F6B vs. Triumph Rocket III Roadster

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

Yesterday I returned from vacation in Italy. Today I'm looking through piles of mail and I came across the June issue of Motorcycle Consumer News. The cover story, titled "Heavyweight Hot Rod Touring", is a comparison between the F6B and the Triumph Rocket III Roadster. Now when the big Triumph came out in 2003 I was intrigued by the big 2.3 liter engine, but I did not care for the styling. Time has not changed my option. MCN agreed and rated the F6B style and ergonomics 1st in that catagory. However, of the eight catagories in which the these two motorcycles were judged, the Triumph came out ahead in five, the F6B ahead in two, with one tie. Despite their simulatities, their differences are also significant. A better comparison for MCN to perform would be with the new Moto Guzzi 1400 California Touring vs. the F6B. The F6B wins the style catagory there too!

[SteveM]

I'm picking up an F6B today, which I have test ridden and I owned a 2009 Rocket iii touring.

They are both great bikes. The styling is a matter of preference. The grunt in that big triple was amazing and it handled very well for a bike it's size, but the flat 6 power is legendary as well. I was not a fan of the dry sump design that required three different places to drai the oil. The f6b has better storage, but the rockets hard bags were quite good.

I am partial to Honda's reliability and there were stories of rockets leaving riders stranded due to failed ignition switches, melted relays, etc. it never happened to me, but it was always on my mind, even if a bit irrationally.

In the end, if you're looking for Goldwing leve powerin a tradional, touring package, the rocket touring is a great bike.

It is what a road king should be.

[fast eddie]

sorry MC consumer you missed the boat or bike on this one. F6b crushes the rocket in styling and comfort. Honda probably wins on reliabilty too I give the triumph the speed factor an braking but tranny come on even up on that, i rode both with my wife before my f6b purchase no contest let MC take a passenger with them next ride an see what they say.

[Hornblower]

As a previous R3 owner, the biggest advantage of the F6B is handling. There simply is no comparison. With the R3, if you miscalculated and went too hot into a curve, there was little chance of being able to correct it. The R3 also seemed to "wallow" (is that a real word?) through choppy curves. The F6B, by comparison, is almost sport-like in its handling. It's pretty amazing for such a large bike.

[bigdew]

I am also a previous 2009 Rocket III owner. I agree it was a nice bike but to me the F6B is a lot smoother and refined then the Triumph. I loved the power on the Rocket but hands down love the F6B's handling and performance better.

[ff73148]

I owned a 2008 Triumph Rocket III Touring. There is no comparison with these two bikes other than large engines. The Rocket is a great straight line highway bike. That's it. Seating was horrible. I finally had Sargent make me a custom seat. The weight was poorly distributed and the brakes where not sufficient for the size of the bike. I kept it for three years and bought a BMW R1200RT. As soon as I saw the F6B the BMW was history. I'm not sorry.