RocketDaryl
Top Fuel
A couple of things to keep in mind since you're planning to mostly ride around town. The Rocket's tranny is clunky (think Tractor clunky). The R3T is also MASSIVE. It's actually a pretty good handling bike, excellent for its size. I'm not bringing up the size in terms of handling. Be aware of the size in terms of ergos. That's what eventually drove me away. I owned an R3T for 2 years and, other than the ergo issues and multiple reliability issues, liked the bike pretty well. I've now owned a T-Bird for just over a year. Here's my thoughts after owning both.
Engine & Tranny:
Both engines are super smooth. The Rocket, obviously, has a power advantage. The T-Bird's tranny, however, is a HUGE improvement over the Rocket. Those helical cut gears are da bomb as that thing is silky smooth. You also get a 6th gear. Frankly, the 6th gear may not apply to you since you ride mostly in town. I don't typically shift to 6th unless I'm at 60-65 mph.
Handling:
The T-Bird has the advantage. If not for the typical cruiser lean angle limitation, you'd think you were on a sport touring. I also own a Tiger 1050 and I come from a sport bike background. The Bird tracks on rails. The R3T, however, is surprisingly nimble (especially slow speed handling) for such a large motorcycle. No, it's not going to track like the T-Bird, but I doubt most folks looking at buying an R3T are thinking much about how to get it through the twisties faster,
. I don't even think about that with my T-Bird. I didn't buy it for that. It's cool that it handles so well, but that's not why I bought it. Thus, what I'm saying is, while the bird handles exceptionally well, the Rocket handles good enough that I don't think someone looking at a cruiser type bike is going to be disappointed.
Ergos:
This is where the R3T just didn't cut it for me. I'm 5'10", 150 lbs, and have a 32" inseam. I have normal length arms for someone my height. I don't know the measurement, but I wear a size 15-15.5 regular when I buy dress shirts. I always mention this because I didn't just go down to the Triumph shop and buy an R3T. I spent considerbale time sitting on it. Getting my wife to climb aboard, etc... I even took it on a test ride. The ergo issues never manifested. They didn't manifest until I got about 40 miles down the road after taking delivery. I knew the ergos weren't going to work with the bike in its stock configuration so I started by changing the handlebar position. That didn't work so I tried adding a riser. That didn't work so I fiddled more with positioning. I changed the seat. That didn't work. I added a rider backrest. That didn't work. Nothing I tried worked.
Every time I got on that bike, my shoulders and neck would develop tension pain within 50 miles. I got tired of chasing comfort so I sold it. I also had NUMEROUS reliability issues that are well documented on this forum so it didn't take a lot unsuccessful ergo chasing to wear on my patience.
Bottom line, if you're a large guy the ergo thing shouldn't apply. The reason I mention it, again, is because if you're closer to my size, be aware that the ergos didn't manifest until I put some miles on the bike. So, my advice to you is to try to put 30-50 miles on a demo, if possible. Again, we're not talking about a typical sized bike here. The thing is MASSIVE in size.
One other thing to consider since you're a "one bike" guy. The T-Bird can be setup to be every bit the tourer the R3T is, which is nothing more than a light touring bike to be honest. The T-Bird SE comes with windshield, floorboards, bags, sissybar; all of the essentials that the R3T has to be called a "touring" bike. The difference is this, however. The R3T is ALWAYS a touring bike. It's always big. The bags are always on. You can take them off, but then you're left with ugly hangers exposed as they're only intended to come off for cleaning. The T-Bird, however, can be stripped of the touring accessories in less than 5 minutes and you now have yourself a boulevard cruiser. In other words, it's a very convertible bike; giving you, in essence, a couple of bikes.
Anyway, as stated, I have 2 years of seat time on the R3T and over a year on the T-Bird so if you have any specific questions regarding differences, fire away.
Engine & Tranny:
Both engines are super smooth. The Rocket, obviously, has a power advantage. The T-Bird's tranny, however, is a HUGE improvement over the Rocket. Those helical cut gears are da bomb as that thing is silky smooth. You also get a 6th gear. Frankly, the 6th gear may not apply to you since you ride mostly in town. I don't typically shift to 6th unless I'm at 60-65 mph.
Handling:
The T-Bird has the advantage. If not for the typical cruiser lean angle limitation, you'd think you were on a sport touring. I also own a Tiger 1050 and I come from a sport bike background. The Bird tracks on rails. The R3T, however, is surprisingly nimble (especially slow speed handling) for such a large motorcycle. No, it's not going to track like the T-Bird, but I doubt most folks looking at buying an R3T are thinking much about how to get it through the twisties faster,
. I don't even think about that with my T-Bird. I didn't buy it for that. It's cool that it handles so well, but that's not why I bought it. Thus, what I'm saying is, while the bird handles exceptionally well, the Rocket handles good enough that I don't think someone looking at a cruiser type bike is going to be disappointed.Ergos:
This is where the R3T just didn't cut it for me. I'm 5'10", 150 lbs, and have a 32" inseam. I have normal length arms for someone my height. I don't know the measurement, but I wear a size 15-15.5 regular when I buy dress shirts. I always mention this because I didn't just go down to the Triumph shop and buy an R3T. I spent considerbale time sitting on it. Getting my wife to climb aboard, etc... I even took it on a test ride. The ergo issues never manifested. They didn't manifest until I got about 40 miles down the road after taking delivery. I knew the ergos weren't going to work with the bike in its stock configuration so I started by changing the handlebar position. That didn't work so I tried adding a riser. That didn't work so I fiddled more with positioning. I changed the seat. That didn't work. I added a rider backrest. That didn't work. Nothing I tried worked.
Every time I got on that bike, my shoulders and neck would develop tension pain within 50 miles. I got tired of chasing comfort so I sold it. I also had NUMEROUS reliability issues that are well documented on this forum so it didn't take a lot unsuccessful ergo chasing to wear on my patience.
Bottom line, if you're a large guy the ergo thing shouldn't apply. The reason I mention it, again, is because if you're closer to my size, be aware that the ergos didn't manifest until I put some miles on the bike. So, my advice to you is to try to put 30-50 miles on a demo, if possible. Again, we're not talking about a typical sized bike here. The thing is MASSIVE in size.
One other thing to consider since you're a "one bike" guy. The T-Bird can be setup to be every bit the tourer the R3T is, which is nothing more than a light touring bike to be honest. The T-Bird SE comes with windshield, floorboards, bags, sissybar; all of the essentials that the R3T has to be called a "touring" bike. The difference is this, however. The R3T is ALWAYS a touring bike. It's always big. The bags are always on. You can take them off, but then you're left with ugly hangers exposed as they're only intended to come off for cleaning. The T-Bird, however, can be stripped of the touring accessories in less than 5 minutes and you now have yourself a boulevard cruiser. In other words, it's a very convertible bike; giving you, in essence, a couple of bikes.
Anyway, as stated, I have 2 years of seat time on the R3T and over a year on the T-Bird so if you have any specific questions regarding differences, fire away.
