ok here is the thing - my son in law thinks he may be interested in a v rod.. I would rather he get a big twin -I ride a softail-but he has to much metric background or so he says.
questions.. what I hear about cost for things like valve adj. and tune work on the v rod seems way out of line. anything anybody can tell me about the bike would be appreciated
good stuff
bad stuff
associated costs

 

The prices are on line compared to reg v twin stuff.I mean some things cost more because the v isn't as popular as the air cooled.I actually had to mod some air cooled stuff to work on my bike but it is all good!!!There are some things I've noticed for air cooled bikes that I think crazy priced for what they are.Do a lil research.The tuning thing isn't a big deal.You can get tuners for the same price as the air cooled.I went a lil nutz on mine so I can't even tell you how much I've spent on my ,but they are a really good bike.I was in the same situation,I had rockets all my life and din't want an old mans Harley.Got the V and was really pleased with it.Not that I have anything against air cooled!!! I'm actually looking at a Street Glide as a cruiser

 

Getting a valve lash adjustment every 15k miles or so isn't a big deal. 5k between service intervals. All in all the long term cost is the same, if not lower. You can go 100k miles without rebuilding anything.

It's not more difficult to tune... just revs higher, so there's a greater rpm range to tune. My engine runs up to 10k rpm.

 

The prices are posted on the board at most H-D shops.
As usual, there are independent shops that will smoke the dealer's prices.

 

thanks for the answers I have gotten any pro's and con's would be appreciated also
sut looking for info so if he goes that way it will be educated buy ..

 

Loos are subjective, I think the B, AW and D, DX, and R look hot, I don't like the looks of the F.

IF we are talking the entire VRSC family, there are objective pros, and a few cons.

Cons:

(These first few are only cons if you are coming from a traditional HD background)

Doesn't sound like a Harley. Mine is close between 2k and 4k rpm, but it idles higher, and revs much higher, not 45 degree potato-potato sound. It has it's own sounds which is really cool... like a Harley mated with sportsbike.

HD leather warriors don't like it. There are a number of HD techs who have never taken the time to learn about the bike. Your typical HD shop won't have much in stock in terms of accessories or parts for repairs should you need it, even tires, ussually need to be special ordered.

Poor fuel econ (for a bike), 30-40mpg depending how you ride.

Takes some modification to be comfy two up.

No 09s made with mid controls.

There are not a lot of engine mods. This is good and bad. The engine is really balanced, you can open it up and let it breath and get 5-10% more power. But beyond that you need to increase displacement or have forced induction to get more power out of it. It's not like a twinky where you see major gains from just cams, or intake, exe. This is good and bad. New Twinkies come making 56rwhp, Revos come making 115...

Pros:

105-115 rwhp out of the box (depending on model).

Ultra reliable. 100k miles without major work.

Modern frame.

ABS option (08+)

I guess I could list all the little things that make it perform better, but no other HD models come close to the out of the box performing of the VRSC line, in terms of corning or straight line acceleration. You're talking out of the box 11.3 second 1/4 miles vs 14sec+ on the big twins.

The real only cons are that it doesn't look and sound like a traditional Harley... and those are only cons if you're coming from a traditional HD background, and that's what you want.

 

After some study and thought, I bought an '06 V Rod Night Rod in like new condition in red and black with lots of extra chrome tastefully added by the first owner. By all counts it is a terrific ride. I think Harley outdid themselves on this bike. I also ride an '07 Sportster 1200 Custom and the transition from one bike to another is easy. My Night Rod is a bit more sporty looking that the traditional Harley--and very responsive. I think he would like it a lot. I can find no negatives with this one. The new engine is great, and I like liquid cooliing in July in Virginia traffic. Yup, I am am total convert.