Dancing with Fat Chicks .....
...... you can dance with anyone, if you are prepared?
Yesterday, was a good day! A Ninja Warrior day! Well today, I backed out a dusty fat mess. Tags were WAY over due, just got the insurance back on it.. and it starts. Ever heard someone say "This ain't fat.. it's all muscle!" ? Well.. it's true in this case. The Triumph Rocket III is a Muscle Cruiser that lives up to its name! At 140CI ( 2300cc) its a monster. Sort of small version of a Boss Hoss. But the boss has an Auto's V8 stuff in chassis. This has a proprietary Inline 3, smooth as silk but loaded with HP and Torque.
After airing up the tires I'm off via 2 lanes to get it inspected and tagged. It's been way too long since I've ridden this sucka and my legs feel like they are up a notch too high. They aren't, but that's the initial sensation compared to my Indians. However, for a cruiser it's an aggressive position since my feet aren't out on boards, but pegs somewhere between a mid and forward position. I finally get comfortable and wondering why my RPMs are so high. It doesn't take long for me to figure out my tach and speedometer are reading wrong. Grrrr...... Well, we'll go by sound and road visuals, and we're off.
This was the first bike I'd bought to scare the crap out of myself; get the blood flowing, for the thrill. After a year, I'd tamed it and now it's just a brawny fun cruiser. In fact when buddies visit and need a bike to ride, this is the one I hand the keys over for. I'm not as emotionally tied to it and I don't have as much money tied up in it, since I'd purchased it used some years back. One thing I notice right away while wearing a 3/4 helmet is .. there are a LOT of bugs out today and no windshield, isn't helping the situation! But, it's about 80, sunny, end of October is nearing and ... .I'm smiling. Things could be worse!
Two stops later, I'm legal and taking the long way home. The tach and speedo have gotten the dust out and working correctly. I've got my mojo' back on this bike and it feels right; feels awesome to be honest. With a 5 speed harnessing the power-band, I'm enjoying all this torque, taking each shift near the 6500 Red-line. In the past, I've speed-shifted this and in the first three gears that front end will lift up off the pavement. I'm not talking a crotch rocket boy style wheelie down the interstate, but she wants to come up. But with my unwillingness to pull back on those bars, and my belly up near that tank ... she's stays civilized and the front tire stays in contact with blacktop.
Too soon, I'm rolling back down the driveway. I was tempted to keep going .... hit the gas station and put an additional hundred miles on the odometer .. but... at 80-100, I'm not a fan of this 3/4 I'm wearing; should have worn the full face. Sitting upright on this thing, I'm a huge deterrent to smooth air flow, and I'm getting beat up. Good news is .. slowing down is simple. Hand off the throttle and my mass against the wind .... brings the speedo down quickly. Besides .. it is a cruiser. If I want to purr around the countryside on 2 lanes at triple digits... that's what a Ninja is for?
Yesterday, was a good day! A Ninja Warrior day! Well today, I backed out a dusty fat mess. Tags were WAY over due, just got the insurance back on it.. and it starts. Ever heard someone say "This ain't fat.. it's all muscle!" ? Well.. it's true in this case. The Triumph Rocket III is a Muscle Cruiser that lives up to its name! At 140CI ( 2300cc) its a monster. Sort of small version of a Boss Hoss. But the boss has an Auto's V8 stuff in chassis. This has a proprietary Inline 3, smooth as silk but loaded with HP and Torque.
After airing up the tires I'm off via 2 lanes to get it inspected and tagged. It's been way too long since I've ridden this sucka and my legs feel like they are up a notch too high. They aren't, but that's the initial sensation compared to my Indians. However, for a cruiser it's an aggressive position since my feet aren't out on boards, but pegs somewhere between a mid and forward position. I finally get comfortable and wondering why my RPMs are so high. It doesn't take long for me to figure out my tach and speedometer are reading wrong. Grrrr...... Well, we'll go by sound and road visuals, and we're off.
This was the first bike I'd bought to scare the crap out of myself; get the blood flowing, for the thrill. After a year, I'd tamed it and now it's just a brawny fun cruiser. In fact when buddies visit and need a bike to ride, this is the one I hand the keys over for. I'm not as emotionally tied to it and I don't have as much money tied up in it, since I'd purchased it used some years back. One thing I notice right away while wearing a 3/4 helmet is .. there are a LOT of bugs out today and no windshield, isn't helping the situation! But, it's about 80, sunny, end of October is nearing and ... .I'm smiling. Things could be worse!
Two stops later, I'm legal and taking the long way home. The tach and speedo have gotten the dust out and working correctly. I've got my mojo' back on this bike and it feels right; feels awesome to be honest. With a 5 speed harnessing the power-band, I'm enjoying all this torque, taking each shift near the 6500 Red-line. In the past, I've speed-shifted this and in the first three gears that front end will lift up off the pavement. I'm not talking a crotch rocket boy style wheelie down the interstate, but she wants to come up. But with my unwillingness to pull back on those bars, and my belly up near that tank ... she's stays civilized and the front tire stays in contact with blacktop.
Too soon, I'm rolling back down the driveway. I was tempted to keep going .... hit the gas station and put an additional hundred miles on the odometer .. but... at 80-100, I'm not a fan of this 3/4 I'm wearing; should have worn the full face. Sitting upright on this thing, I'm a huge deterrent to smooth air flow, and I'm getting beat up. Good news is .. slowing down is simple. Hand off the throttle and my mass against the wind .... brings the speedo down quickly. Besides .. it is a cruiser. If I want to purr around the countryside on 2 lanes at triple digits... that's what a Ninja is for?
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| Triumph Rocket III |
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