Look what followed me home today. . .

[Mule]

The other great thing about a Vrod is you don't have to go buy greasy jeans, stupid jackets & some rags to tie around your head!

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Gogar

Hey, Loud pipes save lives, right?

That's what they say. Probably some truth to it.

Same with 'safety' chrome.

[cashflyer]

Originally Posted by MMARSH

It seems like alot of "real" harley guys don't like them though.

Something along the lines of "real Harley's are air cooled"?
I've never heard anything so insane.

I'm just glad that Porsche owners aren't like that.

Originally Posted by CJFusco

here we go... 911 guys claiming that only air-cooled Porsches are "real" Porsches despite the fact that the company hasn't made an air-cooled car in 10 years

Originally Posted by Howard Agency

Real Porsches weigh under 2200 lbs, are air cooled, noisy, and fun.

Originally Posted by David E. Clark

Suffice it to say that real Porsches are air-cooled.

Originally Posted by JCR

Find a nice 993 - everyone knows real Porsches are air cooled.

etc.

[FOG]

Catholic,

Ordered one of the 1st when I was able to get back to Okinawa Jan. 02 sight unseen. Figured I couldn’t go wrong.

Has some good points and not so good.

As you have found out it’s all metric. Compared to a couple of BMWs with their owners and most agreed that the V-Rod was at least their equal in quality except for the stock exhaust (poor quality), and the V-Rod shifted better.

It is kind of in between bike. Not really a sport bike nor a cruiser. It needs a larger gas just for range issues. The seat isn’t bad at all solo or if you want your passenger to hang on tight, but it gets old being small and angled to the rear.

I gotta disagree on the handling. My Night Train out handles the V-Rod and has the same horsepower plus lots more torque. The air cooled motors are cheaper to mod. I wonder about the guy at the track on spray on in the 11s, there is CWO at Cherry point who was getting his into the low 11s with just better tire and exhaust.

The reason I don’t ride mine much is it plain beats me worse than any bike, to include rigids, at freeway speeds or higher. Basically it really wants to pull me off plus I have to drive my knees hard into the side of the tank to keep them in place. I thought it was just me but I’ve talked to others and they had the same experiences. The only people that kept riding them long distance had to do some experimenting with various windshield combinations plus tires and shocks.

Just riding around town for short distances it’s a good bike.

S/F, FOG

[nostatic]

Sweet bike congrats.

Hmm, how wide is the tank area where you knees go and how tight are the pegs for your legs on the BMW?

Not that I'm pondering a distance bike or anything...

[Chocaholic]

Fog...I'm guessing there's been some changes since 02. My 07 has a 5 gallon tank...earlier versions were 3.4. I believe earlier Vrods can be retrofitted with the larger tank though. I understand your comment about it falling somewhere between a sport bike and a cruiser. Perhaps I'm still wearing the rose-colored glasses, but that balance seems to suit me. The BMW is a sport-tourer with a bit more weight on the sport side of things. With any bike, there's an adjustment period regarding ergos...so it's really too early for me to comment.

I don't really understand your comment about how it beats you up and wants to pull you off. Mine came with a windshield which was ditched as soon as I got home. It is a large horrendous thing that blocks view and creates annoying buffeting. Without the shield, the bike is rock solid and confidence inspiring. Like any sport machine, the suspension is firm but certainly not punishing and in no way can it be compared to a rigid frame bike, for heaven's sake.

Todd. . .the tank area is probably 12" wide, give or take. Although you can't see it in the pictures, I installed a set of static vinyl tank-slappers (clear vinyl pieces that protect the tank from scratching if you like to hug it with your knees....which I do occasionally in the twisties). I believe it's a 3M material and is removable...by why?

The pegs aren't as tight as a pure sport bike, and I never felt the need to add bar-backs or peg lowering brackets...some guys do. As a sport-tourer, they relaxed the ergos for long-distance riding. I'm about 6' tall with a 33" inseam and the setup is about right. The bars (clip-ons) are adjustable and I use them in the most upright position. I've done some 400 mile days in reasonable comfort.

[juanbenae]

http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Harley-Davidson_Birth_of_the_V-Rod/70053229?mqso=60178549

great show on the design and building of the bike. talks alot about porsche's infuence in the process. they also show how harley tried to down play porsche's design involvement. according to the doc there was plenty of failures and in fighting within harley early on in the project.

cool bike, congrates, be safe.

T$

[speeder]

Beautiful machine. They don't seem to have caught-on w/ the HD crowd for obvious reasons, but their slow sales is a plus to me- I don't like to see myself coming and going on the road if possible.

Todd, that BMW has about the best riding position of any MC ever made, IMO. It's a beauty.

[911boost]

Looks good.

At 6-4, I just wasn't comfortable on the Vrod, I like them though.

Bill

[legion]

The tank on the V-Rod is between the engine and rear wheel. It is black plastic and you can kind of make it out in the pictures.

[Chocaholic]

You're right. The normal location for the gas tank is an air-box cover. There's some electronics and the battery all packed in there too. The idea with the tank was to make it as low in the chassis as possible, or so I'm told.

Thanks for the tip on the video...will check it out.

My first act of defiance will be to ignore the HOG membership application. The nearest shop to my house is in SC, where there's no helmet laws. It makes it all the more enjoyable to pull up to the dealership in full gear (full face, armored jacket, pants [textile, of course]...heck, I might even wear my bright orange visibility vest next time...well, maybe not..rarely wore it on the beemer during the day either).

[JavaBrewer]

Well I'll admit for a HD that bike looks pretty nice. Ride safe and enjoy.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Not a motorcycle guy, but that's a great looking bike!

[FOG]

Originally Posted by Chocaholic

Fog...I'm guessing there's been some changes since 02. My 07 has a 5 gallon tank...earlier versions were 3.4. I believe earlier Vrods can be retrofitted with the larger tank though. I understand your comment about it falling somewhere between a sport bike and a cruiser. Perhaps I'm still wearing the rose-colored glasses, but that balance seems to suit me. The BMW is a sport-tourer with a bit more weight on the sport side of things. With any bike, there's an adjustment period regarding ergos...so it's really too early for me to comment.

I don't really understand your comment about how it beats you up and wants to pull you off. Mine came with a windshield which was ditched as soon as I got home. It is a large horrendous thing that blocks view and creates annoying buffeting. Without the shield, the bike is rock solid and confidence inspiring. Like any sport machine, the suspension is firm but certainly not punishing and in no way can it be compared to a rigid frame bike, for heaven's sake.

Todd. . .the tank area is probably 12" wide, give or take. Although you can't see it in the pictures, I installed a set of static vinyl tank-slappers (clear vinyl pieces that protect the tank from scratching if you like to hug it with your knees....which I do occasionally in the twisties). I believe it's a 3M material and is removable...by why?

The pegs aren't as tight as a pure sport bike, and I never felt the need to add bar-backs or peg lowering brackets...some guys do. As a sport-tourer, they relaxed the ergos for long-distance riding. I'm about 6' tall with a 33" inseam and the setup is about right. The bars (clip-ons) are adjustable and I use them in the most upright position. I've done some 400 mile days in reasonable comfort.

Chocaholic,

Beating me in that it pulls me off (i.e. more pressure on the chest) at 60 MPH+ than any other bike I’ve ridden along with spreading my knees like a two bit hooker so I have to actively press my knees into the “tank” hard.

By handling I don’t mean it is stiff at all. Just doesn’t seem to track well, especially over anything but very smooth roads.

If you’re going to park for a bit get a trickle charger. Evidently they drain batteries faster than normal bikes. Replacement of the battery is not fun plus the cost of the battery.

I bought mine knowing there would be improvements. I was able to get back to Okinawa and talked to overseas sales rep. He told me Harley wasn’t releasing any V-Rods. I told him that they had to as that was part of the contract and related what happened when the vipers were released and the civilians running the program sucked them up. Short version I went West again and was informed I could get a new V-Rod, supposedly the 245th one made. I figured why not under the circumstances.

Good riding.

S/F, FOG