How to ride a cruiser???????

[jeantarrou]

Well I did it, pulled the trigger on a 2009 Triumph Rocket III. My wife is ecstatic because the pillion seat has a back rest, so far I'm feeling COMPLETELY out of my element...

The front end (rake) feels so wrong, sitting back with my arms forward and out is just weird, my ass sitting so low and essentially locked into the seat, aie!! Floorboards for my feet!!?? WTF!!??

So really, any guidance besides seat time for becoming competent with this monstrosity? I'm going to spend a good amount of time in a local parking lot working on low speed stuff because so far that's where I feel the least comfortable, and I'm strongly considering getting out to a non-sportbike trackday if those are still going on?

[boosten lebaron]

I can't add much other than I generally can't ride a cruiser and a sport bike back to back. I make sure I have like half a day or more between them. Especially going from sport bike to cruiser. I will jack my Harley up on its pegs when hitting a corner if I'm just coming off my gsxr.
I do try to make the controls slightly different so I mentally know I'm on a different bike ie on my sport bikes I have my hand levers angled down but on a cruiser I have them level, I keep my shifter just on the cusp of upshifting on the sport bike but I really have to move my foot to shift on the Harley.

[jeantarrou]

I can't add much other than I generally can't ride a cruiser and a sport bike back to back. I make sure I have like half a day or more between them. Especially going from sport bike to cruiser. I will jack my Harley up on its pegs when hitting a corner if I'm just coming off my gsxr.
I do try to make the controls slightly different so I mentally know I'm on a different bike ie on my sport bikes I have my hand levers angled down but on a cruiser I have them level, I keep my shifter just on the cusp of upshifting on the sport bike but I really have to move my foot to shift on the Harley.

I knew it was going to be different, but boy, feels so strange.

[01xj]

I tried it and hated it. Switched back a year later. I had an HD road king. Loved the look of the bike but my brain was telling me to do the opposite of everything the bike was designed to do. I had mid controls so the foot position was acceptable but I absolutely hate forwards. Feels like steering with your ass.

[boosten lebaron]

Very first thing I did on my Harley was toss the forward controls. Sitting with them at a stop light was very unsettling, I felt like I was always in a bad position to make a quick save.

[jeantarrou]

Hmm, I guess I'll have to look into foot control options for this bike.

Edit: Now that I think of it, would these be considered "forward" controls?
(sorry for the crappy pic...)

[RandyO]

more countersteer effort is required with the longer/larger angle of rake. my AK550 scooter has cruiser ergonomics, forward floorboards too. but the geometry under the tupperware is sportbike

personally I don't like a forward foot position, on the scooter, I keep my feet on the back half of the floorboards that are not angled. Forward controls were the thing I hated about the Vulcan900 loaner the dealer gave me once

[01xj]

Those look like the standard oem floorboards. Forwards would be out by the radiator.
Nice bike BTW. Not my style but you automatically get props for not drinking the HD Kool aide.

[jeantarrou]

Those look like the standard oem floorboards. Forwards would be out by the radiator.
Nice bike BTW. Not my style but you automatically get props for not drinking the HD Kool aide.

Ok, yeah, just did a google search and the forward controls are just pegs up by the radiator.

I must say I really like the look of the bike, when I get a chance I'll snap a better photo, freaking thing is YUGE too, 800+lbs I believe?

When you say you "switched back" what bike did you go with?

[01xj]

I traded the road king for a Multistrada. The 1198 motor screams and it's like a big comfortable sport bike. I told myself it was a reasonable compromise because I still retain the ability to use the bike for traveling with the luggage, and it still looks decently sporting with everything removed.

[jeantarrou]

I traded the road king for a Multistrada. The 1198 motor screams and it's like a big comfortable sport bike. I told myself it was a reasonable compromise because I still retain the ability to use the bike for traveling with the luggage, and it still looks decently sporting with everything removed.

Nice, that seems like a popular bike for a lot of the... ahem... "aging" riders here on NESR

[Gixxer]

Apparently “kids” ditch forward for mids to stunt.

My fxbb has mids and I’m close to switching to forwards.

[union]

Apparently “kids” ditch forward for mids to stunt.

My fxbb has mids and I’m close to switching to forwards.

I like the mids much better but I'm also not tall. The forward controls were too far out for me.

[jeantarrou]

Purely speculation, but it seems to me that the forward controls might provide better leverage for turning, especially since they're pegs? The floorboard style mid controls are especially weird because I'm flat footed (my feet are oriented that way, not that I actually have flat feet), not on the balls of my feel or hooking the heel of my boot on a peg.

[PurplePackage]

I think you just need more time on it. Give it 1000 miles and you'll develop the muscle memory.

[whynot]

Back when Triumph had a demo truck on tour (2011), I test rode a Rocket III Roadster -- the mid controls felt pretty good to me, still bit forward for my taste, but worked all right.




Elena Meyers describing her R3 ride on the salt:
https://www.mcgrawpowersports.com/my...le-salt-flats/

"I did manage to get a couple good runs in that were within a couple miles per hour of the record. Whenever this happens, race control will send you down to the other end of the course where you wait to do a run back the other direction. This ensures that the records are accurate year after year, and that tailwinds don’t factor into it. Unfortunately, my timed mile back wasn’t good enough to secure any records. I did manage to hit 163, and that was with the throttle only open three quarters of the way. Any further than that, and the bike would have spun out, or I would have been blown off. It was a powerful bike, but there’s no point in having all that power if you can’t control it. After the week we had, I felt like 163 wasn’t too bad."


Jason DiSalvo on the salt:
https://thebullitt.com/2012/10/disal...ed-record.html

"Latus Motors Racing rider Jason DiSalvo set new AMA and FIM land-speed racing records at the famed Bonneville Salt Flats with a Rocket III Roadster, fielded by the Hot Rod Conspiracy/Carpenter Racing team. He ran in the Modified (normally) Aspirated Fuel (MAF) class for motorcycles up to 3,000cc’s. DiSalvo’s initial run was 175.998mph, and his return run was 172.587mph for an average, world-record-setting speed of 174.276mph (280.470kph) for the flying mile and 174.880mph (281.443kph) for the flying kilometer. What’s amazing is this Rocket is fully streetable, using one of Bob Carpenter’s 240hp over-the-counter performance kits. The records are subject to FIM Ratification and anticipated to be reviewed during their November meeting in Valencia, Spain."

[Spooler]

I have never been able to get comfortable on a cruiser, physically or riding-wise.

[zombie]

riding a cruiser is a state of mind.
Just be prepared to relax more and not be in a rush especially in the twisties.
I've ridden a harley to sturgis and back and enjoyed very mile.
capable of long days and remaining comfortable all day.
Averaged 700 mile days to get out.
the rocket you have is a very quick bike and can be a ton of fun
as long as you are aware of it's ground clearance limitations
By the way forward controls is a crappy idea on your bike.
You could always put highway pegs if you like to stretch your legs out.
I can switch between my harley and BMW GS1200 no problem.

[Gixxer]

The forward controls on my friends M109R always surprise me how forward they are. I usually go to take off and whiff in placing my feet and have to put a little more effort in.

The forward controls on my brothers breakout are more natural.

My fxbb seems like it has a short chassis and I’m fearful forward controls will be more like mid controls on bigger bikes.

I don’t like mids when I’m moving the bike around my garage or trying to get in a tight spot because they are right where I’m trying to walk the bike.

The floorboards and huge stationary fairing on my brothers Road Glide make me feel like I’m riding something out of JetMoto or a snowmobile.

Still curious if I just need a decent amount of time on a bagger to get used to floorboards and the fairing… but that’s a commitment.

[jeantarrou]

Thanks for all the additional replies, I think that as mentioned additional seat time and the appropriate mental state will be a big factor in becoming comfortable with this thing. Or, it'll prove to be incompatible with my style and I'll be another one to go the Multistrada route lol

[Gixxer]

This is honestly why I don’t consider myself a good rider. I know kids that grew up riding mx and seem to be able to jump on anything and rip it.

And this isn’t a shot at you OP, more me being hard on myself. But between the ninja, Harley and triumph, all three are so different, I’m kinda disappointed in myself how long it takes to get used to each when I jump on.

Like, … I’m probably going to get torched for this… but all the years I had the gixxer and r1 and speed triple, I just rode. And I was comfortable. I never even learned like, if you want to go left you push on the left handlebar or whatever? Someone told me that in the last few years, and that’s what I find myself doing on my brothers road glide, otherwise I feel like I don’t know how to ride <- that’s actually a violin

[RandyO]

I once tried to ride a chopper, all chromed out custom, hardtail, 1000cc Honda inline 4, long raked out springer front end with apes, I got about a ¼ mile and turned around, felt like riding a hinge. Nothing I could ever get used to.

[backinthesaddle]

Friend has the rocket III set up with a side car. Talk about a totally different type of ride. I don’t think I could make the transition from my ninja to that but he goes back and forth from a WR250 to that and a ZX14R sidecar rig.

[PeaPod]

Yeah, just tried out my friend's bagger with forward controls and 16" ape hangers. What an odd feeling coming up to a stoplight and trying to figure out the balance point with your feet out front and your hands in the air.

[OneCheekRider]

I've been riding my R6 and VTX for 17 years now, they were bought new within weeks of each other. Also have 4 or 5 other bikes rotating through the collection at any given time. The cruiser is just a different experience. I take it when I'm not in a rush and typically with a passenger. It's big, heavy, and slow by all accounts but still quite enjoyable to ride in its element (for me that's a cruise on PCH). Get some seat time in solo before taking the wife, I expect you'll get comfortable on it pretty quick.