Had to let the Rocket go, my license is grateful!

Hi all

Well, after six months, and three close calls with law enforcement, I came to the decision that the torque of the Rocket 3 was just too tempting for me, and for the longevity of my license, it was time to let her go lol!

Back when I bought the R3, I had a very short list I was interested in; R3 GT, Indian Sport Chief, and Indian Scout Rogue. The scout just didn’t check enough of the “sportiness” boxes for me, the sport chief felt like my old Dyna I use to have, and the R3 scratched my XDiavel memories in all the right ways. Best of all, I found a leftover ‘23 Chrome for $6.5k off msrp, so figured why not!

Since then, the R3 was a blast, but the power is addictive, and ultimately I came to the conclusion that I will (not if, will) eventually loose my license if I keep riding the R3 like a hooligan haha! In addition, the market offerings have changed, and the Scout 101 was released, so I worked a deal, sold the R3, and picked up a 101

I’ll miss the R3, she is truly an experience, and one I throughly enjoyed. She does not promote self control, and for those who can resist the temptation, I commend you! Just wanted to say thank you to this community in general, I spent most of my time lurking, and learned a ton from everyone here.

Thank you all, and enjoy your Rockets!

P.s. incase you’re wondering “but why a Scout 101?”, I’ve spent most of my riding time on Ducati 1200’s, both air and water cooled versions, that size motor is just a sweet spot for me. I thought about a bobber or speedmaster 1200, but the Scout 101 checked all the boxes without significant need to replace factory parts. I’m still in the break in period, and got to take it on a good run through the twistiest, and the engine just pulls the way I want it to. In the end, I’m happy, I’ll miss the absurdity of the Rocket, but the 101 better aligns with my needs and riding style

Cheers.......and ride safe

My dealer is Triumph and Indian. I am considering a Scout. Love my R3GT and would hate to see it go, but I am having hand issues and may need something ,ore docile. I do have a Sreed 400 for around town but it is not a highway bike.
Would like to hear more of you opinion on the Scout.

I must be an oddball as I can ride my Rocket 3 around without going crazy. At almost age 74 I'm more self disciplined than I used to be. I love the power and acceleration but I also enjoy the versatility of riding as a regular cruiser. Especially since the Rocket 3 is hundreds of pounds lighter than my Indian bikes.

My other bike is a scout and I love it but I don’t know how you could possibly compare the two. My scout is better for long rides and overall comfort but that is because I set it up that way and not how it is in stock configuration. Obviously torque, hp, and quickness aren’t event close to the Rocket though the Scout is a very nimble bike and easier to maneuver being lower to the ground and around 550 lbs wet. Overall I’d say the scout is a great beginner cruiser or great in terms of value and what you get for the price, at least the older years. I’m not a fan of the 2024 Scouts with the 101 being the exception and performance wise that’s an easy number to achieve with a few mods on an older version. The scout is also a bare bones bike when it comes to tech which some people appreciate and others dislike.

What area you live in? Here in Colorado cops only pull you over ( in my experience) of your being aggressive, going fast in slow areas like schools or community areas and the like. No one on the freeway goes less than 75. Passed a few cops on the back roads who motioned for me to pass and I left them in the dust ( mountain riding canyons)
Been pulled over 3 times. Always get the same " slow down, if I see you again" warning.
I'm not sure that a motorcycle dictates bad riding habits, I ride way worse ( less legally) on my 500r ninja and it has only like 40hp and maxed at 116mph!

Vector said:

My dealer is Triumph and Indian. I am considering a Scout. Love my R3GT and would hate to see it go, but I am having hand issues and may need something ,ore docile. I do have a Sreed 400 for around town but it is not a highway bike.
Would like to hear more of you opinion on the Scout.

Click to expand...

I’ve ridden a multitude of Ducati 1100 and 1200 bikes, some air cooled, some water cooled, I feel like the scout 101 closely relates to my old Monster 1100 Evo, except that the scout pulls hard from 3k to almost 9k, where the monster was only good in the 3-6.5k range. The ergos definitely need to be adjusted to the rider, for me, that meant Rox Risers to bring the bar back just a little, floorboards to move my feet around, and eventually a Corbin seat for all day comfort (once I sell the Corbin from the Rocket basically). I’d say if your must over 6ft tall, the scout will feel a bit small, I’m 5’11” so right on the edge, but I like it cruising at highway speeds, I was getting 50ish mph, and the bike has enough weight that I wasn’t being tossed around like I would on a supermoto

dfresh said:

My other bike is a scout and I love it but I don’t know how you could possibly compare the two. My scout is better for long rides and overall comfort but that is because I set it up that way and not how it is in stock configuration. Obviously torque, hp, and quickness aren’t event close to the Rocket though the Scout is a very nimble bike and easier to maneuver being lower to the ground and around 550 lbs wet. Overall I’d say the scout is a great beginner cruiser or great in terms of value and what you get for the price, at least the older years. I’m not a fan of the 2024 Scouts with the 101 being the exception and performance wise that’s an easy number to achieve with a few mods on an older version. The scout is also a bare bones bike when it comes to tech which some people appreciate and others dislike.

Click to expand...

Yeah, the only model in the new lineup I was interested in was the 101, dual brembos up front, single brembo in the back, fully adjustable suspension, and I agree it’s a very flickable bike for 550 lbs. you aren’t going to ride two up on a scout, but I do believe it’s a much better platform than the old sportster 1200s were. I would in no way compare the rocket and the scout, apples and oranges honestly. I do like that the aftermarket is significantly larger for the scout, and honestly the rear brake on my rocket was always mushy and vague (had the dealer look at it several times, always said “it’s fine”), versus the scout’s rear brake which is snappy and precision like. I almost never understood why the rocket had no front preload adjustment. With everything else they put on it, that always felt like a strange thing to overlook. But I am one of those weird people who actually bought a tool for setting sag, and enjoy getting the most out of the suspension adjustments. You are correct, scout isn’t for everyone, but I like to modify and make a bike my own, and then scout offers to scratch that itch for me

I bet the Scout will go fast enough to get a ticket.

Mongler07 said:

What area you live in? Here in Colorado cops only pull you over ( in my experience) of your being aggressive, going fast in slow areas like schools or community areas and the like. No one on the freeway goes less than 75. Passed a few cops on the back roads who motioned for me to pass and I left them in the dust ( mountain riding canyons)
Been pulled over 3 times. Always get the same " slow down, if I see you again" warning.
I'm not sure that a motorcycle dictates bad riding habits, I ride way worse ( less legally) on my 500r ninja and it has only like 40hp and maxed at 116mph!

Click to expand...

I’m in Oregon, and depending on where you’re at, the officers can be chill or ruthless, really depending on the city your riding through. I think the issue was for me was that the rocket is deceiving in the power and speed, I’d be in 3rd, thinking I was cruising at 45-50, and I’m actually doing 70-80 in reality. I’d keep telling myself “be one gear down”, but I’d ride it like I was on one of my Ducatis, and end up 25-30 over the posted limit constantly. I tend to listen and “feel” what the bike is doing, and with the rocket, that was always way faster than I should be going lol.

I wouldn’t say I’m reckless., I’ve just ridden very different bikes before the rocket, and as much as I tried, I couldn’t rewire my brain to how I should ride the rocket. For example, my XDiavel was a blast to ride, but if I rode the rocket like I rode the XDiavel, I’m going to end up in trouble, better to recognize and admit I’ve got a problem, I figured

With the scout, if I ride fast, I know I’m riding fast, but with the rocket, when I was just “cruising”, and I’m going too fast and not even meaning too. Don’t know if that makes sense, and it might simply be too many years riding generally the same size bikes, and I can’t unprogram my brain. Better to err on the side of caution and move on I figured