Thanks for the response! That wasn't near long enough to be a rant, lol; it was an informational post. And I can't be a hypocrite about it; y'all feel free to be long-winded with me. Moving from a Panigale to a Rocket is an incredible shift, apart from them both being fast as scalded dogs. And here I thought people would think I was nuts for cross-shopping the R3 against a Duc. Monster 1200S.
While I appreciate attention from the hard-core motorcyclists, I'm old enough that if I like it, I'll buy it, even if I get no attention at all. Regardless, I have a strong lean in the R3 direction right now, as this is just going to be a fun bike for me, and I like the idea of having something other than an American V-twin as a retro-ish bike. Fast, fun and "really good for a cruiser" in the corners for short trips is all I need, as the K1600GT is my "do it all" bike. And I just do just LOVE the look of the new Rocket. The two headlights. The three exhaust pipes, with two on one side and one on the other. The 2500cc badge (On that one, I'll admit I have enjoyed the wide eyed looks of folks who notice that giant "6" on the sides of that K1600 engine, and then ask, and I confirm that, indeed, it has 6 cylinders). The look of the R3's vertical block and headerscoming off the side, as if someone had installed half of an old straight-6 truck engine in the thing.
And one last thing about that K1600, for you or anyone else that might consider it in the future. [Feel free to skip this and the next paragraph if you don't care.] It's NOT just a coast to coast bike. It's a bike that can go coast-to-coast looking for twisties and then ride like a big sportbike on them when you get there. I mean FLY. I have a color-matched topcase on mine (GTL comes with the topcase), but if you remove the topcase, and the two side cases (they aren't removeable on the K1600B or Grand America, just the GT and GTL), you knock off nearly 100lb, and even with the side cases on, it handles like a big sportbike. The GT, with side cases on, has been clocked at 2.6 sec. 0-60, and has run a 10.9 sec. 1/4 mile. The newest, Euro 4 compliant bikes are a hair slower than that, stock, but a cheap tune (which I've done) can be put on the bike to bring it back to that state. I'd have a HARD time living with only one bike, mind you, but if I had to, the K16 would be that bike.
Now, if your response is, "Yeah, but the R3 looks a lot sexier?" Well, you'd be 100% correct, at least to most eyes. I like the looks of my "angry owl," as they're nicknamed, BUT it's nowhere near the cool look of the Rocket. And it doesn't need to look cool for others, as I said above, but I sure DO like the idea of it looking cool for ME. Some here have complained of the chopped off butt look of the R model, and heck, that's one of the first styling cues that made me love it. No fender removal kit necessary!
What makes your post so important for my purposes is the fact you didn't get bored with it, coming off the Panigale. I've owned a muscle cruiser before, and while I don't want that for my only choice, there are times I miss it, and I've done so much work on my old K1200S sportbike, I'm keeping it, and my wife's purchase of her Bonnie Bobber TFC has really turned me on to the history and "vibe" of Triumph as a brand. My wife says I'm a "BMW Man," in much the same way as Ralphie's father in "A Christmas Story" was an "Oldsmobile Man,"
but I really do appreciate the Triumph marque a lot more now, after having gone through the buying process with her. And just from personal observation of the bikes when going into dealerships, their fit and finish is simply top notch, and way above what they were only 15 years ago. Then, my reaction was, "THIS is a premium brand?" And now, it's, "Wow, this is a premium brand!"