to cruising mode, however, it's just as smooth as the Triples. Ergo wise, it's almost identical to the Standard in terms of foot placement and arm height, etc... The thing that sold me was the handling. This bike handles better than any cruiser I've been on. It's not far at all from some of the heavier sport touring bikes such as the Honda ST 1300. That's really impressive to me considering the bike doesn't have adjustable front suspension and only preload adjustable in the rear. The gearbox is smoother than any other Triumph I've owned or ridden. The negatives are the speedo and the seat. Yes, I (the person that gives you guys crap about your seat whining), deducting some points for the seat. It's a pretty **** hard seat, but we'll see how it breaks in. The speedo is a negative, but it's nothing I haven't lived with for almost 2 years on my R3T. In fact, I'd say my chin is much stronger now.
The dealer had 2 new units; one jet black and the other was blue with white stripe. Both of these bikes were the non ABS model. They also had an ABS model in silver with black stripe. Since my wife was so cool about me buying another bike (bought the Tiger back in May), I let her choose the color. She chose the black beauty. I was happy as that was my choice as well, although I liked the silver too.
I'm picking it up Saturday. They could've had ready this afternoon, but I would've had to drive back to my house, dropped my wife off (she can't drive due to multiple sclerosis) and got my daughter, or another ride, back to the dealer.
Anyhow, I'm real happy with my decision.
Happy New Year and Happy riding!
p.s. I'm relieved I didn't have to report to this group that I bought a Nomad 1700.
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