I am considering a VROD for my next HD. I have a Nightster and I love it, but it just doesn't cut it on the long trips. It's a keeper, so I need another ride. I like the liquid cooled idea, and the bike is really sharp. Has anyone rigged this bike up for traveling (detachable backrests, bags, racks, etc)? Thanks for your input.

God bless!

 

Forgive me for not noticing a post several below mine asking a very similar question. I am more interested in hearing from people that have done the 2 UP thing. I'm sure there are accys for single riding and storing gear. I'm more concerned about getting the complete package with this bike rather than going with a true touring model (Road King, Ultra, etc). Quick detach would be a plus for convenience of going back to single rider.

Thanks.

 

I havent put anything on other than a low sissy bar but I ride 2 up fairly regular with no problems. To be honest the only time I realise she's there is when we've been going a while and she gets bored and fidgits! Its like.... hey I forgot you were back there!

She of course denys falling asleep but we all know the truth!

Chris

ps saying that I do have a very teeny tiny version of the girlfriend model!

 

OK, I'll bite.

My wife and I are both nearly 6ft and I weigh 200lbs. I won't say how much the wife weighs because I value my life too much but let's just say she's more than 150lbs. I added a Sundowner seat, a Kuryakyn Tall Sissy Bar, and a set of passenger floor boards to try and make her more comfortable on the back. All that helped but it's still no where near as comfortable as the Ultra Classic we rented last month in NC. She can ride for a couple hours before we need to stop for a while and give her a break. Any time we've been on a Touring model (UC, RK, SG), she's been able to ride all day long. So, if you're going to any SERIOUS touring, get a Street Glide. Looks killer and rides great. But, if you're going to use it for day trips, the V-Rod should work fine.

V-Rods are great while you're by yourself though. Nothing like a twin spinning 9,000rpm to clear your head.

---Chris

 

I'm with FireRescueFL, as other than the height we sound a lot like him and her. We rented an Ultra in Las Vegas last Nov. and the wife was dead set on one. I told her that if she bought it I'd ride it where ever she wanted to go but there was no way I was giving up the V-Rod. We've gone 400+ on the V-Rod with no problems but the ride is not going to be the same as one on a Touring bike. It is going to depend on what your normal riding is like. Less than 350-400, I'd say you're golden with a V-Rod with some slight mods for longer distance comfort. More than that on a regular basis and you need a different bike or a lot of money to change the V-Rod to suit the conditions better.

 

Definitely sounds like two bikes are necessary; part of my v-rod purchase will involve reconfiguring my Dyna for the significant other to ride.

 

I have 16,000 on my vrod, about 1/2 of it touring,and about half of that 2 up touring. I have swapped out seats - hd touring to corbin dual tour, backrests - from hd detachable to corbin oval. I have added passenger footboards.I have purchasedan expensive airhawk seat pad for my backseat rider too. I have modified the corbin backrest to be bigger and sofer... And all of these things have just made it marginallymore comfortable formy 5'1, 120 lb passenger. After 4 hours ofriding and 200 miles, this bike is very hard on the passenger. On the highway, wind pushes the passenger knees apart, which is fatiguing. The seat and back rest feel too small and thin.And the shocks too stiff.No one I've surveyed has yet to find a way to make their passengers happy after 200 miles. This is not and never will be a sit back and lounge road king ride. Not even close. Still, I do not intend to buy a Honda Goldwing anytime soon, so I will continue to try to make this more of a cruiser, even tho that means sacrificing some of the lean mean looks I love about this bike. Next month the supersport windsheild will give way tothe cordin trim tab ($1,500) and I will install passeger pegs at the swingarm pivots ($450) in hopes of making thisbike justa little (and I mean little) bit more comfy for the long distance rides for my passenger. And, who's kidding who here anyway? This month I did a solo 1,400 mile foliage trip thru ny, vt, nh and me in six days, which left me longing forfootboards for my cramping legs (stuck in the eternal forward position) and a big ugly wind cushioning windscreen (that keep the wind and rain off my hands too). No doubt a stripped down road king offers more comfort than I will ever have on this bike. Yet, I love every moment of it. I figure when it's time for aarp, I'll look at getting a big cruiser as a second cross country bike.