The new TFC finally arrived and I took possession of it Friday. It was cold and I was not really recovered from the pneumonia but i could not wait another week. I may do this review in stages and not get to long winded so if I do not cover it all in one post the rest will follow.
Let me first mention the differences between the TFC and the other models. Mostly it is cosmetic. Functionally however the bars and riser are different, the foot peg position is similar to the R but I am not sure if it is exactly the same. There are Ti valves but that does not change the power characteristics much if any. The extra power of about 7 hp comes mostly from the exhaust and tune.
Cosmetically it is more different than just a few carbon fiber bits. Firstly there are quite a few pieces of the fiber stuff all over the bike. The triple trees are cast and ball machined, the boomerangs are black not grey, headlights are trimmed in black, radiator shroud is black…….. and on and on. You can see this all for your self and it may not be important for most of you. To a TFC owner this is more of a big deal. As Mighty Mouse mentioned to me one day, he did not want to see the new R3s everywhere, liking the rarity of the Rocket motorcycles. I did poke at him that he should have bought a TFC.
Ok out of the gate the first thing that really hit me was the clutch. This thing is so light and smooth(a word that re-occur) that it feels like a plastic prop on a children’s toy. I have had hydraulic clutches before but none as nice and smooth as this. It feels like nearly liquid butter in the hand. Oh BTW the mirrors on the outside of the grip is weird and mights cause issues with getting into the grips with oversized winter gloves. I love the clutch function.
The transmission is sublime and smoother than any I have ever see, bar none. The little click is delicate, almost like a thought. There is no whine , sound or any indication that there are gears in the thing it just goes faster every time you shift up. Some how the drive shaft has been improved too. There is much less drivetrain lash upon down shifting than there is with my Gen 1 bike. (2014 RIII Roadster) OMG, can I say that in front of grown men?? The Quick Shifter???? Pure magic and fun as all get out. Now I can shift pretty well and I love the new clutch but this feature is slick-er-n-snot. To pass a vehicle click down one then up two in short order and your doing 100 bucks. Get you some of the Brembo chit and whoa her down. Here is what the quick shifter feels like put in words. Chit-n-git, ya-some-moa.
Sixth gear is for real and not just crammed into the space of the old five. Are the other ratios to close? Not for me I really like the new six pack. 2500 rpm is around 67 mph. 3000 about 80mph. I find myself not using high gear that often thought because the motor likes to rev a bit but more on that in the motor section.
The engine. One more time ,smooth. Power all over but not stunning at 2000 rpm. This motor will want to rev a bit more than the 2.3l bike. Warning if you are accustomed to a highly modified Rocket making 200 plus HP you may think this motor is a little soft. Comparatively speaking it is. Is is quick and moves the bike well but it is NOT scary like my ’14 model. Torque comes on a bit later but stays very well but there is no super rush of a modified bike. Reminds me of the Bentley GTC it just goes and goes. I have only briefly been to 6k rpm and mostly from 3-5000 since I am trying to break the bike in just a little. I have 320 miles on in three rides. I have described the old motor,especially modified, as a sledge hammer and this one is more like a chefs knife. If you are wanting to completely crush another bike in a race then I’d have my old bike do the job , with certainty! If the goals are carving the mountains and having confidence then the new one gets the nod.
I like the FBW throttle. I like it more than the heavy cable system on my ’14 bike. I do not pine for more manual control and am fine with the MAP for the throttle functions. I have only ridden the bike in road mode so far just trying to get used to it and keep consistency to the parameters.
I’ll take a break and later review tires, handling, electronics and pet peeves later. Thanks for reading. any questions?