Thunderbird?

[cr0ft]

The bike isn't at all ideal for city traffic. Especially in hot, bumper to bumper, city traffic. The heft and bulk does make it an only so-so commuter, compared to a slinky little supermoto or something. And while the cooling design on the R3 is sane and functional (none of that shutting down 50% of the engine because it got a little warm nonsense), when that giant propeller up front kicks in as you're standing in a queue in the summer you do feel it. I love the bike for all the other times, but for commuting if lanesplittning and queues are a reality... I'd probably get a second bike for that. A DR-Z 400 with street tires, perhaps.

Thankfully my commute is 100% queue free.

Triumph need to emphasize the scariness of the bike, imho, not minimize it. It's for people who like that sort of thing. More horsepower out of the gate, make it the most brutal bike ever sold stock. The bragging rights would be worth it.

 

[CanberraR3]

I feel the Rocket is a fantastic commuter. It only needs a few inches more than most small bikes and is no wider than pretty much every cruiser on the road. I find lane splitting and moving through traffic is not a problem at all. It's bulk and shear presence make it more visible and motorists tend to give it more room. Plus there's plenty of bikes that give out as much or more heat. Touring may be more cumbesome I guess, but if you ride these things frequently there should be no problem handling traffic.

 

[cr0ft]

Well, you're hugely biased. A Rocket as a lanesplitter compared to a DR-Z Supermoto isn't even comparable. I love the bike in either form, don't get me wrong, but this much bulk and heft is not ideal for nippy maneuvers in traffic. The weight difference between the standard and the touring isn't that huge.

 

[steve59]

had the wife on back yesterday and at a red light in the right lane we leaned a bit to much and i couldnt hold it up first time for everything. wife took a tumble but was a champ about it. a long day in fla sun but a smaller bike might have made a difference. the dresser bars prevented any damage.

 

[cr0ft]

had the wife on back yesterday and at a red light in the right lane we leaned a bit to much and i couldnt hold it up first time for everything. wife took a tumble but was a champ about it. a long day in fla sun but a smaller bike might have made a difference. the dresser bars prevented any damage.

Well, as they say, **** happens. I dropped mine in the driveway when I fumbled the clutch. Engine bars kept mine from cratering badly too, well that and me hauling at it with near-superhuman strength from hysteria shouting no no no as it was tipping over.

 

[DJ]

The bike isn't at all ideal for city traffic. Especially in hot, bumper to bumper, city traffic. The heft and bulk does make it an only so-so commuter, compared to a slinky little supermoto or something. And while the cooling design on the R3 is sane and functional (none of that shutting down 50% of the engine because it got a little warm nonsense), when that giant propeller up front kicks in as you're standing in a queue in the summer you do feel it. I love the bike for all the other times, but for commuting if lanesplittning and queues are a reality... I'd probably get a second bike for that. A DR-Z 400 with street tires, perhaps.

Thankfully my commute is 100% queue free.

Triumph need to emphasize the scariness of the bike, imho, not minimize it. It's for people who like that sort of thing. More horsepower out of the gate, make it the most brutal bike ever sold stock. The bragging rights would be worth it.

Motorcycles, like life is a compromise.
Is the R3 the best commuter bike? No. Can you commute on the R3? Yes.
Sorry I don't get the "...emphasize the scariness of the bike..."
The bike is (IMO) not scary at all. If Triumph is to emphasize anything I would like them to emphasize its abilities, stability, power, and uniqueness. They should also emphasize it's probably not a beginner bike. But other than that-a bike is a bike is a bike. You get out of it what you put into it. In our case respect the beast and her power and she will treat you very well, and give you many miles of smiles!

Dan

 

[norseman]

Motorcycles, like life is a compromise.
Is the R3 the best commuter bike? No. Can you commute on the R3? Yes.
Sorry I don't get the "...emphasize the scariness of the bike..."
The bike is (IMO) not scary at all. If Triumph is to emphasize anything I would like them to emphasize its abilities, stability, power, and uniqueness. They should also emphasize it's probably not a beginner bike. But other than that-a bike is a bike is a bike. You get out of it what you put into it. In our case respect the beast and her power and she will treat you very well, and give you many miles of smiles!

Dan

Scariness is a subjective thing. It has been stated more than a few times that the american cruiser market is believed to be intimidated by the power of the R3. Harleys being the standard, anything with over 100 hp is potentially scary. I think they might move more roadsters in the USA if they did some more promoting of the bike based on its power and presence. HD sells millions of bikes based largely on the illusion of uniqueness, rebellion, and individuality. If they can pull that off, I'm pretty sure Triumph could pitch the R3 as scary

On a tangent, I saw a Harley Davidson ad on their homepage that said "Ride Hard or Stay Home". I'm guessing if you select an HD and request a quote a splash screen comes up that says "You have selected Stay Home! Welcome to the Harley Davidson family!" Nothing against Harleys, but "ride hard" doesn't seem to be an applicable mantra.

 

[steve59]

I think it was the mid 80's harley became the "yuppie" toy, it was like an exclusive brand of golf clubs or something, but there were those of us patch holding loyalist's or in my case wannabe might come closer to the mark. the 1%'s bike if joe citizen saw a bunch of harleys in the parking lot he kept going to the next restaurant now it's completely opposite! kinda funny really. easy rider out wild hogs in. Triumph seems to have been put back together by some intelligent people that know how to compete in the real world competing against real motorcycles, I chuckle now when I see harley's go bye, so much money so little value. no matter where we park the rocket it draws and i like it.

 

[ricochet]

I commute on my R3R almost every single day in bumper to bumper traffic. I live in Toronto, or just north of it... where even we get traffic that takes 1 hour to go 9 miles. I find it works very well! Just the heat on the right side gets hot but I manage quite well. When I spoke to the wife about it, she said the only solution was to get a second bike. I hate when she's sensible like that.

 

[kaivalagi]

But you don't filter right? Or should I say you're not supposed to

There is no comparison between a high up and narrow supermoto and a rocket for filtering. Don't get me wrong, the Rocket is manageable at slow speeds and is nice to keep rolling on without putting your feet down but no good for getting through traffic a lot of the time.

Coming home from the British Superbike at Snetterton on Sunday there were endless queues of cars leaving the circuit that I would have had a hard job getting through on the rocket, the supermoto could go in and out lanes cutting between stopped cars and through small gaps down the middle etc with no issues