I just can't get over how butt ugly they are. Performance aside they look like crap imo

 

I would bet this one wasn't a pooch! This is a graph from a V-rod that has an additional 1/2 inch stoke and a slight overbore. Pretty impressive for 95ci. I would say if the MOCO went to 2000 cc by stroking it there would be plenty of torque to go around. I've talked to an ex MOCO employee that said they have put this engine in the touring frame and it was really nice. HD has a problem with spending $1200 more per engine compared to the TwinCam.

 

It is!!! And she is very hot!!!
I can post more of her...
[QUOTE=philo111;8864176]

 

The VRod is no Ducati. Not in any way. The comparison is flawed.

 

You may have taken my comment out of context. The statement was made ONLY to refute those that say that a bike with a wider tire cannot be made to handle well. A Ducati and a V-Rod are quite dissimilar in other respects.

 

I just don't get the need for a tire that wide.
There are plenty of Jap and Euro bikes that make much more power and are able to put it to the ground with a 180 or 190 tire that has a "normal" profile and can actually corner well.

 

I spent this September putting 2,000 miles on the XR then I put 2,000 on the NRS going on the same roads. I have been riding since 1956 and have went through over 30 bikes.

I have no problem saying the NRS will out do the XR. But no one has mentioned the Beull Ullysses XB1200 which Harley took a lot of parts from the Buell bins to make the XR. The XB1200 will run circles around the XR and would be able to take the NRS. The XB has 15% more hp stock and 100 lbs less weight than the XR. Plus a much more sophisticated suspension and mass centered build.

My oldest son grew up on motorcycles. He spent many years in California carving canyons and drag racing sport bikes. He was the one that told me I should not pass on a Vrod. He rode them during Sturgis at their test rides in Rapid City. He was very impressed with their handling. HD engineers have found a way that the 240 does not act like it does on other bikes. I had 300 miles on my son's M109 with the 240 and you had to counter steer hard to get it up on the edge to make a turn. On the NRS you don't even notice. On my FSXTC with the 200 I can tell that it takes more effort to initiate a fast turn.

It is a shame that so many HD riders have an attitude about the Vrod. But it is their loss.

Here's how I raised my three boys. This is my son at 9 and I'm on a Yamaha XS1100 which was the fastest production bike of it's day. That was just before sport bikes came into the picture.



The only thing that I noticed on a hard curve was that I leaned more to go the same rate as the XR.

And how do I know how other HD's perform. Well in my garage there is a 07 FXSTC, 08 Buell Ulysses XB1200, 09 XR1200, 10 Dyna Super Glide, 10 Ultra, 12 NRS and a 12 Road Glide. And I ride them all over the place. It's good to be me.

Ride safe and see ya on the road.

 

I may not be the best judge of this. The only bike I had ridden that had a 240 tire was a Victory until I did a test ride on a V-Rod Muscle. The Victory was very hard to make it corner. I had to literally force it to lean. I was totally unimpressed. The Muscle on the other hand easily leaned into corners and seemed to handle very well. Now granted, it wasn't like I was riding either through any kind of twisties, both were just in town riding, making turns on city streets, but there was a marked difference between the two bikes. I've heard that the MOCO made a geometry change when the Muscle came out that improved the handling, so I don't know what the pre-'09's were like. When I can afford an additional bike it will be a NRS.

 

Thank you for making sense.

I'm not a VRod hater either. I think it looks cool, I love the water cooled Revolution engine, and I know it's the fastest stock Harley out there (in a straight line).

The only issue I have is with these delusional guys saying that it handles the twisties on par with an XR1200X, an FXR, or an FXDX for that matter.

Frame geometry (rake, wheelbase), in conjunction with suspension, tires, etc, dictate basic motorcycle handling characteristics. You can change the tires, the shocks, and some parts that will improve ergonomics, but you can't change the frame (unless you cut it, or change the swing arm). With this in mind, given the specs of the VRod, it just isn't possible for it to handle on a par with a FXR, et al. Too heavy, too long, too raked out, too fat of a rear tire, ergonomically sitting in a Barcalounger with your legs stretched out in front of you, and unimpressive lean angles are just a few things that don't contribute to a great handling bike.

 

Some of these guys just don't understand that there is more to "handling" than a smooth ride.
I think someone has to experience it to understand, but most just aren't interested. Not even in learning what makes their bike work, much less how to improve it. Its so much easier for them just to repeat what they heard at the dealer.