Are Triumph Rockets reliable?

On my 4th Rocket now, multiple 4000 mile trips with the hooligans from this great forum, not once a rocket left me on the side of the road, my brand new 2015 Ultra limited on the other hand, broke twice in the first 3000 miles.
Now, going from a Harley Breakout to a 2500cc rocket, think of it like going from a HD Street500 to a souped up Vrod. The new Rocket, according to the lucky ones that can afford them and have them, are extremely fast, quick and powerful. Not that the older Rockets are slow, they can still take any Harley, including the Vrod. Go for it!!
 
The Rocket 3GT is my first Triumph. I've had the brake recall done but it was as a matter of routine during the first service. I never had brake fade. I also have 'the oil leak' others have had stemming from the transmission cover. There's a general thread about it. I'm one of a few who've had to have the bike torn down, engine removed, and transmission cover sent to the factory for impregnation due to a porous casting. The bike has been in the shop for a total of three months thus far for the issue. I'm hoping to get it back in the next week or so. I don't know if it's an indicator of long-term longevity or not. With that said, the bike is remarkable and I'm looking forward to getting it back--even if I'm not confident in my dealer's ability to essentially rebuild the bike from the ground up.
 
42,000 miles on my 2020 GT and it has never been overnight at the dealership. Only minor issues.
 
I thought it a reasonable question. Personally, I'd never buy another Triumph, had known issues/ catastrophic failures with all 3 I owned, but anecdotal evidence is not really evidence. I think their quality control is seriously lacking, always was. But poster has to realize that people are much more likely to post about problems than lack of problems, it's human nature. There's an old saying, something along the lines of, a satisfied customer might tell someone, an unsatisfied customer will tell 10 people, or something like that.
 
I agree. If your confidence is shaken by the captain‘s talking about Rocket modification and subsequent changes, you should stay riding H.D. The power of a Rocket stock, would have answered your reliability question. A Rocket rider smiles way too much. Most of my buddies who ride H.D. Cycles enjoy them. ALL my Rocket buddies ride them. Just more confident then other H.D. owners.
Different bikes. Both perform as expected. Look at the numbers. Horse power, torque, shaft driven, three cylinders vs. two. Not even close…. Keep your H.D.
 
I’m not sure if I should buy some chocolate ice cream because I’ve read that some people don’t like it and I heard of someone who got it home and it had melted. Come on. It always amazes me that people ask these questions. I don’t believe for one second this bloke will base his purchasing decision on 2 or 3 comments from the very small percentage of disgruntled owners, so I disagree that it’s a valid question. Imagine going onto a Harley forum and asking if you should buy a Harley. Why woukd Triumph keep producing these bikes if they were rubbish?

I’ve owned 8 Triumphs since 2010 and my wife has had 7 since 2014 and not one of them has had any issues at all. In the 5 years I had my Rocket I needed to replace a head gasket under warranty and a detent spring. That’s it. Does my experience carry more or less weight than some negative comments posted by someone with an axe to grind? While I have no doubt that anyone owning a couple of Harleys is well used to bikes constantly being “in the shop”, it‘s very much a rarity with Triumphs.
 
What's a better place than a Triumph forum to ask about Triumphs. This forum is made up of different characters some that are satisfied and others that are not. It's a legit question about reliability and recalls. I'm sure Ice has been lurking a while before asking the questions and doubt very seriously he thought he would get all positive or negative comments. He has received a mix of both positive and negative and it's up to him to weed though them to make the best decision. I would say that people can talk you out of or into purchasing a product that's why people look at comments on Amazon. It's just a tool in the tool box. Should I get the product with 5 stars or a similar with 1 star? I better do more homework. Ride the Rocket at the dealers, watch all the Youtube videos on the Rocket you like and read the Triumph forums. Sounds pretty reasonable to me.
 
I took one look
one test ride
and started shopping
one airplane ride
and a long ride home
froze the first 600
heat stroke the last 300
will b riding as long as i am able
 
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