I THINK IT IS UNNECESSARY TO EXPLAIN THE V-ROD WITH MANY WORDS .I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT , IN OUR LIFE THERE ARE SOME MOMENTS THAT HAS TO BE LIVED IN ORDER TO FEEL , V-ROD IS ONE OF THIS.WORDS ARE NOT ENOUGH TO EXPLAIN THIS , BECAUSE IT IS A REAL BEAUTY , OOPS MY VIFE WILL HEAR BYE THEN!!!!!
well had some nice bikes but this is fantastic for me , i can reach the floor and feel good where ever i want to take it, pity extras are so much money,but not really built for uk winter ,side winds caught me out in at TT over the mountain and what a fright lol, but kept many a fire blade whant to be racer on there toes, one had to clear off in a 30 limit packed with traffic just to get me out of his mirrors,don't be frightened to give it its head , just wind it up and hang on,other harley owners don't seem to want to accept change, but it has to happen and v-rod owners are getting pleasure of something different now, some bigger people look stupid on it, but just the bike for us small ones,can ride it anywhere and park it anywhere,it looks to cool lol, people snub it and love it , but i work really hard to pay for it, its my first love.and after a year still my dream bike that i can ride lol.
Although I have never owned a V-Rod I had one on long term hire when I visited California a year ago and here are my conclusions on this bike.
Forget all you know, love or hate or think you know about motorcycles from the boy’s in Milwaukee. Delivering 115bhp from its fuel-injected 1130cc V-Twin water cooled engine (more power and torque than a CBR600RR), the V-Rod from Harley Davidson is so far removed from what can be kindly the traditional range of bikes that H-D are known for, it could be from a different company altogether. From the minute you set your eyes upon the V-Rod it is obvious this is a very special bike.
Once you turn the key and start it up with the stock pipes fitted the sound is surprisingly subdued but there is still vibes there for the traditionalists with the mirrors shaking at tickover. If it is too quiet for you Harley will of course dutifully sell you screaming eagle performance parts. At low speeds and below 3000 rpm the bike is refined and smooth, but once you twist that grip and send the revs towards the red line (which is close to 9000rpm buy the way) this bike seriously shifts with an addictive growling noise filling your helmet. At times it is easy to forget that this bike is a cruiser not a sports bike such is the instant response of this new water cooled motor and quality of it’s suspension.
The V-Rod handles surprisingly well with a good quality ride but its limitations are common to most cruisers with a lack of ground clearance, which can become frustrating if you want to get into some enthusiastic cornering. I appreciate that due to the sheer length of the beast, ultimate sporty cornering will always be limited but I was continually grounding out the exquisitely designed exhaust on tight right handers which became a concern after a while.
Those who say this isn’t a 'real' Harley need to open up their eyes and minds. This is a Harley for the next generation and it had to happen. Harley could not afford to languish in the past and this is a totally new design from the ground up, only sharing it’s front discs with existing Harley road bikes and its engine partially based on the VR1000 racing bike engine with design input from Porsche. It is no surprise that this engine is based upon such a platform as it response is way beyond any other cruiser currently available and moves the cruiser game one significantly. It limitations taken into context in it’s class are limited to a poor tank range and vulnerability to side winds. Also if your less than 5’10” reaching the pegs could be a challenge.
I would go as far as to say that this bike is as significant to the cruising biking world as the Fireblade, 916 and GSXR750 were and are the sportbike arena. Once a generation a bike arrives that moves the goalposts so significantly it redefines the standards and expectations for it's market. The V-Rod has without doubt done both of those things and more. It has with one fell swoop made all the Japanese Harley Clones look what they are, imitations that lack the style and class of the original. Except the original has now moved on.
On the cool scale the thing goes thru the roof, beautiful bike, it gets the looks but alas, get it to highway speeds and the thing is downright unstable, around town it's great but on the road all that great performance can't be used without putting yourself in peril for the awful stability, I've had a susuky gsxr750 up to 150 mph and thething was rock solid stable would I go anyhere near that with a v rod? definetly NOT but it really is a gorgeous bike too bad about the handling, I' been riding motorcycles for over 30 yrs and this is oe of the worst handling bikes ever. Harey Davidson, Do something about it.
I HAVE JUST HAD MY ANNIVERSARY EDITION 2003 V-ROD TWO TONE IN TURKEY IN ISTANBUL AND ACTUALLY THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS TO SAY ABOUT THIS MONSTER WHERE THE WORDS WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH.I HAVE HAD TOO MANY DIFFERENT MAKE AND MODEL BIKES SINCE 1985 BUT THIS IS REALLY DIFFERENT .FIRST IT IS HIGHLY PERFORMANCED BIKE THAT YOU MUST BE VERY CAREFULL WHILE ACCELERATING IT. SECONDLY IT IS VERY COMFORTABLE WHILE YOU RIDE IT AND VERY EASY TO CONTROL , VERY WELL-BALANCED.THE ONLY THING THAT I DON'T LIKE ABOUT IT IS THAT YOU CAN'T TURN THE ALARM OFF FOR LONG STORAGE AND THAT MAKE THE BATTERY FLAT IN ABOUT 3 WEEKS BUT THERE IS AN ITEM CALLED "BATTERY TENDER" WHICH YOU CAN CONNECT IT TO YOUR BATTERY AND LEAVE IT FOR LONG STORAGE , THAT KEEPS THE BATTERY FULL AND FINE.BUT THE WORST THING ABOUT THIS BIKE THAT YOU WILL FACE IS WHEN YOU RIDE IT , IT TAKES REALLY ATTENTION , PEOPLE REALLY DO ADMIRE SO IF YOU THINK TO BUY DO NOT BE FOOL JUST BUY AND HAVE FUN DON'T FORGET YOU WON'T BE LUCKY ENOUGH TO BUY THE 200th ANNIVERSARY HARLEY!!!!
This is the best thing since the invention of the wheel. Why would you ever need to do drugs with the "rush" you will get from riding this bike. I only wish I could tell you that no laws will be broken but the thing easily runs 90 mph in 2nd gear for christs sake. This bike attacts attention like you would not believe. Everyone says "WOW;NICE BIKE" Worth every penny and then some.
Owned for 3 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2003.
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I have had mine since October 2002. I was lucky enough to get a 100th Anniversary. 120 miles per hour and I am still in third gear! This bike is beautiful. The ONLY drawback is that it only holds 3.7 gallons of gas--but you get to the station really fast!
Owned for 1 year.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed November 2003.
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Had mine just over a year now... fantastic.. First time in 100 years Harley got it.. but then that's probably cause they got someone else to design \ build \ and egineer it.. in otherwords it ain't a Harley.. superb bike... Harley badge doesn't do it justice.
Owned for 1 year.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed September 2003.
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I've had my Rod for over a year and it's awesome. Responsive, handles well, scorches the tarmac, looks very, very cool. Traded in my Roadking for it and will not go back. Are there technically better and cheaper bikes? Sure. But so what, this is a Harley and it shreds the pavement. Put on a Corbin seat and can ride all day. I like the 'cruiser' riding position over the rice rocket crouch. Dinged the overall value because it is overpriced as all Harleys are and the stock seat, well, just sucks. No mechanical problems at all. The engine pours on the power and runs fast and hard all day, including summers in Texas where it can get over 100F. The body work is very tight. The only warranty item was replacement of the heat shield on the Screaming Eagle 16ga. exhaust pipes because of a broken weld. No problemo.
Owned for 1 year.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed September 2003.
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It is the sexiest bike I have ever seen! I love it!
Owned for 1 month.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed August 2003.
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god made the earth in 7 days and the v rod on the 8th............wow factor...10
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed May 2003.
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This is the most fabulous bike ever - if you like that kind of thing. I imagine most people either love it or hate it. If you love it and would reaaaally reaaaally like one then get one. If you are put off by the price (£14000) just beg, borrow or steal the money - well beg or borrow. I'll be paying for mine for the next six years but I figured: 1 interest rates are low - it's better to borrow than save right now. 2 in six years time if I save the equivalent of my repayments I probably won't have enough to buy a new V Rod 3 I might as well have it now - in 6 year i may be dead.
Anyway this bike is the dog's It's fast but it's so comfortable to ride. It handles like a dream and that improves with a pillion (though you'd need to get a different seat - the stock one is not designed for passenger comfort) It looks stunning. You WILL be treated like a movie star everywhere you go. People will stop you in the street to ask about it. You will also pull a crowd at Petrol stations.
I did have a problem with gear selection but it was fixed under warranty and has been fine since - though it took a while to fix it as parts had to be ordered from the US. But the aftersales service is excellent.
I can't compare it with anything else I've ridden. I have another cruiser (Yamaha Dragstar 650) that looks nice but it's like a tractor in comparison with the V Rod. Previous bikes were a number of Honda CB400F1s. Fabulous bikes but of a different era. Feature in common - low seat height. I'm 5 foot 6 with a 29 inch leg. I like to be able to plant both feet on the ground.
I would recommend the V Rod to anyone
Owned for 6 months.
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