Teach me things

funseeker57

Standard Bore
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Messages
5
Hello all, I currently ride an 06 Ultra Classic Screamin Eagle Harley. Beautiful bike but I have always been interested in the Rocket due to that motor. I have 30,000 miles on my Harley and need cam chain tensioners changed to the new type. $1000.00 investment there just to try to keep the thing running. If a Harley rider gets near 100,000 miles on his bike its pretty much ready for the junk pile.
So I have questions for you folks.
1. Can the Rocket go 250,000 miles like a Goldwing can?
2. Are there any maintenance issues, (problems) common to the bike.
3. I want a touring bike, but the horsepower difference on the touring model could be a deal breaker for me. How much does the touring model suffer in 1/4 mile times.

My goal is to have a bike that will last many miles without worrying about rebuilding something. I would like to have more power available than I have now. I need saddlebags to carry raingear and clothes and whatnot. I need a windshield because my normal daytrips are about 300 miles. The touring Rocket looks like the ticket, but I can never find anywhere it tells about how much performance is lost when they detuned it.

I have ridden with a friend who has the Rocket classic with a shield and soft bags and It also appealed to me.

Any info is appreciated.
 

In my most humble opinion, there is WAY too much emphasis on the Hp reduction of the stock R3T tune. Torque is where its at. The R3T is tuned for torque and fuel efficiency which it sounds like it is more suited for you. Even in its stock form, the R3T will stomp, smoke and otherwise obliterate any screaming beagle h-d out there.

If you absolutely have to have the Hp numbers, then it is a simple matter of loading a different tune. There are no mechanical differences between the engines.
 
Its not just the Horsepower I'm after. My Harley for the most part has enough. I was also hoping that being liquid cooled the Rocket would have the longevity I was looking for in a motor.
 
I have an early '05 model ( July 2004) with 54,000 mile on it and it really acts like it's just getting broke in. You can read through this forum for some of the known problems.. Some have had transmission issues, some have had cam chain issues, some have had rear hub issues, but I don't think any of the problems are as wide spread as the forums would make you believe. Quite a few have had throttle position sensor issues but I don't know about on the later models and the R3T. I ended up fixing mine by adjusting the throttle position sensor myself, along with the idle stepper motor...

The biggest problem is finding a dealer with a competent service department. Triumph dealers aren't on ever block like Harley dealers.. and a competent service department can be hard to come by..

Other than that.. I've had my Rocket up to South Dakota, Colorado.. Arkansas, Oklahoma.. etc.. and it's my daily ride to work (70 miles a day) and I still enjoy it as much as the first time I rode it...
 
Please forgive me. My first response should have been Welcome to the Forum.

You are doing the right thing in asking all the right questions.

The R3 motor is a large, low compression engine so it can last for many, many miles. As with anything, proper maintenance is key. Being water cooled, the tolerances throughout the engine are much tighter leading to less slop and less wear. There's no reason that it shouldn't last for 200k or more. The highest mileage Rocket that I have heard of is approaching 80k.

Being in the 6th year of production, most of the teething pains have been worked out. Earlier models had some transmission, cam chain tensioner and other various issues. Haven't heard of those issues in the later models, especially the R3T. If the R3T had been available when I bought my 06, I think that I would have bought it instead.

Again, welcome to the site and keep asking questions.
 
Also one thing often overlooked is tire prices... A pair of tires for the R3 Standard/Classic run around $450 dollars give or take a few before mounting. I am sure tires for your Harley and the R3T considerably less. Also, there are only 2 options for motorcycle tires for the R3 Standard/Classic.. the stock Metzelers.. or Avon Cobras.. There are many more options for your Harley, and the R3T has more common size tires as well..

Some people get really low miles out of the Metzelers.. we're talking in the 5,000 - 6,000 range.. I ran through 2 sets of Metzelers and got around 10-12K miles out of them. My last set of Avons had over 15K on them and I probably could have squeezed out another 1K or so.. so they are definitely my preference..

There are quite a few running car tires on the rear as well.. which of course last much longer..
 
Power should not even be a concern. As stated earlier: "Even in its stock form, the R3T will stomp, smoke and otherwise obliterate any screaming beagle h-d out there."

Truer words were never spoken. I rarely ran my R3T very hard (sold it), but I had a buddy with an 08 Screaming Eagle Ultra Glide and he constantly ran his mouth so I finally had enough and put him in his place. It wasn't even close. He was a small spot in my mirror is about a split second. He never ran his mouth after that night.
 
funseeker57 said:
Its not just the Horsepower I'm after. My Harley for the most part has enough. I was also hoping that being liquid cooled the Rocket would have the longevity I was looking for in a motor.
Click to expand...
welcome...

If you're looking for something with character, known reliability, and impressive motor longevity then I wouldn't recommend the Rocket 3. There's still way too many problems this far into production to suggest you will have what you want.

I'd recommend looking at the Valkyrie instead....just my opinion as an owner of both. My 12 YO Valk has never had anything other than routine maintenance and my Rocket has been in the shop since the first week of June.

Flame suit ready....
 
I agree the Triumph should be much quicker than the Harley, I find it strange that I can't find 1/4 mile times for the touring model anywhere. I remember when the Rocket classic came out its performance numbers were published everywhere. I think it would run the 1/4 in the elevens. My Harley would most likely be in the fourteens. I'm just curious where the touring model would fall. I don't plan on racing anyone or bragging how fast this or that is. I am just looking for a ballpark number after they changed the enging characteristics.
I like how smooth the engine runs, the fact that its water cooled, and the fact there isn't any flex in the frame. Also if you guys think your engine is hot you need to sit on a Harley at a stop light on a hot day. It is so bad the factory had to add a new heat deflector at the bottom edge of the seat. I swear I can hear my thighs sizzling on a hot day.
 
I rode two different Ultras before buying my R3T. There is simply no comparison as to the power.
Mine's been in the shop twice. Once for the tire recall (probably not Triumphs fault)
and once for a faulty clutch switch.
Service is expensive down here in FL. About $700 to $850 every 10k miles (about 6 months riding for me). I could do some of the service myself if I had space and tools.
 
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