Is the R3T really a piece of junk?

[Claviger]

Just want to point out that the ignition/headlight wiring design on the older rocket 3s is SUPER questionable.

The worst part though, is that Triumph is not alone in wiring it up that way, Kawi and Yamaha did the same thing for a quite long time.

Little things like that are why it pays to buy a later bike, most of the problems are already addressed on a new Rocket 3.

 

[sonny]

My ROCKET X is only six month's old and has 12,000 miles. No problems at all. By far the best bike I have ever owned.

 

[TRIIICK]

Hey Zone man read my post before you make accusations i never said anything negative about the R3T.Seems to me you haven't really done that much research if you don't know what an eastern beaver is. I own a R3 Standard I've had my issues with mine as I've had with my other two bikes,nothing that would keep me from owning them. Little things like a flat in no mans land can hold you up for a day or two and your odds of finding a Triumph dealer is slim or none in certain part of the country.Don't through your false accusations at me,think before you make a comment...... All i was trying to convey is there's a chance for major problems to arise and your up the creek without a paddle if you break down in certain parts of the country.. [/QUOTE]

 

[Zonechamp]

If you go into the chat rooms for any make or model, the first thing you will see is who is having problems and how to fix them. When I look at a new bike the first thing I do is watch the sites dedicated to that bike. EVERY model has issues, EVERY ONE! You just need to decide if that group of problems is better or worse than the one's you are currently dealing with. I picked up a Victory Crossroads for a buddy of mine, so I joined 2 different Victory riders groups on Facebook first. Guess what? Bad tire wear, noisy belts, broken belts, ignition cutout, broken fuel pump pickup and on and on. Lots of Victories on the road so their riders obviously deal with those issues. Anyone claiming to have a totally trouble free ride of any brand just isn't riding it enough. Pick the bike you like and educate yourself on it's issues so that preventative maintenance saves you from being stranded. Eg - Eastern Beaver headlight relay kit.

 

[vanguard138]

I purchased my R3T in 2013 and immediately did a cross country trip of over 8,500 miles with no issues. I did not ride much last year but still have over 40,000 miles in her. And I pull a Bushtec trailer on long trips loaded up. Have to figure out an issue with the cruise control speed sensor this spring, but that is aftermarket. Love my R3T and will make her a trike when I can not handle 2 wheels anymore.

 

[steve59]

I thought the eastern beaver kit was recommended for the standard/roadster models with the dual headlights to get that voltage out of the ignition switch due to excessive heat? I didn't know touring models were plagued with melting ign switches.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

That tears it. Ok guys, break out the pitchforks and the tar and the feathers. GET HIM!



The headlight bypass relay kit is actually to minimize voltage drop between the battery and the headlight bulb, primarily. After making its way through a bike's original harness you can, on some bikes, see a not negligible amount of voltage drop due to resistance. Every 0.1 of a volt measurably increased the brightness of a Halogen bulb. They also helped early Rockets by lowering the general current flowing through the keyswitch (instead of the full power to the headlight you now have a trickle that's all that's required to activate the relay that then allows power to flow through cables connected directly between the battery and the headlight.)

But no, the R3T is not a piece of junk. The engine and transmission are fine designs that I'd rate far, far above your Harleys for example. People just casually talk about "carpenterizing" their bikes, ie taking the 106 HP and just doing no changes at all to either the gearbox or final drive and taking the power to 290 HP. Think about that for a second. If you took a Harley and raised its horsepower to 290 HP (not that you can), it would probably rip the rear wheel loose and beat you around the head with it the first time you gave it the beans, as the saying goes.

Sure, some parts are bargain basement, like the hand controls. This is the stuff Triumph wants to sell you nicer versions off. Some design choices are debatable. The standard shocks are kind of blah, but again, nothing shocking there as all OEM's are hunting cost savings, that's why there is a vibrant aftermarket for bike shocks.

I for one have taken my bike on multiple long runs, including an 8-day ride through three separate nations, and the only issue I had was that my rear brake stopped working because I was unconsciously panic braking all the way down a mountainside and caused the brake fluid to boil... once it cooled it was fine.

In the US, there is one big downside from what I gather and that is the lack of dealerships, relative to Harley at least. You can find a Harley dealer on every street corner. So if the bike does break, you need to have a plan for that beforehand.

THE HAND CONTROLS are not BARGAIN BASEMENT they are equal to the best out there and there arent any bargain basement parts on the bike and the shocks on the new bikes are better than the older bikes BUT you can buy better aftermarket shocks and that applies to all the other bikes on the market and the ROCKET is a very good motorcycle proven by the fact you can more than double the stock HP and its still a super reliable beast . I know CARPENTER works on all the other bikes and the Rocket is our choice as the best bike we modify and the most reliable but like any vehical you must service the bike as directed and use the correct lubricants . AND using just the back brake to stop coming down a mountain is not a good Idea as you already found out .

 

[Ygransom]

I thought the eastern beaver kit was recommended for the standard/roadster models with the dual headlights to get that voltage out of the ignition switch due to excessive heat? I didn't know touring models were plagued with melting ign switches.

It or a dyi relay is recommended for early Standard/Classics with dual headlights to remove excess voltage from ignition switch. Theread were very few reports of Touring switches failing. Triumph did eventually add a relay system on the Roadsters.

 

[dougl]

In the US, there is one big downside from what I gather and that is the lack of dealerships, relative to Harley at least. You can find a Harley dealer on every street corner. So if the bike does break, you need to have a plan for that beforehand.

HD makes up for worse reliability with more repair shops on the road. Aren't Hondas the most reliable?

 

[sonny]

I rode a 1100 shadow 120,000 miles and A Honda gold wing about 175,000 miles with out a lick of problems. The only problem was boredom. The bikes are bullet proof just very boring to ride. No BMW has Harley beat as for customer satisfaction. Lowest rating of all brands. If you want a reliable bike buy a Honda, If you want a bike that makes you smile all the time while riding buy a Rocket.