It is time to move on from my anemic cruisers, so a Rocket is in order. I have been scouring information on this website for the past two weeks trying to decide the right rocket year and model to buy. Time to ask for insight.
First - upon purchase the bike it is immediately going to Carpenter for a 240 kit. I spoke with Bob at length last week.
My questions are:
Transmissions - Are there years to specifically avoid or rather are there years where the trannys are more robust?
Year models – Bob indicated he did not know if he has a solution for 2013 and newer bikes regarding raising the rev limiter past 8K. Does it matter given the horse power curve decline beyond 8K? I see several threads where early years had a few issues compared to later models- anything substantial to be concerned with?
This will be my “touring” bike, so comfort is most important for me on this platform. Touring for me is long weekends, so less than 1,000 miles. The issue – it is not possible to find a Classic, Roadster, and/or Touring model near Daytona Beach, so I have to drive quite a ways to test ride each model and in different directions (not many for sale here in Florida). Does the touring model with the “narrow” tire appreciate the additional HP? Handling is all relative (compared to my other bikes), so how do the classic, roadster, and touring model compare. My impulse is to just buy the touring model, but I have no way of knowing if the classic or roadster are better for me (I know – go ride each).
Lastly, why would one want the Carpenter classic exhaust rather than the side winder.
Sorry for the numerus questions, but it is never easy when seeking out something unique….
Thanks,
Patrick