How is 2023 Rocket 3 in terms of riding that includes sudden maneuvers and sudden stops?

[Claviger]

Edit 2:
Wheelbase and weight. It has more of both compared to rivals. That said, you can largely make up for those things with rider effort, dodging things in the road is fine once you grow accustomed to the bike.

Stopping distance is all tire selection. You want to stop shorter; pick a softer front tire. It will out brake most cars (and every other cruiser I can think of except maybe Diavel X) if the rider has the guts to yank the lever that hard and hold it in.

My 2014's archaic design ABS has savedy life at least 3 times from idiot left hand turners.

Chassis is built like a tank, you will not feel flex, at all, from the frame, the swinger, or the forks.

 

[Azisbest]

Possibly a canadian term, it's normally not paved and is gravel of various thickness.

I had never heard it until i moved to canada, they like to put them in random place or the road suddenly turns to a grid road lol

Thanks!

 

[zenbiker]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to know does the weight of Rocket 3 hinder the bike from being agile enough for cruiser? On scale of 1 (not agile) to 10 (very agile) for cruisers where would you rate Rocket 3?
Moreover, lets say someone comes in front you suddenly and you have to brake suddenly, or do a sudden maneuvers, do you feel confident on the bike to handle well in these situations. Were there any times were you felt bike is too heavy to the point it made riding boring, not nimble, or always requiring lots of planning? Can you push the bike to go fast in corners (I understand its not sport bike) but is there anything that makes you feel like if you had gotten a different cruiser (less heavier) the ride would have been more fun?

Having owned a 2007 Classic and now a 2021 R3 GT, I can tell you the handling is far superior on the newer models. Not even close!

 

[Crasher]

I own a 2020 GT. I think the handling is magic for a heavy cruiser. There is no flex and plenty of ground clearance. I ride on very ****ty Australian country roads so ability to react quickly to avoid potholes etc is important. Australian drivers are bad, so things like being turned in front of happen regularly. I also ride a streetfighter and BMW S1000. These bikes are built to be nimble. They are vastly easier to flick about being 2/3 of the weight. The only thing I would like improved on the rocket is the brakes. I find both front and rear under powered. You need to apply a lot of pressure to stop fast. There not bad brakes. I maybe use to the extreme power of the sports bike brakes. The rocket is great to ride long distance. You can almost fall asleep as it eats miles with ease. Set and forget.

 

[Dr.D]

Took a little 260 mile ride today and quite a bit in the curves. The new Rocket still amazes me with handling and power to spare. The seat can get tough after that many miles.

 

[Journeyman]

Took a little 260 mile ride today and quite a bit in the curves. The new Rocket still amazes me with handling and power to spare. The seat can get tough after that many miles.

Doesn't say where the OP is located. IF near @Dr.D and his wife, Sandy, you should just go ride with them and you'll see first hand how well the 2.5s handle, if you can keep up!

We live in an area where it's hard to find a section of straight road that goes very far, so most all of my riding (~14K miles/year) is on twisty roads and this is my bike of choice. It does *very* well.

Also, if you replace the stock rear tire with an Exedra Max you'll shorten the rake and improve the handling. I, and I'm sure others here, have video of the Rocket in action on twisty backroads, including Tail of the Dragon, Back of the Dragon, The Snake, Copperhead Road, etc. Although everything looks slower and less "interesting" on video, you should get a sense of how the bike handles.

If you're already riding a cruiser of some sort you'll not be disappointed with the R or GT- guaranteed!

 

[sunny]

Hi Everyone,

I wanted to know does the weight of Rocket 3 hinder the bike from being agile enough for cruiser? On scale of 1 (not agile) to 10 (very agile) for cruisers where would you rate Rocket 3?
Moreover, lets say someone comes in front you suddenly and you have to brake suddenly, or do a sudden maneuvers, do you feel confident on the bike to handle well in these situations. Were there any times were you felt bike is too heavy to the point it made riding boring, not nimble, or always requiring lots of planning? Can you push the bike to go fast in corners (I understand its not sport bike) but is there anything that makes you feel like if you had gotten a different cruiser (less heavier) the ride would have been more fun?

not a chance, I ride hard with super sports guys only, never regretted. The instant pull on this bike is out of world

 

[Twisty]

When I took my 2020 R3 GT for a test ride I was expecting it to be a bit of a pig to ride. Boy was I surprised. My ride at the time was a BMW K1200RS, which handles beautifully in the twisties with lots of power when needed. The BMW can go head to head with most sport bikes. The R3 is almost as good in the twisties as the BMW and has more power! I test drove a bunch of cruisers looking for it all, (comfort, handling, and power). I had just about given up when I found the R3. I have had it for 2 years now, and still can't get over how well engineered it is. Fantastic job Triumph!