Seeking opinions on touring "upgrades"

ksquared said:

One additional thing. Your R3T will come standard with Metzeler 880 tires. As soon as those are shot (or sooner, as far as I'm concerned), I'd install a set of Avon Cobras, which I believe are the single best upgrade you can make to the R3T.

I am a complete convert to the Avon Cobras on my Touring. I will never forget the first time I switched over from the Metz 880's to the Cobras. I felt like Valentino Rossi! Immediately I picked up several degrees of highly stable and controllable lean angle. The ride was seriously improved; it felt like the tires had become an active partner of the suspension; harshness decreased and stability increased - and markedly so.

As for some reports of "skittishness" in the rain; I haven't noticed this. Down here in Fla. we've been known to have some pretty significant rain pop up and my Cobras have handled this rain with aplomb. Of course, I recognize the power differential between my Touring and a standard R3, so this might not translate over very well.

I got 9K on my current set and they're weren't showing much, if any, wear. They would have been good for qt least 12K, if I hadn't picked up a nail in the sidewall of the rear tire. Since I ALWAYS replace tires in pairs, I immediately replaced them with another set of Cobras.

I run 40/40 cold.

All things considered - I think the Cobras are the absolute BEST tires you can run on the Touring and the single best upgrade you can make to the bike.

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Have you ever considered or tried a Dunlop Elite 3?
If I had a motor with an 180X16 I'd sure be running it.

My 2012 R3R is my touring bike. After a rocky start with Corbin, I really like the bags and they look good with the lines of the bike, but they are expensive!
I also had trouble with the stock potato chip seat - sliding forward was annoying and I did not like how wide it was. At 5'10" I could not flat foot at a stop. I could not find a aftermarket seat that accomplished what I wanted which was lowered, narrowed and more defined (I bought the Maverick seat, returned it, then had to dispute the charge on my card to get my money back). Then I discovered Mean City Cycles here in NC and he did exactly what I wanted, lowered, narrowed more defined, with memory foam for a very reasonable price, and it is now a comfy seat and I can stand up out of the seat at a stop.
I have the Triumph heated grips and so far they work great and I like the feel of the grip better than the stock grip.
After a few adjustments the Triumph windscreen, designed to fit the dual headlights, looks and works good - I would not say great because I can not seem to get it set such that I can eliminate buffeting at my helmet.
Having had an accident I'm all about being seen so I added a Custom Dynamics license plate frame with an extra brake light and turn signals. I also added the Rivco turn signal mirrors which have a turn signal both front and back. The biggest benefit of those for me is that it helps me remember to turn off the signal since Triumph did not see fit to have self canceling turn signals.
The stock bar set up was just a slightly too long reach for me so I added the Rivco risers which made touring much more comfortable for me.
And the luggage rack and backrest so I can attach a large touring bag...

I have not altered the stock exhaust - maybe I am getting older, and hopefully wiser - but on all previous bikes I changed the exhaust. I always told anyone who asked that it was to make the bike more efficient and pick up some added power, which was in part true, but it was also to add a little noise. One bike that I set up for touring I added an afterburner exhaust - it was freakin' LOUD. At the end of a long day my ears were ringing, and my hearing was muffled. This would last a day or two afterwards. The R3R is the first bike I've ever owned that I did not change the exhaust. I find I no longer want it louder and it certainly has enough power as is.

This is the best touring bike - ever!

Tracker557 said:

Hi All,

I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for your input on this thread. I picked up my 2014 R3T on Saturday and had it out for it's first ride today (the first day since that the temps broke 32 degrees).

I enjoyed the ride very much finding it powerful yet nimble and light. I'm looking forward to adding a full fairing. I have a bad neck so getting the wind over my face allows me to enjoy much longer days on the bike. Also on the short list will be slip on exhaust, K&N filter, tuning, and a seat with backrest.

I'll be looking forward to changing the exhaust note. To the chagrin of many, I like my bikes LOUD. Wish they made that Carpenter Racing exhaust for the Touring model.

Thanks again everyone!

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FYI I am working on a different exhaust set up for the touring. I have a initial setup on my 09T with retune and now on the dark side. What a difference. Heading to RAA X will see how feedback goes.

Here is our exhaust system.