Thunderbird?

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

I still think there is a place for the 3 designs I suggested earlier. Yes full blown power hooligan bike, the lite cruiser with styled hard bags and then the full dress Goldwing style cross country bike with everything from stem to stern including a trailer hitch, heck Triumph could even offer a matching styled trailer. Honda Goldwing has been around for 40 years and it still sells well.

 

[TRMAN]

I still think there is a place for the 3 designs I suggested earlier. Yes full blown power hooligan bike, the lite cruiser with styled hard bags and then the full dress Goldwing style cross country bike with everything from stem to stern including a trailer hitch, heck Triumph could even offer a matching styled trailer. Honda Goldwing has been around for 40 years and it still sells well.

There's Talk and there's Torque ......... I'm for Torque

 

[Idaho Red Rocket 3]

Let's roll thunder and all go to RAA 9 Montrose, CO. See you there.

 

[TxRIIIRider]

The day the Thunderbird came out, I figured the writing was on the wall for the Rocket.. The (current) Thunderbird is no Rocket, but it appeals to a much larger audience. I am actually surprised Triumph hasn't killed the Rocket this year as it is a competitor to the Thunderbird and I am sure the profit margin is pretty low. Triumph has already killed off most of the accessories that used to be available for the Rocket in the early years.

 

[DJ]

My local triumph dealer hasn't heard anything about killing the R3. But, was quick to point out the R3 engine is 10years old and they now have 5 models between the t-bird and the R3 with the T-bird selling more!

Time will tell.

Dan

 

[cr0ft]

Yeah I suppose the "cruiser riders are intimidated by power" thing could explain why Triumph hobbled the R3T out of the gate as well with that atrocious ECU map (that I keep going on about, because I'm still pissed I rode with that crap for two long years...) But yeah, I think the logical thing for Triumph to do is to kill off the R3T and focus on the Thunderbirds. They'd be silly to cancel the R3 Roadster though, it's a distinctive bike and the engine gives them lots of bragging rights. But they do need to heat it up some more. It has to blow bikes like the Yamaha V-Max away out of the box, not do the quarter mile slower.

The R3 engine is a massive behemoth of an engine though - its characteristics are great for a big tourer, but its size is hugely unwieldy if you're going to wrap it in touring plastics. Just look at the Gold Wing engine - it has a much lower and wider profile so you can build touring plastics all on top of it and around it.

Triumph should definitely build a big tourer as well... but (bias aside) I'm not sure the Rocket engine would be the best way to go. They need something that size but in a different configuration more suited to the task.

 

[Sensfan]

Apparently according to previous posts, Triumph has already rolled the last of the R3T's out of the factory already. I get other riders commenting that they do feel the R is too big for them,I have had a few people mention if the Thunderbird came out with a cruiser they would opt for that instead. My OPINION is that anything else I swing my leg over feels too small and inferior to what I own now, I'll be keeping this one for as long as it lasts.

 

[nate]

So Triumph has put all of it's eggs into the p-16. They came out with 2 more models this year and the phantom harley sightings were triumph using the big p-twin with the road king body! Why should this frustrate me, i'm not going to buy an LT for the same price as a R3t. I don't get it. The bird is an easy, forgiving, and more conventional cruiser but the rocket is a beast! this is the "you can have your cake and eat it too" bike!!! so,wtf more rocket choices please, Triumph can figure it out,

I couldn't agree more. I went yesterday to look at a new rocket and found all the black to be rather cheap looking. I ride a classic with the chrome and didn't like everything being blacked out on the new roadster. I really want a new rocket but Im not buying a blacked out roadster, and I don't want a r3t, I still like to melt the back tire and pull one up on the back tire when the kids dare me too!

 

[TOMCAT]

I couldn't agree more. I went yesterday to look at a new rocket and found all the black to be rather cheap looking. I ride a classic with the chrome and didn't like everything being blacked out on the new roadster. I really want a new rocket but Im not buying a blacked out roadster, and I don't want a r3t, I still like to melt the back tire and pull one up on the back tire when the kids dare me too!

Paint and chrome fix that Nate .. bonus is you get an individual bike .. lot to be said for different. At our first RDU we had 26 Rockets (and 1 Touring ) .. they were all different , every one of them had been personalised by it's owner. Was excellent checking out all the things guys had made, had made for them or bits they'd modified.

 

[CanberraR3]

I really dislike the way manufacturers decide to do the customising. Witness the Honda Fury. If that was your go, it would have been a real rewarding exercise to turn your cruiser into a chopper like that, but it's a strange breed that wants to buy one out of the factory. I feel the same about some of the Victories too. The blacking out of the Rocket isn't quite the same thing, but close. Blacking out chrome is a real simple way to make your bike a bit different. I guess it won't be long before Roadster owners start chroming the black bits.