Shopping For Touring Model

[RockOn]

Still shopping for a Touring model to keep my '06 Classic company. Any thoughts about model years to avoid, if any? Are there any significant differences between the Touring model years? They run from, what, 2008 to 2018? Fair ballpark price range for the older ones, let's say 2008 to 2012?

Thanks Gents,.....you too Gals,

VR

 

[Bob R]

If you want ABS you will probably need to look at 2013 and later and even then they may or may not have the ABS. As far as anything else they are pretty much identical through the years.

bob

 

[RockOn]

If you want ABS you will probably need to look at 2013 and later and even then they may or may not have the ABS. As far as anything else they are pretty much identical through the years.

bob

Well, that may be good news because I am not afraid of non-ABS bikes considering they are the only kind of bike I've owned and ridden over the past 100K miles on motorcycles. Seems to me it can be a big hassle with fluid changes, repairs, etc., if they are anything like ABS on Harleys. I don't ride in snow, rain, sleet, sand, pig do-do or other slick surfaces .....so, probably not an issue for me. Thanks.

 

[Joesmoe]

Still would steer you ABS. I remember the first time I went on a group ride in the hills of western North Carolina. Bike was still new to me, and had my lovely spouse on pillion. The group headed up the side of a mountain and then down the other side on a lower quality paved road - no shoulders, no markings, loose stones -- there was a long, steep down slope with a sharp turn at the end. That first time the ABS activated on those loose stones and man was I a believer.

Officially, Tourings ran 2008 - 2015, so that pretty much puts you in 2013 - 2015. While they are limited, nevertheless, they come on the market with some regularity, and most have not been ridden that much -- the buyer having purchased it for the idea of what they might do.

 

[Chip]

The Touring I have as my picture is the R3T. Love it. I got it in 2011 with 4,000 miles. I dressed it out, made the changes I wanted to. Now it has 64,000 miles and runs just great. I bought a second bike, a 2015. It was used with 2,400 miles. I ride it, but I still prefer the 08. Not a big difference, Just like the bling. Oh yes, H.D. Riders still try, but always come up short. Keep looking, any R3T will make you happy and smiling.

 

[Tripps]

I have a 2010, rear brake locks up really easily, I'd also recommend ABS. Might sell my 2010 later this year, 240 hp Carpenter package, I think Kevin lost interest in our trade. I've had it 11 years, and truthfully I'm not really a cruiser guy, more a sport or sport touring guy.

 

[RockOn]

The Touring I have as my picture is the R3T. Love it. I got it in 2011 with 4,000 miles. I dressed it out, made the changes I wanted to. Now it has 64,000 miles and runs just great. I bought a second bike, a 2015. It was used with 2,400 miles. I ride it, but I still prefer the 08. Not a big difference, Just like the bling. Oh yes, H.D. Riders still try, but always come up short. Keep looking, any R3T will make you happy and smiling.

OP here, how time flies. I see I started this thread over a year ago and failed to come back here to mention that I found my dream bike not long after that. It is a 2008, black with every bell and whistle and accessory available when originally sold. I had it shipped nearly 3000 miles from West Virginia to me in southern California. It was a very long wait taking Haulbikes truck(s) nearly 4 weeks to zig zag across the country. It arrived dusty but unscathed with 32K on the clock. I've only put a few thousand miles on it so far because I need to spread my riding time across two other bikes, an '06 R3 Classic and an '09 Harley Ultra. They get cranky if I don't give them equal riding time.

Anyway, enjoy this bike very much and how it handles. The previous owner had RamAir and D & D exhausts installed and dyno-tuned to it's full potential. It sucks gas down like it was free so I carry a pair of one liter gas bottles thanks to a couple close calls with nearly running out of petrol. I have added FOBO tire pressure gadgets to the wheels, an airhorn, and Ken's(Decosse)keyless ignition plus a tall Clearview windshield to replace the stock shield. If I can find them I will post some pictures and a short YouTube video that was done by the dealership that originally sold the bike.

 

[RockOn]

By the way, in addition to being awesomely fast and handling great, I get something else with this bike that none of my other bikes have gotten over the years. .....ATTENTION. People don't leave me alone at gas stations and rest stops. "Wow, what is that?" "Does that have 6 cylinders?" "Beautiful!"

I found the YouTube video about my bike:

The video was done by a dealership in Virginia where the second owner bought it. I am owner #3. I need to mention the previous owner gave me the best motorcycle buying experience I have ever had or will ever hope to have. I wish I could tell you more about him because he is the kind of person we all would be grateful to have as a friend. But in the interests of his privacy I won't say more accept to say he spared no time or effort to make this very long distance deal go as smoothly as possible. We continue to correspond via text messages and have developed a long distance friendship where we can talk about our friends and family and other interests beyond motorcycles. By the way, he replaced the Rocket with something equally fast, or faster, a new BMW K1600 GTL.

 

[Bigjaype]

Well, that may be good news because I am not afraid of non-ABS bikes considering they are the only kind of bike I've owned and ridden over the past 100K miles on motorcycles. Seems to me it can be a big hassle with fluid changes, repairs, etc., if they are anything like ABS on Harleys. I don't ride in snow, rain, sleet, sand, pig do-do or other slick surfaces .....so, probably not an issue for me. Thanks.

If I ever bought a rocket again, definitely would only get an ABS model. Especially the touring…when you’re touring and you have two riders and a whole lot of crap plus the weight of the bike…you need all the braking assistance you can get.
I had quite a few pucker moments on my 06 with once putting it down during emergency braking. If it had ABS, wouldn’t have happened.

 

[Azisbest]

Well, that may be good news because I am not afraid of non-ABS bikes considering they are the only kind of bike I've owned and ridden over the past 100K miles on motorcycles. Seems to me it can be a big hassle with fluid changes, repairs, etc., if they are anything like ABS on Harleys. I don't ride in snow, rain, sleet, sand, pig do-do or other slick surfaces .....so, probably not an issue for me. Thanks.

I am not ashamed to admit that ABS has saved my bacon. I am convinced that even sedate riders could benefit from ABS.