Well, I'll put my ten cents in again because I can't write just two cents worth. Having owned a Valkyrie I can't believe you wouldn't be happy with the R3T's ride and performance. The top end is less on the R3T because of the factory limiting 117 MPH vs 130 MPH and..... I have found the second gear spirt on the Rocket is a little less than the Valkyrie. When you hit 2nd on the Valkyrie it would move. Not that the Rocket doesn't, but in my opinion not quite as well. I believe this is due to the timing being retarded by Triumph in the first 3 gears. This is why am anxious to see how my GI pro ATRE works this spring. By the time your start adding stuff to the Roadster...and you will....it is going to cost you a lot of additional $ to make the changes and do it right. You are never going to match the factory bags and floorboards for $300 difference in price. I got tired of always putting a bag on my bikes to allow me to take a few things I might need on a ride. There is always something you want to take and without the hard bags it's a pain to do. With the R3T you have a full 136 ft lbs of torque from around 1800 rpm to 3200 rpm and even at 4000rpm you have only dropped to 120 ft lbs of torque. Way more than the Valkyrie. Crap...most of your riding will only be generating 45 to 80 horsepower anyway. I think torque is more important in the feel of bike. That's great performance from 45 MPH to 80 MPH and 100 MPH at 4200 rpm. On a long ride I like to stretch out on floorboards rather than the mid located foot pegs. You can up your bikes performance, but you better wait until you are off warranty. Bottom line, if you like to ride aggressively, want to know you have one of the fastest bikes around, like a more upright ride, oh..and I like the gauges better, get the Roadster. If you want a bigger more stretched out ride with most of the extras you want right out of the box, plus still know you can outperform most other bikes on the road, get the R3T. I don't feel like I have to take a back seat to any cruiser with my R3T! It's cheaper on the Rocket to add performance than it is to add accessories. Here is the R3T power curve in case you missed one of my posts.
Lots of good information and the more I think about it the R3T just makes more sense for me. I know I prefer floor boards and hard bags. It looks like the R3T sits slightly lower than the Roadster which is better for my 30' inseam. I was comparing some of the specs of the R3T to my Ultra, weight is 870 lbs to 879 lbs, seat height 28.74 to 29.1, wheel base 67.126 to 64, fuel tank 5.9 gal to 6 gal, both have ABS, no cruise on the R3T, I have cruise on the Ultra. I couldn't seem to find the fuel ratings on the R3T but the Ultra has a 42 combined which is pretty accurate. If you notice I didn't list any engine comparisons because I feel there is no comparison. I do like my Ultra fairly well after getting it set up the way I like it. I spent a lot to get it that way which makes it a little harder to get rid of. I've had this bike 5 years, the only other bike I kept longer was the Valkyrie for 10 years. As far as longevity the Valkyrie motor puts the Harley motor to shame. I know guys in the Valkyrie club with 200,000 to 400,000 miles on their bikes. My main reason for trading was because the six carbs were starting to act up on me. If the bike was fuel injected I probably would have kept it. The Rocket just looks like a bike I would like and not everyone has one. I probably won't be able to do anything before this fall. I'm going to keep learning all I can about the Rocket and when the weather gets nice I will go ride one. I appreciate all of you sharing information with me.