Rick McC.
Turbocharged
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2013
- Messages
- 981
- Location
- Weeki Wachee, FL USA
- Ride
- Phantom Black 2012 Rocket III Roadster
C908
.020 Over
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2015
- Messages
- 27
- Ride
- 2010 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic
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.
Jag
Living Legend
I agree tune ecu really woke up my R3T for 20 bucks can't be beat
Jag
Living Legend
Bedifferent
Old man on a bike
I agree with what you say about the amount of time it takes to get your bike the way you want it. I did the same with my Fatboy and I'm doing the same with my Rocket. The mileage on my R3T has been running around 34-36 mpg, but you burn regular instead of premium because of the lower compression ratio. I always got 42 with my Fatboy. You could probably do 200 miles on a tank cruising the highway. Almost the same reason for getting rid of my Valkyrie. I wanted fuel injection and the carbs were cold blooded when it came to starting. Your carb problem could have been bad o-rings on the short manifolds as I changed mine out. I also wanted floorboards because with your legs on the pegs of the Valkyrie it gets pretty hot in warm weather. I got tired of riding with my legs bent. Highway pegs work, but you had to be careful about touching and burning your legs on the valve covers. I think you will find the R3T will be all you want.
C908
.020 Over
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2015
- Messages
- 27
- Ride
- 2010 Harley Davidson Ultra Classic
Thanks for pointing out the fuel mileage and the fact it uses regular. Interesting things you said about the Valkyrie. I did most of my own work on the Valkyrie and finally got tired of messing with it. I was running a lot of Seafoam to try and keep the jets clean. The six carbs were the only thing that gave me any problems. I did my own valve adjustments which they rarely needed so it was just a matter of keeping an eye on them. About the time I traded my Valk there were some guys having petcock problems. I had the tourer model and then added Cobra floorboards along with highway pegs. I did experience touching my legs on the engine multiple times. I will say in the 10 years I owned my Valk I met a lot of really nice fellow Valkyrie owners. I'm looking forward to riding the Rocket and see how it compares to the Valk and my Ultra. I need to be really careful when I choose my next bike. Before my Ultra I made a mistake buying a new Wideglide. I rode it 7,000 miles in about 5 months and wasn't happy with the bike so I traded it for my Ultra. I lost $3,000.00 plus what I spent on some upgrades. Since my wife doesn't ride and doesn't really like bikes that didn't sit well with her. I thought at some point I will probably get a smaller bike. I'm 60 and in pretty good shape so I think I have enough time to get one more big bike like the Rocket. Because of price I doubt I will be a future trike owner. I'm thinking if I stay healthy and strong I'll get a smaller bike when I'm 70.
1olbull
Riding Motor Since 1950
I thought this first three gear advance is eliminated with a proper dyne and Tune ECU?
Chris Kelley
Turbocharged
That's also my understanding. I posted the article because Jag seemed to think that the R3T came from the factory derestricted, like the 2013 R3Rs and on.
steve59
Nitrous
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2013
- Messages
- 1,052
- Location
- carol stream il
- Ride
- 2016 KTM 1290 SDR SE. 2012 K1600 GTL Schwinn S-30
I have a standard and turned it into a touring with bags, screen, rivco floorboards and riser, dual longhaul seat and acc plug. I'm short and tho I personally like the looks of the R3t better than anything else on the road i'm too small for it.
This pic was before a 400 mile away visit with family. My wife made me replace the jel pad with a real seat after this trip.
This pic was before a 400 mile away visit with family. My wife made me replace the jel pad with a real seat after this trip.
BigAl1952
Old Opinionated Bastard
C908
I don't know if your looking for new or not but there sure has been some nice Rockets with accessories on here and ebay. You might be able to get one already set up there like you want for less than starting for scratch. I looked for a year for one with what I have on mine. Al
I don't know if your looking for new or not but there sure has been some nice Rockets with accessories on here and ebay. You might be able to get one already set up there like you want for less than starting for scratch. I looked for a year for one with what I have on mine. Al
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