I am a newbie to the sight so thank you for having me first of all! Next I currently own a 2006 Harley SG not alot of accesories but none the less I love it! I am at the moment looking at a  2011 Triumph Rocket 3 Touring with 9k miles to trade in my HD for? I know nothing of these bikes except that they are massive machines which is what caught my eye in the first place.Any info or comments would be greatly appreciated! Thank You for looking


Good Trade Off or no way?
Great Bikes or Stay away from?
Exspensive to maintain?

You don't have a triumph dealer on every corner. That's all I got on that.

 Don't know much about them myself, but here is a review from back when it was new... http://ultimatemotorcycling.com/2011-triumph-rocket-3-roadster-test/

I would think you're talking apples and oranges here. 2 completely different styles of riding.

I've got an '07 FXDL with 83K+ miles and wouldn't dream of trading her off. Get just as excited when seeing her in the garage now as I did 8 years ago (today) on the dealer's showroom floor. Just finished a 5300 km run in June and was real happy with the performance. But I do most of the maintenance, know the engine/bike and my style of riding fits the bike's characteristics and abilities.

If you want to ride differently or the SG is giving you problems go for it. If not, what's the point?

http://www.triumphrat.net/the-rocket-science-forum/ ; - here's a good place to visit, you can ask questions there or just read up on what other owners say about the Rocket.

One thing I do know - if you live in an area where you sit in traffic a lot or do a lot of slow speed maneuvering (city streets) then the Rocket is not for you ... it's a dream on the open road, but it's a BIG heavy bike on city streets and traffic.

As far as the thing about there not being a lot of dealers, that's true, but it's close enough to your standard cruiser that it's usually not a problem for any reputable bike mechanic to be able to work on. My local independant guy does all my work on the Thunderbird ... only thing he can't cover is anything that would be under warranty.

My two cents.....

I've ridden a Rocket III. Lots of power but really top heavy. Doesn't hold a candle to your SG in the low-speed handling department. But for sheer take-off and running at speed, the Rocket III will give you plenty. For that matter, so will a Goldwing or one of the big Yamahas like the 'Liner or Raider. For me, the Stratoliner is the sh*t hands down. You're talking about a massive machine, take a look at my pic....I'm 6'3" tall and 300 lbs. That bike sure isn't little underneath me. The 1854 cc powerplant (Yamaha lists it at 1900) provides exceptional torque and pulls like you wouldn't believe! Let's just say I RARELY get the chance to use the full throttle. I've also ridden a buddy's SG with a Stage III kit on it and would still choose my Stratoliner over that any day of the week. And when I get rid of the Gold Wing, somewhere down the road I'll have a Raider in the stable as well.