If BMW K1600s had a more comfortable foot peg position I'd be on one of them right now.

So I wish HD would make a faster touring bike OR, BMW would make one with forward controls!

 

I stand on what I said. Have a look at the HD service manual for a V Rod. It calls for the engine to be lowered after removing the frame tube. I said I know that there are ways to do it without doing that but it calls for it.

But as I've said before. I'm done buying motorcycles that have to have the cams removed for routine valve train maintenance. There are overhead cam bikes out there (Victory) that don't require this.

A V Rod just isn't producing the kind of performance numbers that require that kind of valve train. In the world of liter plus bikes, the V rod is a little off the mark. So if it isn't running with GSXRs and R1s in the horsepower dept then dumb down the valvetrain for maintenance sake. And again, having this issue on a clean sheet design is criminal. Sometimes you get poor or backward engineering because a model is updated from something older. So, in the essence of history you make exceptions. But I can't do that with something that's designed from the ground up.

I'm NOT hating the V Rod. It could be something that would sell to guys like me. It just needs to come along a little. OR, make the motor turn out ZX14 and Busa HP.

 

Some have said this already, but the thing with the V-Rod is that it fits into it's own niche....it's not a cruiser, and it's not a sport bike. It's a muscle bike.

It's not designed to handle really well like a sport bike, and not designed to be really comfortable on long rides like a cruiser. Although it's not horrible at either, just not what it's designed for. It's made to haul *** in a straight line and look aggressive.

It's a fine piece of machinery, time tested and reliable, and has definitely been a success in the US and abroad.

That being said, it's not a traditional Harley, and those looking at a V-Rod are typically looking for a muscle bike, not a cruiser & are not your typical HD buyer. There are exceptions, but generally this is true IMO.

There are many manufacturers making muscle bikes that perform well, and the V-Rod is one of the best, but if I were buying a bike for raw throw you off the seat straight line performance, I would buy a vastly superior performing V-Max.

200hp & 123ft/lb of tq right off the showroom pretty much speaks for itself. The V-Rod power plant is nice, but it's nothing compared to the V-Max. In the muscle bike world, the V-max makes everything else look silly IMO.

Every type of bike has it's own purpose...sport bike, cruiser, dual sport, sport tour/adventure, muscle bike, etc. The V-Rod is a muscle bike not a cruiser, which attracts a different buyer than a traditional HD buyer.

 

Real HP numbers for Vmax & Vrod at the rear wheel.

Vmax 167HP
Vrod 120HP

47HP is a lot when its a one trick pony.

Not 200 but point well taken.

 

No.

The V-Max is rated at 200HP at the motor.

The V-Rod is rated at 125HP at the motor.

V-Rods are putting down around 100HP at the wheel. I can't speak for the V-Max.

 

BMW K1600, 132HP & 112ft.lbs @ the rear wheel; 160HP & 132ft lbs @ the crank

 

Bikes must be abnormally cheap in my area. You can buy 2000-2006 Sportsters here all day long for $3000. Heck there is a 2002 1200 right now for $2200. You can buy mid 90's Dyna's for $4500-$5000 normally as well. One of the dealers here has a low mileage 2007 FXSTi for $8200

 

We are essentailly saying the same thing. In the world of high horse power cars and motorcycles the only meaningful number is rear wheel or brake horse power. How much HP an engine can produce on a stand with no frictional drivetrain losses doesn't really tell the tale. Depending on the transmisson and final drive, two engines producing the same HP on the stand will yield different BHP numbers. The one that has the least losses will produce the greatest brake horse power BHP.

Do a little research, you'll find that the Vmax is about 167 at the wheel and the newer Vrods are right at 120 at the wheel. Don't get angry, it's just the way it is. A 100 RWHP 120RWHP either one pick one. My point is that the Vrod is a "Muscle Bike" that's light in the *** compared to the bike it wants to be, that was invented in the 80s by Yamaha.

Think of it this way. You got yourself a pretty woman and you wanna tell her what she can expect from you after the sun goes down. Provided you don't wanna dissapoint her; you don't start measuring from your tailbone;-)

That's the difference between engine stand crank HP and BHP.

 

Ok so let's talk RWHP numbers. The stock 1250cc Revolution motor isn't even close to 120. When you are talking 20HP differences in motorcycles it's like talking 60-80HP differences in cars. The average 120 RWHP V-Rod is far from stock. To pull those numbers realistically you're looking at cam work.

So based on the data collected on hundreds of V-Rods around the world (1130cc.com) the average RWHP number on a stock V-Rod is 100. The V-Max makes 75 ponies more...

Hey look at the manufacturers official crank HP ratings:

V-Max: 200
V-Rod: 125

Funny how that works out.

 

Rod

WE AGREE. Can't you see that? The text you quoted from my message was wrong. I typed 176 instead of 167 (what the max puts to the rear wheel). But still, at 100 rwhp (Vrod) vs 167 rwhp (Vmax) that's a significant difference, especially since they are true competing (for the same customer) models.

The whole point I was trying to make is there is a vast difference between the two bikes and that's the thing people buy them for. So if that's the "thing" you better have more of "it".

Yeah, patriotism may cause some to give the Vrod the nod but people looking for a cruiser based bike with some stomp would do themselves a disservice if they didn't take a look at the Vmax.

I can't explain myself any better than that. If it ain't clear, its because I'm apparently too stupid to convey my thoughts through text.