My take on the Rocket....

[Dragbars]

Stopped by my local shop yesterday.......80 degrees and sunshiny, didn't have anything planned for the next hour or so and just figured I would see what's new......anywho, normal for me is to walk in and swing a leg over any and all new bikes. Course I know everybody in there by name and they all know me and I guess this time Flip was tired of me telling him, " I 'll ride it when the weather is good". I didn't have a choice this time.....he went to get me a loner lid and search for the key. Lid was easy and about the time he asked the owner where the key to the Rocket 3 was I showed up with it. Flip tells me to ride it out of the showroom ( you know, the typical showroom with new bikes packed in so tight that mirrors touch when you bring them off the side stand ). Understand ......I've never ridden this bike before and although it weighs a bunch it was VERY,VERY ridable at showroom speeds.......2 miles per hour, feet on the pegs and aiming for the front doors. Outside now......I turn the key off, side stand down, handelbars turned to the right, step off and give it a gentle tug to secure it on it's support. I retrieve my sunglasses from the truck, come back and kick the tires on the Rocket, give it the walk around, grab the loaner lid from Flip and straddle the beast. This time when I start it I actually pay attention....key on, press the start button and nothing happens...oh yea, fuel injection, gotta' wait. Running now, kinda' sounds like a blown Valk with a bad nose cone bearing.....rattling from the left side, runs kinda choppy at idle, torques to the right, way to quiet, sits nice though, buttons are in the right place, pegs are in the right place for me on a cruiser and the handelbars have a nice pullback on them. Roadtest time, again, this bike is very easy at walking speeds, doesn't feel like 700 plus pounds of 3 cylinder go power. Check traffic in both direstions and proceed......hummmmm, doesn't have blower bike torque, must be detuned in 1 st and 2 nd gear, guess I'll try 3rd......cool, this bike runs half way decent, lots of any gear, any speed roll on power with really fantastic brakes. Handles great although any one wanting to lower the rear with a set of Progressive shocks better think twice as lane transitions and road bumps will transmit to your spinal cord through the really comfortable seat. It's a naked bike so you get alot of wind over the double headlamps but other than that I was impressed..........It's a fun bike to ride, power is linear and doesn't seam to want to stop, 70 to 100 is just a flick away, pegs position works double as the highway pegs for me. Bike is easy to ride with only the throttle hand.....very predictable. Overall, would it take a blown Valk......don't think it would be the bike so much as it would be the rider cause' it takes C.O. Jones to ride both to their max......add the really loud off road pipe and re-map and we might have a different story. Bottom line.....Truimph has done a good job IMHO.

More latter when I ride it again !!!!!! 8)

[Highlander]

Thanks for the information, DB. I think I will stick to the blown Valk. It is in my blood. :D

[Bumblebee]

Hey Dragbars, what roads did you take it on down there?? Bumblebee over in Carthage.

[V-MAN]

I think I see a Rocket sitting in your garage after another ride! :) I was able to ride one in Laconia and I was impressed ... TONS and TONS of torque in that engine. I wish I was able to ride it "alone" and not in a group setting, would have been much more fun.

So what color you gonna git????? :wink:

[shftr]

:D


'

[Yogi]

Yep, that was my thoughts too Christian. I think it needs a year for the aftermarket to catch up. I'd like to see the price come down a little but doubt it will. I'll be sticking with my NEW valk! Picked up an Interstate last week!. :D

[LaMonster]

So are we looking at one of these for the barn? :D