Hello from Minnesota

Welcome from Michigan ! I'm not sure on this but I heard a rumor that the ecu is locked on the 2013's so the program can't be modified in the usual way (Tuneboy / Tune Ecu). I'm sure someone will chime in soon with the correct answer. Even if that's the case, it can still be modified with a Power-commander, Dobeck or one of the other tuning devices that work their magic downstream from the ecu. They try but they can't stop us !

Rocket Scientist said:

Welcome from Michigan ! I'm not sure on this but I heard a rumor that the ecu is locked on the 2013's so the program can't be modified in the usual way (Tuneboy / Tune Ecu). I'm sure someone will chime in soon with the correct answer. Even if that's the case, it can still be modified with a Power-commander, Dobeck or one of the other tuning devices that work their magic downstream from the ecu. They try but they can't stop us !

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That's good to know. Any key advantages or disadvantages with the above? It looks like a 2012 will save about $500 or so from the dealer. At such a small difference (3.33%), I figure one would make up the difference in value in a resale situation down the road. Perhaps not.

Mirko said:

There is absolutley no comparison between the VRod and the Rocket. And I'm not slamming the VRod. It has its purpose. Buts its a very narrow focus and very small. The Rocket will endear itself to you and you will appreciate just how good it is as the miles fly by. There isn't anything it can't do. It even leans well. And its over 800 lbs! Good luck.

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Well said on the VROD. I still drool just looking at it and I love the ride. It's comfortable at long distance, as long as I'm not carrying anything and certainly not anyone. Perhaps I'll find it superfluous after getting the Rocket.

Do I dare buy the Rocket without a test ride? A short test ride doesn't tell one much on true comfort anyway, but it does seem to fit fine in the dealership (I was amazed how easy it was to lean it back and forth while sitting on it). As sexy as I find the Storm, I don't think I'll be satisfied with anything but the Roadster.... any fit issues can be changed.

The couple of dealerships I've spoken with all seem like they don't really come down from MSRP. Maybe a free first service and 15% off an accessory, or something, but not much better than that. Is that others' experience?

Thanks again for the welcome.

carlson

There is no good reason, IMO, to buy a new bike. Any R3 from 2009 on is a pretty solid bet and with the amount of cash you could save by purchasing a sweet pre-owned ride, you could easily afford to upgrade it to a true King of the Road (see the "240 Kit" here) for less than the cost of buying new:
Carpenter Racing

What Phil said ! Plus when you buy a used one they usually have a lot of accessories. I paid $9950.00 for my 05' 4 years ago and it had about $4000.00 worth of extras on it. I don't get anything new. Heck even my wife was used when I got her

So do I , I payed 9000 for a classic full of accesories and two color paint with only 4000 miles....just new.... I would buy a used in excelent condition with ABS that was introduced in newer models and save the money ! Theere arw some post on Ebay with very low miles !

My '07 Standard had 2,700 miles on the clock, sporting a bit over $5,000 in bling and other accessories and she was in immaculate, showroom condition when I acquired her for $10K just over three years ago. The Mulberry Mistress and I have lived happily ever after since...

Welcome to the Forum. You can save a lot of dosh by buying left-over previous year models. Basically you get new at used prices. I bought my 2005 new in 06 for the price of a used 05 with 10,000 miles on it (Flea-Bay pricing). I wanted to do a looong trip so I added footboards, classic bars, Nitro adjustable shocks, Progressive fork springs, Utopian backrest and rode to DC and back. Like riding a Barca-lounger with grunt. I then did an Iron Butt last summer and only my ass got sore (it isn't iron after all). The beauty of the Rock is its adaptability to what you want for its mission statement. One thing is certain, everytime you yank the fun handle you'll be wearing a silly grin for hours afterwards. Mod it with a Carpenter 240 kit and you couldn't wipe the grin off with 60 grit abrasive.

Atomsplitter, I see from your page you have a 500 Titan. I remember reading a test in one of the popular cycle magazines where they tried to kill one of those. They did all kinds of stuff to it. Ran back to back 1/4 miles for 24 hours straight. Ran it down the middle of railroad tracks wide open in first gear for several miles. Pulled an automotive type camping trailer up some mountain. I can't remember the rest of the torture, but they said it didn't bother it at all.

Hello All:

I understand the thoughts on new versus used. I upgraded to a 97 Tacoma last year for a cage, so I share the sense on buying used. For the Roadster, however, I think I'm going new. I'm willing to lose the extra depreciation for the opportunity to start her life from mile 1.

As a follow-up, I've been offered excellent, identical pricing for both a new 2012 and a 2013. I'd chose the 2013 just for a slightly higher value, but the comments on the ECU for 2013 worries me. Can anyone confirm that the ECU is locked? If so, could a power commander still overide the max speed settings? Any other advantages to the tuneboy versus PC? If so, that'd be reason for me to go with the 2012.

I'm not going to wait until spring to make the purchase, but rather get it now when the dealers are much more interested in "dealing." I'll probably lock in in by this week or early next, largely based upon what I can learn on the 2013 ECU question, so additional thoughts or advice on this will be much appreciated.

Next I'll start praying for a very early spring.