Any VROD owners??

[BuellyBagger]

I know theres a bit of "Harley Hate" around here, but i know there's a few of us that still tolerate HD! Anywho, any Vrod owners on here? Planning on going to pic up an 07 tomorrow and wanted to see some folks opinions on them... I've ridden 2 night rod specials( liked them), the one im going for is a standard VRSCAW with S.E. exhaust. So what does everybody think of these (even if you dont own one too!!)

 

[Cooter]

They're supposed to be pretty cool. I'd love to ride one and find out. I'm not a bike bigot

Most 'Harley guys' hate them so I consider that a good point!

 

[djs2k2]

Yeah I don't see it as a Harley because it's water cooled, and I've seen some people supercharge and turbocharge them with 3rd gear wheelies! That's bad ass no matter how you put it![up]

 

[djs2k2]

 

[Zerocwl]

i'd love to hear that bike

 

[chief_of_smoke]

I have a vrod muscle. I like mine. I just didn't like the look of the other. You can mod them but it does get cashy. I'm on a vrod forum, 1130cc.com. good info on there.

 

[djs2k2]

Hey chief no stealing members! JK

 

[go cytocis]

Never owned one but I've ridden my colleague's, & had a few join in on group rides over the years.

Decent low-mid power, but signs-off early relative to sport bikes. Much revvier than an air-cooled HD lump. As with any cruiser, the handling is limited. I never observed any reliability issues with them.

Reasonable brakes, poor fuel range, & kind of ugly (though that's subjective).

If I were in the market for a power cruiser, it'd be on my list.

 

[BuellyBagger]

Thanks for the link chief. I thought I remembered you had one. I probably won't do any performance mods to this one and stick with cosmetic stuff. Paint jobs are cheap (for me).

 

[user_deleted]

own a 2010 and have ridden 2 others during weekend trips while swapping bikes(not wives) with friends.
great motor...great trans...no noticeable driveline lash...good mpg if you are tender with the controls(thirsty if not)....easy to service...great fit and finish....comfy....plush but primitive suspension....a very nice overall bike with a great sound and bomb-proof components.

downside: HUGE changes introduced with the 2008 model line and i would not buy a pre-2008. limited fuel-range...limited usage as they're not a very versatile bike....stock seat offerings horrible after about 1 hour in the saddle.

 

[terrible]

I have a 2002 and enjoy it.Kind of a pain to drive at slow speeds because of the rake but other wise its a fun bike for what it is.

 

[cjanderson_90]

I think they look ok. If i was looking for a muscle cruiser type bike id get a V-Max. Put all of them sportbikes to shame!

 

[bwylie_99]

Lunatic your mistaken. All those big changes occurred in 07. I own an 07 and it has the larger gas tank. You can easily tell the difference from the key. 06 and back key is under the seat, 07 and up key is front right. I've put 40,000+ on Betty so far
vrscd

Imho the vrod is a great bike. Plenty of power, easy to ride, super low center of gravity And virtually indestructible. The only real advice I have to offer on which model is biased on riding position and style. Personally I hate forward controls as I like my feet under me, helps with handling. Also forward pegs drag way more. The 240 rear tire also hurts handling. Lunatic is spot on saying to avoid 06 and earlier, you can retrofit a 5gal tank, they still had crappy brakes though.

The one HUGE exception is the vrscr, aka street rod. It was the first to have brembos, inverted forks, 5 gal tank, and only sold in 06 & 07. Probably the rarest of all and far and away the most capable. Beware the 07 models are impossible to find certain add ons Because of the frame change. Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[user_deleted]

Lunatic your mistaken.

yes and no. i was referring to changed frame geometry...increased motor size....slipper clutch...better shocks....substantial performance increase thru updated ecm software....all introduced for 08 model year.
you're referring to increased tank and rear tire size for 2007 which would be correct.

 

[user_deleted]

mine

 

[lawdog]

How quick are they? How do they compare to a XB12?

 

[go cytocis]

How quick are they? How do they compare to a XB12?

In my experience, they're comparable in the 1/4 mile; the V-rod may even be a tad quicker by perhaps a few 10ths. As you'd expect however, the XB is vastly quicker in the corners.

 

[lawdog]

I didn't do the math of hp/ci but it looked like it would be comparable in straight line. The XB fighting to keep the front end down and the Vrod spinning the back tire on launch.

 

[go cytocis]

Personally I hate forward controls as I like my feet under me, helps with handling.

Yes, that was another observation about the V-Rod I had also. The pull-back bars are another element of the riding position I didn't care for at all.

I'd be shopping for rear-set pegs & lower bars if I had a V-Rod myself...

 

[user_deleted]

How quick are they? How do they compare to a XB12?

brett: what ken said pretty much covers it. mine is ergonomically similar to all of them and in essence it is the super comfy "barco-lounger" seating position that H-D company gurus love. i find it very comfortable with 2 exceptions: absolutely no wind protection which becomes tiring on over-niters....and the seating position puts a hell of alot of strain on my 61 year old lower back and rear-end after about an hour or so in the saddle.
i know nothing of 1/4 mile times and roll-on comparisons but will say this: the most peppy and hardest accelerating buell i own is a 3000 original mile 2007 cherry bomb lightning XB12 with hawk muffler and simple stock ecm race map installed. that's the outer limits of my tuning capabilities or lack thereof. for whatever reasons it's the best accelerating XB i own. my stock v-rod by seat-of-the-pants feel performs virtually identically in roll-ons and quick bursts thru the gears.