I can buy a brand-new non-current 09 Night Rod for only a few hundred more than a 2011 Superglide. This will be my first HD, to be used mostly for short-distance touring (300-500 mile days) and a lot of Sunday pleasure rides. I enjoy twisty roads, but I don't push it too hard.

Currently I ride a 1980 Suzuki GS850G and am eager to move to a bigger, more spread-out ride. I've heard the V Rods get lousy fuel economy, how bad is it? How smooth are they at a steady 75 MPH? Do they have more cornering clearance than the Dynas?

I am upgrading from this...

 

Well that is a decision that you will have to make on your own. They are both good machines but they are two different machines. If you are just cruising along and power isn't a deciding factor. Then you might want to look at the superglide. I have a 11 wideglide and a 11 Vrod DX. I ride the DX cause I really love this bike it is a beast. It gets about 35 mpg but I have added a few mods. The dyna gets better mileage than the Vrod. I really like the way the vrod ride and handles. It is alot better handling and has better brakes. Then you get to the engine, they are totally different powerplants. The air-cooled engines are geared for low rpm and lowend torque. They have a 6 speed tranny so they can cruise on the interstate pretty easy. The Vrod has a liquid-cooled Revo engine it really likes high rpms and makes alot more horsepower. It has a 5 speed tranny and can cruise anyway you want to. The air-cooled motors have more vibration than the Vrod. The Vrod has no vibration. I suggest you go take a test ride and see which one is right for you.

 

Slim has it right, two totally different machines.

I can tell you that 400 miles on a V-Rod is an easy day, and cruising at 75 is nothing. The bike will go all day at 120 if you want. It's my understanding that they corner better than the Dynas, but that's hear say, so take it with a big fist full of salt.

Your best bet would be to rent one for a day, if you get the V-Rod grin then you know it's the bike for you.

 

Love my V-rod perfect bike for me . I remember that style of Suzuki as well I had a 550gs that looks just like that , had lots of fun on that bike but man nothing like I do now on the V-rod

75mph is nothing and and smooth as glass. But yea if you keep it up in the rpm range ( where it loves to be) the gas does go through it but the 09 has the bigger tank (then mine). And it's not a Sports bike but handles the Twistes very well

 

The dyna class bikes handle pretty good, if they don't have the spoke wheels. The spoke wheels seem to flex a little. This is not bad if you are just cruising along. They are not good at high speed curves or any real spirited riding. The dyna that have the other wheel option than the spoke wheels do handle better. I ride with my cousin who own a 08 Fatbob. It has the same wheels as my Vrod. I have the 240 tire with Michelin tires. His tires are Dunlops with a 200 tire out back. It handles just about as good as the Vrod. He just can't pull away from the Vrod or anything like that if he is in the lead. I don't have alot of miles on an HD but you can't go wrong with either bike. Shop around a little and you should be able to get a better deal on a newer VRod. There are only a few hundred dollars difference between the new DX and a Superglide. I actually went to buy a Superglide at the dealer but they didn't have the color I wanted. My brother was with me at the time and bought the Wideglide I mentioned in earlier posts. I looked around the dealership for a while but ended up going to the first bike I looked at when I walked thru the door. A new 11 DX in chrome yellow and black. I thought I might second guess my choice but I have nothing but good things to say about the Vrod. In stock form, I really hated the stock exhaust on the Vrod. I changed that to a V&H 2-1 competition series exhaust. The Vrod in stock form is not to bad on mileage, if you are not ripping the bike. There is a big power difference between the Vrod and a Dyna. A Dyna has a lot of low end torque but run out of steam about 5,500 rpm. A Vrod has a pretty flat torque curve that come in about 3,000 to 3,500 rpm. It stays that way up til 9,000 rpm and feels like it will rip your arms off.

 

I love the yellow on the new DX's, so much so that I'm considering painting my D yellow.

 

The chrome yellow is a pretty sweet color. It ain't hardly as bright as most of the yellow colors you see on the new cars, bikes and other stuff. It does really pop on the vrod.

 

Well, I went on a very long test ride with the 09 DX and an 11 Superglide. There were things about each that I liked and disliked, but man what a motor!!!!

I put a deposit on the DX (09 vivid black with silver stripe) and got it for $3500 off MSRP. Not really willing to drive up and down the state and anyway prefer to buy local and support my local dealer.

That bike really impressed me. Adding the sundowner seat, saddlebags, passenger backrest, luggage rack, sissy bar and passenger backrest. Should make a pretty mean touring bike.

 

Like a few of us have already stated earlier. you really can't go wrong with a DX. I added a sissybar, backrest, VRSC detachable bags to mine and I can haul all my gear that I want to take along on a nice ride. Good choice I hope you like the bike as much as I like mine.

 

Grats! The DX is a super nice bike. The Revolution motor is a constant smile bringer! I would recommend www.1250cc.com and www.v-mod.com . Both are great sites along with this one.

Ride safe,

Jim