Looking at a HD Night Rod, Harley guys hate 'em :)

[Top_Speed1]

NO serious Red, that bike was a real straight-on rocket. I know you're trying to equal the field (power to weight ratio) but you might have to modify my Feej then as well. I can't rip my hands off the grips on my Feej as I did on that rocket. no way.

My garage has been cleared for takeoff!

My 5 jetskiis, sold 3 this past summer (it was summer wasn't it?) so now down to 2 (at least for now). My son's ATV, dirt bike and my CTS now are all in my pole barn at work. I got mega room (now)!!!

 

[gixxerjasen]

Speaking of rocket....have you ridden a Rocket III from Triumph? Whooeee, if a cruiser was going to grace my garage, it'd be one of those. Heck, I'd go out and just sit with it in neutral and rev the engine so I can feel it try to flip over on it's side from the torque.

Oh yea, most Triumph dealers are willing to let you take test rides too. Even if you don't want one, you owe it to yourself to take one for a spin!

 

[BkerChuck]

Harley Davidson dealer show is coming up this month. At this time I can't comment on rumors regarding 2014 models. I can say our shop is prepping for a run on our remaining 2013s. We don't have any V-Rods on our floor at this point. They weren't a huge seller for us anyway. We ordered in as needed and sold them at MSRP for the last couple seasons. Some dealers have done well with them others not so much.It's very similar to how Buell was handled. If I were interested in owning one, and that's a BIG if, I'd try to find a dealer who really understood and supported the bike. This may mean paying a little more but having a dealer who knows the bike can go a long way to being a satisfied owner. You'll find most of the really cool aftermarket stuff comes out of Europe where the bike sells better than in the States. Any help I can offer feel free to ask or PM me.I avoid mentioning my dealership name as I still like my job and the employee discount it allows me. Therefore the opinions expressed are my own and don't represent my employer!

 

[Niehart]

I rode a new Yamaha Vmax yesterday at Adventure Motorsports in Monroe, WA. It was Scott's (owner) demo so i"m not sure if it was stock or not but, holy shit, at 4500 RPM's that thing turned into a rocket. Shifted butter smooth. Worked well in the corners.

Truthfully, I like the looks of the V-Rod but like the power and handling of the Vmax better. Not sure how they compare in a 1/4 mile.

 

[BikerGeek99]

Griff - I couldn't agree more. I've had that exact sentiment for a while now and is, quite frankly, one of the reasons why I am not in a rush to get another Harley after owning 'em for 14 years.

BC - excellent insight from someone who really knows! I've been kinda-sorta looking for a Vrod to have just for shits and grins and if I can find a Street Rod for a decent price that hasn't been dicked with too much, I may just get one.

If youz guyz wanna have fun, go read some of the Vrod-specific forums. The one that I am on is pretty entertaining when the Vrod guys start talking about the "air-head" Harleys and the pirates that ride 'em.

 

[BkerChuck]

FWIW, several years ago to promote the V-Rod for drag racing Harley brought out a limited run of non street legal purpose built V-Rod Destroyers. They shipped from the factory wearing slicks, air shifter, wheelie bars, etc. Our shop got one and decided to let 2 of our techs take turns racing it at a couple of local drag strips. When it arrived I managed to finagle my way back to the shop to "assist" with the break in procedures. Manual that came with the bike was very specific on how to break in the motor. No warranty beyond it will start once! Had to be broken in on the chassis dyno. Warm it up, check temp at thermostat housing with a laser thermometer, run up to 4k rpm at half throttle, get engine temp up to 200 degrees at thermostat housing, shut it down. Allow to cool to 100 degrees, restart, run to 4k rpm at 3/4 throttle, heat to 200, shut down, allow to cool. Repeat these steps at 6k rpm, then 8k rpm, then 10k rpm! At 10k rpm with 3 of us in the little chassis dyno room, this thing was just WICKED! Final 2 runs had to made on the track. We actually had a hard time strapping this down hard enough to not spin the tire on the dyno roller. Bike when broken in ran mid 9 second 1/4 miles consistently. I know you can buy off the floor stuff that goes this fast for far less money, but for a factory to offer this was still pretty cool.

 

[xcsp]

canucklehead, I'm disappointed they canceled Buell before he got a chance to put that Rotax in a Uly. THAT would have been the bike to have!

Maybe Erik will have something of the sorts in the "near" future?

If you click on the "motorcycles" tab on his website, they list future model designations: RX, SX, & AX

https://www.erikbuellracing.com/motorcycles/1190rs/

 

[gixxerjasen]

Yea, I imagine it'll be a while. The Uly got such great reviews and I know a few current and former owners that loved theirs...it'd have been nice if they'd put a decent reliable lump in there to run the thing. It never had a chance.

 

[wild1]

Great engine. I am not comfortable on the bike. Ride one first for an hour before buying.

 

[JimNtexas]

It's fricken LOUD .!. I mean really bad ass loud and not the 'popping' loud like normal Harley's.

You say that like its a good thing.

 

[Top_Speed1]

It's fricken LOUD .!. I mean really bad ass loud and not the 'popping' loud like normal Harley's.

You say that like its a good thing.

Smiling here...

For my intent at least for this bike (short and around the town cruises) yes, it would be kinda cool. The sound matches the look. Totally the opposite of what I have now (Feej) and that's what I'm going for; DIFFERENT FUN and with attitude (No, not HD attitude either!).

I own a couple of nice quiet cars; Caddi CTS & Chevy Volt. I also have a Silverado Diesel pickup truck. Two totally different breeds and applications of each. Exactly what I'm going for with this bike idea. The FJR stays top dog, it's not a replacement in any way. Just a "different" toy for me to replace 2 snowmobiles that are going down the road.

BeemerDons- just sent me a priceless PM on this, really good info, quite helpful and not prejudice or hard headed one way or the other. Thanks Don!

 

[Hudson]

2. They don't wave at him when riding, rather he gets the 'lil birdie'.3. Nobody comes up to him at one of their gatherings, he says he gets "snubbed" by the snobs.

Anyone that flips another biker off b/c of his choice of style of bike is a "rod".

Personally, I'd consider getting flipped off as a badge of honor.

 

[Top_Speed1]

2. They don't wave at him when riding, rather he gets the 'lil birdie'.3. Nobody comes up to him at one of their gatherings, he says he gets "snubbed" by the snobs.

Anyone that flips another biker off b/c of his choice of style of bike is a "rod".

I believe this is intensified by hardcore HDers not just b/c of a choice thing, but rather something "that modern and different" could carry the sacred "Harley Davidson" name(tag).

Personally, I'd consider getting flipped off as a badge of honor.

As said, I'm looking forward to it

...although Wheetie has volunteered to wing me the birdie on any bike I ride

 

[wheatonFJR]

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//public/style_emoticons/default/****.gif

Where's my $5k?? I'm looking at one of the nice 2004/2005s that's on the FS section now. Just something extra...to have in pocket.

I would ask Beemerdons, but he keeps telling me no...plus he plays somewhere else now.

 

[BackintheSaddle]

Of course the easy way to make a the Vrod feel quick would be to change the final drive ratios. Something we can't really do.