I bought a brand new V-Rod Muscle from the Harley dealership a week ago. After riding for a week, I notice a few things that I need to make sure is normal.

1. Riding at low speeds on first gear without twisting the throttle (going about 5-10mph), the engine feels like it's choking/stumbling/dieing, is it normal?

2. When switching gears (2nd to 3rd gear mostly) and then slowly releasing the clutch, I feel a slight grinding vibration on the clutch handle when releasing it, is it normal?

3. When going over speed humps/bumps, my rear tire springs make a sucking noise, is it normal?

4. When switching from 1st to 2nd gear, I accidentally go into Neutral. I tried doing it softly and I tried doing it quick and hard (a little better). But, I keep accidentally go into Neutral sometimes?

Even though, I've been riding for about 3 years on my used 250cc Yamaha motorcycle, and then buying a brand new motorcycle got me worried and sensitive about any lemon. I wonder if Harley-Davidson is good at handling defects without hassle?

Thank you for your help and time. I'm new to the forum, by the way.

 

I have a new 08 vrscdx, they do not like slow putting around they will do it all day but they are turning very low rpm's and they wern't made for that. the shifting they need to be shifted with authority not that they are crappy shifting but be positive about what your doing it will shift great

 

After the break in switch to a synthetic oil (not the Harley crap) Amsoil or Mobil 1 V-twin are the most popular and better oils. Your shifting and clutch operation will improve. The Vrsc engine does not like to be lugged and anything under 3k RPM is lugging it

 

#1......haven't felt this but I agree with the other poster that if you are too low in the RPM band the bike would certainly feel like it was going to die on you. Maybe pull in on the clutch and cruise a bit more if you are going that slow....

#2 I don't release the clutch slowly except for maybe when I am first taking off in first gear...not sure why you are releasing slowly as it should be a split second thing. Sounds to me like you are a little bit afraid of the bike.....it has a lot of power and if you were driving a 250cc bike before this then the feeling will be like night and day.

#3 Yes...it's normal and mine does it too....

#4 I have had my bike for just under a year.....I can only remember one time when the bike slipped into neutral so I don't know if it's your technique or if your transmission is a little off.....might be something worth having checked out by your local shop?

Good Luck and enjoy the bike

 

#1 . . . mine does the same thing, kinda feels like it's missing, but usually only does it when engine is cold and first starting out for the day . . . like it's a little cold-blooded maybe, but seems kinda weird on a FI engine . . .

#2 . . . as mentioned, I don't let the clutch out slowly except when starting from a dead stop . . .

#3 . . . yep, heard that too . . . changed the setting from #2 to #3 on the rear shocks, but still does it . . . must be normal?

#4 . . . I've had that happen on my other bikes, not on the Muscle yet . . . sometimes I get sloppy shifting and might hit neutral, just gotta give a good toe lift, especially between 1 and 2.

BTW, bought my Muscle on the Fourth of July this year, has about 1800 miles on it now . . . put the aftermarket V&H pipes on it, it has improved the volume from the pipes 1000%!!!

 

For #2 and #4, I'll look into it soon with the Harley-Davidson dealership. Thanks for the great responses!

 

The bike is new. You need to put a few thousand miles on it to make everything work together before you start getting too picky. jmtc

 

same here with the 09 vrscaw. Normal sure agree with changing the break in oil to synthetic. also heard somewhere about the tune can help with the puttering in first gear. still checking though.

 

Is #1 problem the "V-Rod Stumble" I hear about? One writer said his girl's V-Rod was unrideable at parking lot speeds. Some have it worse than others and manage to get it tuned out some way. My 06 Nightrod was bought used and is smoother than my 07 Sportster. Service manager said it was worked on and I'm lucky. The experts here should have some advice about the "stumble" at low speed and how to fix it.

Hope you can get yours to be as smooth as mine...I love it. These are great bikes.

 

Mine is fine @ low speeds, and does 15mph in 2nd when I need to keep the volume way down. It's only lugging it if you put the engine under a load.