Why I bought a Rocket...
My story is a little strange. My other bike is a Kawasaski Voyager XII (1200cc tourer) with over 90kmiles on it. I wanted something nice, all metal and economical (and fun) to ride around town (streets in Albuquerque,NM are notorious for poor repairs, and many potholes) because my poor Voyager rattled so bad when I rode it in town that I felt it was going to fall apart. I have a friend that owns a shop that works on classic Triumphs, BSA's and Nortons, and I hang around his shop a lot, plus, I had been wanting a Triumph ever since the 70's (when I was much younger.) So, after being unable to close a deal on a Suzuki Burgman (they wanted too much down), I headed over to my local Triumph dealer, because I heard they also sold scooters. I walked in the door, and there she was, all silver and chrome, sitting in the midsummer sunlight just begging me to try her out. The salesman sauntered over and said, "You like it?"
After I stopped drooling, I said "Yes, but I probably can't afford it" He said, "Lets run the numbers and find out if you can". I gave him my info, and he tossed me the keys, and told me, "just have her back before closing" (it was 10:30AM). I proceeded to put 174miles on her...the most impressive 'test drive' I have ever taken. I came back with a huge grin on my face, and wrote out a check for most of the down, to seal the deal.
I picked her up the next week, and have been riding her ever since. I can honestly say that she makes upin performance (it's FUN to crack the throttle and find yourself at the next light before the cages have even crossed the intersection!) what she lacks in 'utility' or 'economy'...Although a lot of my friends are surprised when I tell them that I can top 40MPG on trips...and she will be going on a lot of trips! Just call me WEIRD!
