I recently lucked out and found a pair of unused shocks off a Roadster for $90 (seriously) the guy had replaced them after almost no use. I had them put on my 2006 and experienced an amazing difference (I replaced the old Avons also). If you can afford a decent set of shocks and good tires you will have an amazingly, mind boggling easy bike to ride. A Rocket with bad shocks and tires is extremely challenging to ride and should be avoided, if only for the fact that you might think the bike is a pig when in fact it is the greatest motorcycle ever produced and needs to be well kept.
I repeat, a well maintained Rocket is the greatest motorcycle ever produced.