Will triumph developed the roadster any further

[wordwarrior]

One dealer comment eventually turns into rumour if enough people repeat it. I would imagine Triumph have invested a lot in the R3 engine, too much to scrap it! expect development over time. Besides, as someone said, "I got mine"

 

[wordwarrior]

not many people can ride them, or even have the balls to do it. WE LOVE our bikes passionately, but it is a rather small market share who would attempt to ride such a monster on a daily basis. Plus, usually it takes a larger man to ride it, ANYBODY can take a harley or a thunderbird and ride. We are in a class of our own, I will enjoy it, and now maintain my machine knowing that another equal shall never follow.

Disagree. I'm not particularly large, 5'10" 85Kg (ish cough cough) and not particularly strong but the R3R is a *****cat and pretty easy riding. What is possibly true is a lot of younger riders wouldn't get insured so giving the R3 a reputation of being an old mans bike, not a strong mans bike.
Naughty word filter got me. P-U-S-S-Y cat, Really? C'mon

 

[Jeff Cameron]

I would compare the class of bike the Rocket is in (sadly the only bike in this class) to the earlier Honda V65...yes they are very different bikes from different eras but a similar design idea/type of bike ie a cruiser with a big torque motor. Both were some what limited/rare bikes that enjoyed a loyal following by their owners. I am not sure how may units a company like Triumph would need to sell to make it worth their while. In the auto world companies like Porsche carve out a good living selling to a limited market....maybe there is hope!

 

[Sensfan]

Disagree. I'm not particularly large, 5'10" 85Kg (ish cough cough) and not particularly strong but the R3R is a *****cat and pretty easy riding. What is possibly true is a lot of younger riders wouldn't get insured so giving the R3 a reputation of being an old mans bike, not a strong mans bike.
Naughty word filter got me. P-U-S-S-Y cat, Really? C'mon

There are always exceptions, but my smaller brothers find the bike too big, but I agree with the insurance, I get charged for cc displacement, it sucks, but it's worth it

 

[CanberraR3]

I'm sure I'll get roasted for this...... but a spade being called a spade... it is a small market for such a large engine. Historically, oversized motors dont make it in the long run, rune for instance, couldnt cut it, its such a small market to cater to, we own monsters, not many people can ride them, or even have the balls to do it. WE LOVE our bikes passionately, but it is a rather small market share who would attempt to ride such a monster on a daily basis. Plus, usually it takes a larger man to ride it, ANYBODY can take a harley or a thunderbird and ride. We are in a class of our own, I will enjoy it, and now maintain my machine knowing that another equal shall never follow.

You're just plain wrong. It IS an every day ride and the perfect commuter. Name me 1 thing that makes unsuitable for that. OK, a little hot sitting in traffic in summer, but that's it if you actually have got to know your bike. And sorry to disappoint you but the Rocket doesn't require any special skill, but it does need a little practice (and respect). It therefore isn't the ideal bike for those who ride infrequently or are tentative. I'm especially glad it's a niche bike and would hate to see them all over the place. The Rune was a flop not because of it's size but because it looked ridiculous.

 

[wordwarrior]

You're just plain wrong. It IS an every day ride and the perfect commuter. Name me 1 thing that makes unsuitable for that. OK, a little hot sitting in traffic in summer, but that's it if you actually have got to know your bike. And sorry to disappoint you but the Rocket doesn't require any special skill, but it does need a little practice (and respect). It therefore isn't the ideal bike for those who ride infrequently or are tentative. I'm especially glad it's a niche bike and would hate to see them all over the place. The Rune was a flop not because of it's size but because it looked ridiculous.

Hear, Hear!

 

[ksquared]

The answer to Triumph's problem with the R3 is embodied in a particular thread on this Forum:

http://www.r3owners.net/threads/rocket-owners-average-age.17734/

As I recall, our average age was ~53 or thereabouts. That is a VERY old demographic - remember, for every year after 53, the available cohort of riders in general falls off - it is not a growth area. Combine this with the fact that Goldwings and Harley FLs occupy the largest share of that demographic AND that they (like the Rocket) have fanatically loyal customer bases, and you have the essential problem with the R3 - simply not enough market to sustain long-term growth. Triumph is a niche maker with ~50,000 unit/year sales and a VERY limited (at least in the USA) dealer network. This is not good news overall for a micro-niche product like the R3.

That all being said - I love my R3T and it's likely to be the last bike I'll ever buy new.

 

[wordwarrior]

The answer to Triumph's problem with the R3 is embodied in a particular thread on this Forum:

http://www.r3owners.net/threads/rocket-owners-average-age.17734/

As I recall, our average age was ~53 or thereabouts. That is a VERY old demographic - remember, for every year after 53, the available cohort of riders in general falls off - it is not a growth area. Combine this with the fact that Goldwings and Harley FLs occupy the largest share of that demographic AND that they (like the Rocket) have fanatically loyal customer bases, and you have the essential problem with the R3 - simply not enough market to sustain long-term growth. Triumph is a niche maker with ~50,000 unit/year sales and a VERY limited (at least in the USA) dealer network. This is not good news overall for a micro-niche product like the R3.

That all being said - I love my R3T and it's likely to be the last bike I'll ever buy new.

Apologies from someone rapidly approaching 60 for pulling the average age up a tad
Interesting you mention Gold Wing in this group, I was actively considering one before going for the R3R but I found getting a reasonably new used model was prohibitively expensive. Although I did spend a bit more than originally intended on the R5R it was still waaaay cheaper than the GW.

 

[andysbro]

We'll as I started this topic and listing to lots of opinion , one thing has come from this ,that we are all passionate about our bikes, in UK we have a big R3 owners club and Facebook site. But regarding the development of R3 let's see what happens in the next few years. Let's face it look how triumph bonneville has moved on and selling well in the uk. But triumph are out there to make money and I'm giving my fews from people that I hang out with from our local dealership they are not facts only opinions. We want triumph to listen to people like us and see there is a market out there, new paint job would be a start.

 

[nox273]

I Think the new Thunderbird Commander is being produced to woo the Rocket owner over to the thunderbird before they discontinue the Rocket line completely.
Why else would you make the Commander look a lot like a Rocket with dual headlights and fat wheels etc