Seeking opinions on touring "upgrades"

[Jag]

Hurry up and buy one before they stop making them and all the Triumph accessories that go with them. Half of the accessories already discontinued and they still make the bike!!!

 

[Bedifferent]

Hi all and thanks in advance for providing your input and helping me out.

I am in the process of selecting a bagger because I'm engaging in longer rides than I have in the past and my back isn't what it used to be. I'm currently riding a Honda VTX1800c and don't want to give up performance for comfort. I'm left with the decision to go with a R3 Touring and installing some aftermarket enhancements for comfort or a Victory Cross Country and installing some aftermarket enhancements for performance increases.

I'm leaning toward the Triumph, otherwise, I wouldn't be here.

Can anyone provide some input regarding these aftermarket add ons?

I'm looking to add a full fairing like this one: http://www.tsukayu.com/QuickDetachableFairing.html
How does this effect the handling of the bike at highway speed and low speed? Does the added weight to the front end make it more unwieldy?

I'm looking at several model years (2012 - 2014), any major differences besides ABS? How's the breaking on models without ABS?

There don't appear to be a lot of options for electronic cruise control other than this: http://www.mccruise.com/products/39 and that's a little steep. Any other options out there? can anyone comment on this product?

In the grand scheme of accessories, heated grips are pretty cheap: http://www.pure-triumph.com/p-1966-triumph-rocket-iii-touring-heated-grip-kit-a9638027.aspx You guys like these?

I realize that this is a monster bike that weighs in around a half ton loaded. Would anyone like to comment on how their transition went when moving from a bike that's a little lighter? My current ride comes in around 800 pounds wet.

Finally, I realize that folks on this forum LOVE their Triumphs. In terms of creature comforts and long distance riding, anyone have any regrets? Do you feel that the comfort of the R3 is comparable to other baggers / touring bikes?

Thanks again for your input!

I would say Ditto to what you have read here. I just bought my R3T towards the end of the summer so I don't have a lot of ride time on it yet. No ABS on mine and I agree it is pretty easy to lock up the rear wheel. Now that I know that, I'll be able to manage a panic stop better. I've only had ABS on one bike and I've managed for years without it. Not a deal breaker. My bike is pretty much stock as it is still under warranty. With that said, I can't complain as you won't have to take the back seat to most any cruiser. I put a taller windscreen on it, but I also put a Corbin Fairing on it. I wrote a review on the fairing and posted it here on the forum. I don't believe it affects the handling of the bike but I haven't opened the bike up with the fairing on. As for cruise, I'm going to use the BrakeAway throttle lock. I keep my hand on the tiller anyway, so all I really need is a way to give my hand a break if I want it. I had one on my Valkyrie and it worked great. Just have to do subtle tweeks going down the highway and it release instantly if you go for the front brake lever. Top speed 117 actual....speedo is fast by about 7 MPH at that speed. 34-36 mpg on regular gas. Close to 200 miles on a tank. I like the bike and the ride is pretty smooth. I like mine and I think you will do the same.

 

[Tracker557]

Thank you all again for the input and guidance! I've come to the conclusion that I'll likely be purchasing a R3T and up-fitting some some stuff to dress it up a little (i.e. fairing). It's got the power I'm looking for right out of the box with very little tweaking. By the time I finish motor mods on a Victory that would even put it close to a R3T (i.e. bore / stroke kit and all the stuff that goes with it) I would be concerned with motor reliability, premature or catastrophic failure.... not to mention that the motor work would certainly void any warranty.

Since I wrench my ow bikes and this is my first Triumph, it looks like I'll be around the forum a lot more figuring out how stuff works on these monsters.

Thanks again for all the comments.

I hope Elvis is right and there's a full dresser in the works. I'm curious to see what it would look like. Seems like it could be a significant departure from current Triumph designs.

 

[cr0ft]

Since I wrench my ow bikes and this is my first Triumph, it looks like I'll be around the forum a lot more figuring out how stuff works on these monsters.

There's a huge amount of distilled knowledge here to be had via the search function. It's the first stop when you need to know something, search for information here. There's also other R3 boards that have even more stuff that people have learned along the way.

 

[cr0ft]

It will either be the R3 or the Thunderbird. I am hoping for the R3

That would be awesome, but I'm a little worried that they think the Thunderbird is what they'll go with. The latest bike show I went to locally only had one R3 and it was number 007 of the Rocket X. There was no normal one and no Touring. Both Thunderbirds were on display though... Let's face it, the thing that makes our bikes awesome, the engine, is a real problem to shoe-horn into any design and it looks pretty unique. It's hard to argue against that the Thunderbird motor looks better and is far easier and more traditional to design around.

But time will tell.

 

[Tracker557]

Hurry up and buy one before they stop making them and all the Triumph accessories that go with them. Half of the accessories already discontinued and they still make the bike!!!

LOL! wouldn't be the first bike I've ridden that was discontinued. Honda stopped making the VTX 1800 that I'm ridding after just 6 years of production. That was their mistake as far as I'm concerned.

 

[jake shaw]

LOL! wouldn't be the first bike I've ridden that was discontinued. Honda stopped making the VTX 1800 that I'm ridding after just 6 years of production. That was their mistake as far as I'm concerned.

I owned a VTX 1800S before my first Rocket 05. The VTX is a great bike but does not come close to the Rock. I now own a 14 Touring with Tsusaku fairing and HD trunk. No adverse effects with the handling. The weight on the touring feels significantly more than the standard so park wisely. Tune ECU and slip-ons give a good increase in power. I also put on a seat with driver backrest

 

[Bedifferent]

I owned a VTX 1800S before my first Rocket 05. The VTX is a great bike but does not come close to the Rock. I now own a 14 Touring with Tsusaku fairing and HD trunk. No adverse effects with the handling. The weight on the touring feels significantly more than the standard so park wisely. Tune ECU and slip-ons give a good increase in power. I also put on a seat with driver backrest

You make me laugh Jake Shaw, Park Wisely! I learned that real quick. Sharp looking ride!

 

[Blackthou]

Have you ridden either the Roadster or Touring? If not see which one appeals most.

Whichever R3 you choose, you'll find there's no substitute for the torque. The fuel gauge distance to go is a useful feature IMO.

Happy hunting

 

[Elvis]

LOL! wouldn't be the first bike I've ridden that was discontinued. Honda stopped making the VTX 1800 that I'm ridding after just 6 years of production. That was their mistake as far as I'm concerned.

I used to ride Valkyries, so I know what you mean. I probably would have never bought one of these if those platforms were still out there