Next Rocket model

[IMFASTTOO]

The reason is they sell mostly to old guys who remember that look but weren't able to buy one back then.

Those things were ugly back then I know I had a 37 Scout and a 40 Chief. The Scout was really slow I had a horse that was faster in the 1/4 mile

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

Those things were ugly back then I know I had a 37 Scout and a 40 Chief. The Scout was really slow I had a horse that was faster in the 1/4 mile

They were pitiful as far as speed went and to make matters worse they only had three speed transmissions. They were just a slight a step up from a Whizzer or a Cushman. I had an Chief engine which was 74 cu inches in a Scout frame, a Scout was 45 cu inches. That conversion was called a Chout. It was better but still not good, the three speed trans and the belt driven generators were the worst things about them. I also had a 38 Indian Four which looked pretty good but was not as fast as the same year 74 cu inch Harley Knucklehead and rode terrible. I was still a teenager then and just loved anything with two wheels and a motor.

 

[R-III-R Turbo]

My ONLY wish list item regarding new Rockets is that there be factory options for the Carp mods in similar fashion as with Motor Trike.

I would like the opportunity to order a new Rocket that comes with 225 to 265 horsies!

Yes I think with the talks of the rocket losing its displacement mantle triumph should switch tac and make the world's most powerful production road bike.

Currently that title is held by a little 207bhp or something bike iirc. Triumph could beat that with even the current stock exhaust and carpenter spec internals

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

I doubt they will ever offer a 250 hp Rocket 3 but you can have one anyway with a Carpenter kit. The factory doesn't want to deal with all the problems that occur when the customer base is guys that all wanna prove they're the fastest man on earth. It costs plenty to build that bike and have it last through the warranty period and deal with the lawsuits from the attorneys that a family will hire to prove it was part of the reason that caused the death of a loved one.

 

[TriumPhil]

In the wrong hands these bikes are lethal weapons, especially when you get north of 175 rwhp, Dave. Not that any bike can't be a suicide machine, mind you...

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

I agree with you on both counts. I also believe it a more limited market for those that would buy a bike with that much HP at the price they would have to charge. How many people have a Carpenter bike which costs about 6000 extra for a brand new one as compared to a new bone stock one. If the factory made one it would probably cost at least 4000 more and maybe even more than the 6000. There are guys that just want the most possible performance available and they're willing to pay for it. Guys like Carpenter will always have a market. I used to sell V8 Choppers and fifty percent opted for the most power available (675 HP) no matter what the cost. The least power was 425 HP at the time and those bikes were lightning fast but of course not as fast as 675HP. There will always be a market for the biggest and baddest. When we sold the 675HP bikes we knew the transmission would probably break and need warranty replacement. There would likely to be overheating problems and we priced the bike accordingly. I'm amazed at what can be done with the Rocket 3 as far as power goes without redoing the lower ends. They are a strong motor. One drawback for more power is its not as useable as it could be because there is no way to change the gear ratios. More power makes 1st gear pretty much useless and high gear not high enough.

 

[IMFASTTOO]

I agree with you on both counts. I also believe it a more limited market for those that would buy a bike with that much HP at the price they would have to charge. How many people have a Carpenter bike which costs about 6000 extra for a brand new one as compared to a new bone stock one. If the factory made one it would probably cost at least 4000 more and maybe even more than the 6000. There are guys that just want the most possible performance available and they're willing to pay for it. Guys like Carpenter will always have a market. I used to sell V8 Choppers and fifty percent opted for the most power available (675 HP) no matter what the cost. The least power was 425 HP at the time and those bikes were lightning fast but of course not as fast as 675HP. There will always be a market for the biggest and baddest. When we sold the 675HP bikes we knew the transmission would probably break and need warranty replacement. There would likely to be overheating problems and we priced the bike accordingly. I'm amazed at what can be done with the Rocket 3 as far as power goes without redoing the lower ends. They are a strong motor. One drawback for more power is its not as useable as it could be because there is no way to change the gear ratios. More power makes 1st gear pretty much useless and high gear not high enough.

WELL DAVE your way off on the gear ratio being off you dont need to change the ratios wih the Carpenter setup we designed the package to compliment the standard ratios as we modded the engine to make it user friendly by raising the powerband and rev limit so you can use 1st gear as you can see by the video of the 8 second 1/4 mile run and high gear will give a top speed of around 235+ mph and cruising on the highway its smoother than a stock Rocket and will get 40+ MPG on reg pump gas I like cruising my modded bike more than my stock Classic is smoother and of course a real blast when you open the throttle and feel the HP nothing else compares in the motorcycle world .

 

[IMFASTTOO]

In the wrong hands these bikes are lethal weapons, especially when you get north of 175 rwhp, Dave. Not that any bike can't be a suicide machine, mind you...

Any motorcycle in the wrong hands is a lethal weapon as you say .

 

[IMFASTTOO]

In the wrong hands these bikes are lethal weapons, especially when you get north of 175 rwhp, Dave. Not that any bike can't be a suicide machine, mind you...

MOST of the accidents Ive seen have been with wackos road racing or riding drunk or both in fact it doesnt matter what bike they ride they are going to Crash and examples would be CRAZY DAVE , CRACKHEAD JOHN , WILD BILL and DOUCHEBAG CHRIS you no them all PHIL LOL

 

[LAS VEGAS DAVE]

WELL DAVE your way off on the gear ratio being off you dont need to change the ratios wih the Carpenter setup we designed the package to compliment the standard ratios as we modded the engine to make it user friendly by raising the powerband and rev limit so you can use 1st gear as you can see by the video of the 8 second 1/4 mile run and high gear will give a top speed of around 235+ mph and cruising on the highway its smoother than a stock Rocket and will get 40+ MPG on reg pump gas I like cruising my modded bike more than my stock Classic is smoother and of course a real blast when you open the throttle and feel the HP nothing else compares in the motorcycle world .

My view is that with the power it has you will be done with 1st gear in a second or two. I would imagine that you could probably start out in second gear just fine. It was designed around the gears it has because there's no easy way to change the ratio as there is with sprockets or pulleys. I also doubt the statement NOTHING else compares in the motorcycle world even though I believe its in the top tier. I know some of the V8 Choppers I've sold you can grab a handful of throttle at 3000 rpms which is about 80 mph and lay a long strip of rubber on the freeway, with proper throttle management the speed from 80 to 160 is incredible, maybe faster than the Carpenter Rocket 3. Maybe nothing else in the motorcycle compares to that but thats a statement I won't make. I like the feeling of torque at a lower rpm better than the power band being real high but both have their pro's and cons in the absolute speed world. The thing is that these are street bikes and top speeds are rarely reached on the streets. The V8 Choppers are running in the 9 second quarter mile times and I know they aren't the fastest but the torque of 427 cu inches and 575 hp at low rpms make them feel pretty good on the street. I am not downing the accomplishments of Carpenter Racing but statements such as "nothing else compares in the motorcycle world" is just an opinion, not a fact. Carpenter also modifies the Hyabusa and possibly the owner of one of those might feel its even faster or more powerful than the Rocket. As far as I know the Harley Davidson might still be the current 1/4 mile record holder even though its no more a Harley than my Triumph is and its only 2 cylinders.