Keep'n it stock?

Good day all,
I have approximately 10 months to go until a R3R graces my stable so in the absence I spend a lot of time reading through this forum. I am curious, does anyone keep there Rocket stock? I don't mean replacing mirrors or seats, cosmetic stuff. I seem to spend a lot of time reading about performance upgrades. Do you upgrade the performance on your Rocket because it needs it in your opinion or is it simply you do it just because?

It's funny to read that, on the average everyone talks about how powerful and impressive the rocket is right out of the box and then in the same breath the conversation switches to potential performance upgrades. What brought this question on was my dealer asking me " When I get my Rocket what will be the first mod?" I simply replied isn't stock good enough? I was met with a dunno.

That said, if you upgraded your rocket because you felt it needed it, what did you do and why and was it worth it.
Thanks
Kevin

More power! It is addictive.

Dawg, it is a very fair and sensible question. Are you sure you want a rocket? LOL not for the sensible.

The reality is, every time you ride that monster, you get a rush of adrenalin and endorphins that give you an amasing sense of delight. In such you get addicted to the rush. Adrenalin and endorphins are 2 of the most addictive chemicals known to mankind. So while there are some that I'm certain will be happy to just ride it, I align it with a carnival ride. Imagine for instance going to the superman ride...great fun, pulling great moves and feeling G's you are not accustomed to gives you a rush. Now if you went on that same ride everyday, perhaps several times a day, you get used to it and you might just start seeking more. More G's, more speed, more of all of it. What you are really chasing is more adrenalin, more endorphins.

It's why gym junkies always say, once they start going to gym they cant stop but once they break for a while getting back into the gym is hard. You are actually getting addicted to the adrenalin release.

The type of rocket owner that rides it once in a while and is happy to park it under covers the rest of the time I guess certainly exists but they are the type of rocket owner that doesn't log onto this site and write comments daily. What you read about here are the rocket fanatics. We may only represent a certain percentage but I guess we might be considered the more extreme rocket owner.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with buying a rocket and keeping it completely stock and riding it. I wish I was the type that could do that. Id probably own a few more bikes if i did.

TOMCAT said:

I'm happy with the performance of mine. I've got a custom three into one exhaust system and K&N filters. At 60,000klms my bike needed new rear shockies. Replaced the stock rear shocks with a set of Gazi's. The rest of the mods (there's plenty) were just getting it to look a bit different or make it comfortable for me and Catherine. Think you'll find that most of the Owners have done similar to what I have as far as performance goes ( Except for CanberraR3 , he still has stock headers )

Click to expand...

'Oi' stock headers are all the go now if you want something different with all these Reband pipes about.

What I found was for the first few months it was a beast to handle and get used to especially since I always ride accompanied by my wife because she loves riding.

Afterwards it felt a little slow for its size, so I fitted the GPpro-ATRE to remove the ignition retard in gears 1-3 then the bike came alive and the rest is history.

Not sure if new models have Ignition retard, seem to remember reading something on the subject.

Anyway that's my excuse

IMHO its not about performance...its about making your rocket...YOUR ROCKET...whether is has more power or more performance (whatever that means), Rockets are all about what YOU want out of them. They are the most INDIVIDUAL bike I have ever been associated with. They can be mild or wild...entirely up to you

I picked up a new 2012 last winter and only have a couple hundred miles on it so far as a second "fun" bike. I only added the TORs and associated map at the dealer when I bought it and haven't changed anything else (w/ the motor). I really comes alive as the RPMs increase. Knowing from the forum (BAD INFLUENCE ) that the power is available from the get-go makes it a "no-brainer". I'll be making a couple changes!

two words describe most Rocket riders .......
Power Junkies

I bought mine because so many bikes out there are at a high level of tune that you would have to spend big dollars to make it stand out and be better than stock where as the Rocket can be improved because it is at such a low state of tune in std form so anybody want a good starting point has a good platform to start with to get their power fix

Thanks guys, and it's just what I thought when I was typing the question. I like Ponters point of view on the subject. Adrenaline is amazing stuff, that is one of the reasons I want to purchase a Rocket. I plan on riding this bike everyday, please understand that I live in Canada so everyday to me is limited to 7 months if I'm lucky. If I want to ride more i will have to trailer it south of the boarder...which I plan to do. I am so looking forward to what this bike has to offer but as most of you I will be, as stated earlier, making my Rocket, my rocket. I was just curious if the mods need to be done or if they were being done to fuel a personal requirement for whatever drives you, I guess I'll fit right in.
Cheers