V-Rod

[caddydaddy]

Any V-Rod riders here? I sat on a used on at the local Harley dealer. It's a pretty nice bike! Kind of on the small side compared to the VTX 1800 and Rocket III I've ridden before, but I do like the looks of the V-Rod.
I've heard it called the "100 mile Harley" due to it's 4 gallon gas tank. What does it really get for MPG's and range?

[aussieidiot]

anything like this.

http://www.topspeed.com/motorcycles/...l-ar11866.html

I love this bike!!!!

its the only harley i would consider joining the dark side for. (that or choc chip cookies)

[caddydaddy]

I was looking at a blue '05 VRSCAW. I'm not into the blacked out bikes.
What kind of range do you get?

[aussieidiot]

I've got the 2008 model catalogue.

from that, the VRSCAW is the same looking bike other than the blackness and the 240 rear tyre. the 2008 VRSCDX/VRSCAW has a 1250cc donk with 125 hp, slipper clutch, brembo brakes.


I just loved the sound and the blackness of the whole deal.

[Steel]

240 rear? Dang, talk about bling.

[caddydaddy]

Originally Posted by Steel

240 rear? Dang, talk about bling.

Some of the Victory bikes have 250 mm rear. I think that's the largest rear on a production bike.

[Steel]

Originally Posted by caddydaddy

Some of the Victory bikes have 250 mm rear. I think that's the largest rear on a production bike.

Still quite silly if you ask me, but to each their own.

[richtazz]

I like the V-rod. It's a nice bike and quick (especially for a Harley). I wish Harley wouldn't have been pussies and went with the V-4 (it might have even been a V-5) engine they had in development in the late 90's, but the traditionalists wanted a V-twin. The V-4 (V-5) was pushing 180+ HP at the crank, and would have pushed the V-Rod to elite status (think V-Max, and V-65 Magna/Sabre of the 80's and 90's). Instead, they opted to go with a lower output V-twin, and now the V-Rod is a niche bike that's "fast for a Harley", not just plain WICKED FAST.

[caddydaddy]

Yeah, for less money you can get the Triumph Rocket III which is faster! That bike is a BLAST to ride! I had a big grin the whole time I was on that beast!
The V-Rod looks better though.

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by richtazz

I like the V-rod. It's a nice bike and quick (especially for a Harley). I wish Harley wouldn't have been pussies and went with the V-4 (it might have even been a V-5) engine they had in development in the late 90's, but the traditionalists wanted a V-twin. The V-4 (V-5) was pushing 180+ HP at the crank, and would have pushed the V-Rod to elite status (think V-Max, and V-65 Magna/Sabre of the 80's and 90's). Instead, they opted to go with a lower output V-twin, and now the V-Rod is a niche bike that's "fast for a Harley", not just plain WICKED FAST.

In '76 Harley made a few prototype Nova V-4 liquid cooled bikes that put out 135 hp at the crank, unheard of at the time. The radiators and cooling path are hidden, which accounts for the weird stacked configuration in the rear end...so afraid to put a radiator in plain view, would have been a good looking bike if configured normally....I like the big intakes on the tank, but the mess over the rear fender ruins it....still, I'd ride it...

[jeffcoslacker]

Here's a largely forgotten piece of big cruiser history...in the early 60's Ducati wanted to build a bike that could take on Harley in the police market, in 1963 they unvieled the Ducati Apollo, which was to have been sold through their east coast importer, Berliner.

The Apollo had a 90 degree V-4 1260cc, 100 hp motor, and was fast as hell for the time, unfortunately it had miserable single leading shoe mechanical drum brakes, the front and rear wheels and brakes were identical, for interchangeability. They also had useless square section tires (the only ones at the time capable of handling the weight) that made handling questionable and even those tires tended to disintegrate suddenly due to lateral overloading when the bike was leaned over in a fast curve...after a test rider was killed in one of these sudden failures, Ducati pulled the plug on the project.

Oh what could have been...a nearly 1300cc 100 hp power cruiser in '63? It took the motorcycle industry almost another 35 years to hit that mark....

[caddydaddy]

That '76 Nova V-4 is a pretty cool looking bike! If HD sold it today, it probably would be a big hit!

[jeffcoslacker]

Originally Posted by caddydaddy

That '76 Nova V-4 is a pretty cool looking bike! If HD sold it today, it probably would be a big hit!

Very ahead of it's time, ducted airflow and hidden radiators are becoming commonplace now, and with manufacturing techniques they have now, a radiator can be shaped in any configuation to fit where you want to put it, back then your choices were flat and square, or flat and rectangle...now you can have an asymmetrical trapezoidal multi complex curved unit to fit where you want it to be, and with mini fans and flow modelling you can make it highly efficient.

Some of the high end sportbikes use this stuff, curved radiators hidden under the tailsection, etc...you'd never know it was there...

[richtazz]

Anybody think Yamaha might have gotten a sneak peek at that Nova and made it a V-Max? They look so similar it's scary (although the V-Max had an exposed radiator and a better looking tail section due to that fact). Harley has always been a conservative company, too bad because they've got some smart engineers with some reat ideas that never make it to production because of it.

[knorwj]

Originally Posted by richtazz

Anybody think Yamaha might have gotten a sneak peek at that Nova and made it a V-Max? They look so similar it's scary (although the V-Max had an exposed radiator and a better looking tail section due to that fact).

Thats exactly what I thought when I saw that harley. The similarities are very interesting.