Our First Ride on the R3T

Today was our first ride on the Rocket. Here are some of my thoughts and highlights

The Rocket had been setting all winter at the Dealership and needed a good dusting and shining.
Panniers and Windshield are easy off. I like it.

Emma and I did 128 miles today. Bike now has 156 miles on her. We braved 30-35 mile per hour winds out of the south. Bike did great. Beat the cr@p out of Emma and I going east and west.

Thoughts

• I should have gotten the optional reverse gear.
• I need to start working out.
• When coming to a stop and turning do not turn the bike into the turn and stop. She gets real heavy to the side you are turning.
  
• Power is the key to everything on the Rocket. She is happiest when she is moving.
• I need to spend some time in a parking lot practicing slow speed maneuvering.
• The stock pipes have got to go. Bike reminds me of the Alice Chalmers tractor I used to drive.
  
• The seat might be OK if I did not have a Mustang seat on my America. It will go.
• The inline 3 is so different I do not have an ear for it yet. New pipes will help.
• Air Horn is going to happen.

Went to my parents. Dad asked about the running lights. Hit the switch............nothing.

Heading home made a quick stop at a friends house and he took a picture of us. Steve and Christy Kruger. Steve has 2 Triumphs and an assortment of other bikes. He liked the Rocket.

Everything going great then a yellow light comes on. OH CR@P, oh I need fuel. $10.47 dang.
Got home and took my daughter Kate for a ride to Jimmy Johns.
Got home and ate.

Now those driving lights?

I get out the manual to look at the lights. Accessories Fuse.......Lets see.
Get out the tool kit that came with the bike. Oh heck no. Into the tool box.
OK
I now know how to remove the sissy bar and luggage rack and seat. That seat is a master piece of.
First thing I notice is a 5 mm wrench on top of the air box. I am not the first one here.
Into the fuse box and yup 15 amp fuse is blown.
Off to O'Reillys. They close at 9 pm on Sundays...........9:02 pm..........The door is locked........He sees me........He opens the door..........I need this fuse...........Come on in............There is a GOD.

Note: for those of you that will tell me there is an extra fuse in the box. Yes I know. I am just OCD and did not want to take the bike apart to put a spare fuse in the box.

Installed the new fuse........turned on the engine......hit the button. Houston we have lights......... and 4 extra fuses.

Put the bike back together and done for the night. Next project? Adjust the driving lights.

All in All a great first day. I love this bike.

looks awesome!!! Your post has me pondering getting the touring model!!

BillyIndiana said:

Today was our first ride on the Rocket. Here are some of my thoughts and highlights

The Rocket had been setting all winter at the Dealership and needed a good dusting and shining.
Panniers and Windshield are easy off. I like it.

Emma and I did 128 miles today. Bike now has 156 miles on her. We braved 30-35 mile per hour winds out of the south. Bike did great. Beat the cr@p out of Emma and I going east and west.

Thoughts

• I should have gotten the optional reverse gear.
• I need to start working out.
• When coming to a stop and turning do not turn the bike into the turn and stop. She gets real heavy to the side you are turning.
  
• Power is the key to everything on the Rocket. She is happiest when she is moving.
• I need to spend some time in a parking lot practicing slow speed maneuvering.
• The stock pipes have got to go. Bike reminds me of the Alice Chalmers tractor I used to drive.
  
• The seat might be OK if I did not have a Mustang seat on my America. It will go.
• The inline 3 is so different I do not have an ear for it yet. New pipes will help.

Went to my parents. Dad asked about the running lights. Hit the switch............nothing.

Heading home made a quick stop at a friends house and he took a picture of us. Steve and Christy Kruger. Steve has 2 Triumphs and an assortment of other bikes. He liked the Rocket.

Everything going great then a yellow light comes on. OH CR@P, oh I need fuel. $10.47 dang.
Got home and took my daughter Kate for a ride to Jimmy Johns.
Got home and ate.

Now those driving lights?

I get out the manual to look at the lights. Accessories Fuse.......Lets see.
Get out the tool kit that came with the bike. Oh heck no. Into the tool box.
OK
I now know how to remove the sissy bar and luggage rack and seat. That seat is a master piece of.
First thing I notice is a 5 mm wrench on top of the air box. I am not the first one here.
Into the fuse box and yup 15 amp fuse is blown.
Off to O'Reillys. They close at 9 pm on Sundays...........9:02 pm..........The door is locked........He sees me........He opens the door..........I need this fuse...........Come on in............There is a GOD.

Note: for those of you that will tell me there is an extra fuse in the box. Yes I know. I am just OCD and did not want to take the bike apart to put a spare fuse in the box.

Installed the new fuse........turned on the engine......hit the button. Houston we have lights......... and 4 extra fuses.

Put the bike back together and done for the night. Next project? Adjust the driving lights.

All in All a great first day. I love this bike.

Click to expand...

Optional reverse gear? ........ you'll learn to be very careful where you park it, can be embarrassing asking passers by to push! Not that anybody on this forum has ever had to do that!!

I have a reverse gear she sits behind me on the bike

My reverse gear also doubles as a GPS/navigator.

By the way, congratulations on the new Rocket. I can't think of many things about mine I don't like.

Later,
Jerry C

BillyIndiana said:

Today was our first ride on the Rocket. Here are some of my thoughts and highlights

The Rocket had been setting all winter at the Dealership and needed a good dusting and shining.
Panniers and Windshield are easy off. I like it.

Emma and I did 128 miles today. Bike now has 156 miles on her. We braved 30-35 mile per hour winds out of the south. Bike did great. Beat the cr@p out of Emma and I going east and west.

Thoughts

• I should have gotten the optional reverse gear.
• I need to start working out.
• When coming to a stop and turning do not turn the bike into the turn and stop. She gets real heavy to the side you are turning.
  
• Power is the key to everything on the Rocket. She is happiest when she is moving.
• I need to spend some time in a parking lot practicing slow speed maneuvering.
• The stock pipes have got to go. Bike reminds me of the Alice Chalmers tractor I used to drive.
  
• The seat might be OK if I did not have a Mustang seat on my America. It will go.
• The inline 3 is so different I do not have an ear for it yet. New pipes will help.
• Air Horn is going to happen.

Went to my parents. Dad asked about the running lights. Hit the switch............nothing.

Heading home made a quick stop at a friends house and he took a picture of us. Steve and Christy Kruger. Steve has 2 Triumphs and an assortment of other bikes. He liked the Rocket.

Everything going great then a yellow light comes on. OH CR@P, oh I need fuel. $10.47 dang.
Got home and took my daughter Kate for a ride to Jimmy Johns.
Got home and ate.

Now those driving lights?

I get out the manual to look at the lights. Accessories Fuse.......Lets see.
Get out the tool kit that came with the bike. Oh heck no. Into the tool box.
OK
I now know how to remove the sissy bar and luggage rack and seat. That seat is a master piece of.
First thing I notice is a 5 mm wrench on top of the air box. I am not the first one here.
Into the fuse box and yup 15 amp fuse is blown.
Off to O'Reillys. They close at 9 pm on Sundays...........9:02 pm..........The door is locked........He sees me........He opens the door..........I need this fuse...........Come on in............There is a GOD.

Note: for those of you that will tell me there is an extra fuse in the box. Yes I know. I am just OCD and did not want to take the bike apart to put a spare fuse in the box.

Installed the new fuse........turned on the engine......hit the button. Houston we have lights......... and 4 extra fuses.

Put the bike back together and done for the night. Next project? Adjust the driving lights.

All in All a great first day. I love this bike.

Click to expand...

Your stream-of-thought narration is fantastic!

Sounds like a satisfying time

2000 mile update.

Took the bike to a place in Jonesboro Indiana called Ride N' Leather. They stripped the seat down to the base and rebuilt it. 2 inches of memory foam, moved me forward about an inch, and fashioned a saddle so I sit in it not on it, narrowed the front, and put the original cover back on it. I LOVE IT. My feet are flat on the ground even with my 29 inch inseam.

Went back the next weekend and they custom fit a sheepskin over the seat. LOVE IT. Also picked up a phone and cup holder.
They did both projects while I waited in about 2 hours and I rode away.

Ordered the Triumph pannier liners, TORS and adjustable highway pegs through Pure Triumph.

The pegs had a 30mm bolt cross threaded from Triumph. They sent me out new ones and as much as I hated paying the price for them they are worth every cent.

TORS had dings in both pipes. Really would not have cared, but the right side pipe had a ding right on the side and was extremely visible. They are back order from Triumph.

Got Triumph liners for the panniers. At first I thought they were a waste of $80.00, but they are actually pretty high tech material and nice.

Got a Tourmaster Coaster SL XL travel bag set from Revzilla. I really like it also. With it being a 2 piece set I can use either bag separately or for the long halls stack em'. Emma did not go with me on my last ride so I just took the lower unit. Flipped it around on the back seat and had a backrest. I was with 8 other bikes from our Midwest Triumph Riders group and at one point on a hot 95 degree afternoon had 4 jackets on board. Felt kinda like Mary Poppins.



Things I will be addressing soon.

Hate the grips. They need to be bigger. I am going to try leather wraps on them first. They have matching wraps for the clutch and brake so why not.

Getting a Go Cruise 2.

The bike and I are getting along great.

Best thing that has happened is I met Eldon Avery that lives about an hour from me and has the same 2015 R3T as me. It is strange riding with another Rocket, but we are having a great time together. I will post some pictures soon.

BillyIndiana said:

Got Triumph liners for the panniers. At first I thought they were a waste of $80.00, but they are actually pretty high tech material and nice.

Hate the grips. They need to be bigger. I am going to try leather wraps on them first. They have matching wraps for the clutch and brake so why not.

Click to expand...

Got a link for the Trumpy Pannier liners? I've not heard of these?

My 2012 TR3T had Oxford heated grips fitted when I bought it. I've had these on last 2 bikes I've had, they are fatter grips than standard and can get really hot, so much so that even riding with 10 feet of snow drifts on each side of the Napier - Taupo Road (famous road here in Aotearoa) I was still wearing my vented summer gloves. They run directly off battery, switched by a relay of course.

munster said:

Got a link for the Trumpy Pannier liners? I've not heard of these?

My 2012 TR3T had Oxford heated grips fitted when I bought it. I've had these on last 2 bikes I've had, they are fatter grips than standard and can get really hot, so much so that even riding with 10 feet of snow drifts on each side of the Napier - Taupo Road (famous road here in Aotearoa) I was still wearing my vented summer gloves. They run directly off battery, switched by a relay of course.

Click to expand...

Sorry missed this somehow Here is the link for the liners

Triumph Saddlebag Liners T2350118