Harley Davidson V-Rod… or V-Rad? (For Sale)
There was a time many moons ago when motorcycles were a huge part of my life. I know that there are many “communities,” however, there is nothing like the motorcycling community. I honestly have no idea what it is, but people just geek out over each other’s bikes. People love to swap lies…. I mean, tell stories… about the big ride or the crazy ride. If the person is a good storyteller, you can kill some valuable time and not even feel bad for procrastinating.
I had an F650 Dakar. Man, I loved that bike. I rode that bike everywhere. I remember…. (insert squeeky wiggle voice while standing and hobbling over a cane)…. when my wife would leave for work and I would jump on the bike. At that time, we lived in California, and I loved riding the Sierra Nevada mountains. I still think that California has some of the best roads to ride in this great nation of ours.
So, why do I speak of this bike in the past tense? One of my friends suffered a pretty bad accident that rattled me, and in a weak moment, I sold my bike when our second daughter was born. I think I cried when I saw it ride away, and I am pretty sure that the angelic choir played taps as they grieved with me. I know it sounds strange, but it really felt like a piece of me was cut out. I remember the owner of BMW of Fresno used to say, “Ride it! These things are like puppy dogs. Before you know it, they follow you home and just like the puppy dog, you can’t get rid of them!” I know it was a joke, but there is something true about it. I am not sure if it is the bike or the friendships formed around it, but it does feel like a good dog died when a bike goes to a new home.
Fast forward to today. I was visiting an elderly widow in my congregation. They are liquidating her deceased husband’s assets. He had a Harley-Davidson V-Rod, and now it is for sale. Now, I am not really a Harley guy. If I got a new bike, some of the top bikes on my hunt are the Honda Africa Twin, Hondas, KTMs, or BMW GSs. So, Harley is not really on my radar. So, why would this bike intrigue me, you might ask? Well, I am glad you did. And if you didn’t ask, I will pause a moment so you can ask….. waiting…. waiting… don’t be so stubborn, just play along, will ya? Oh, yes, thank you for asking! (The Craigslist ad is here if you are interested in buying this bike. I still chuckle when I read the ad.)
This bike is for sale. I put together a 1 minute short that cuts to the point of what this bike offers.
The Harley-Davidson V Rod was Harley-Davidson's venture into the modern era with liquid cooling. Porsche helped them design the motor, and Harley built the V Rod and the Night Rod using the same motor. I still wonder what Eric Buell would have done with this motor if Harley-Davidson let him build a bike around it. I would really be tempted to buy it as I like Buell, and still think they are awesome bikes. I do get Harley-Davidson’s perspective, HD wanted to protect their brand. They wanted to build a street rod, and do it well. They wanted the motor to be their motor for their power cruisers. You can’t fault a company for staying with its vision. They were looking ahead without forgetting their past. Kudos!
Now die die-hard Harley riders say that this is not a real Harley because Porsche builds the bike. Well, I said it in the video below that we can clearly tell that Porsche did not build the bike for one obvious reason. If Porsche built the bike, they would have figured out a very complicated and insane way to stick the motor behind the rear wheel. I wonder if Harley had to put their foot down and stop the joint venture right there.
Porsche: “Das engine…. in Da BACHKKKK! Nein! Das ENGINE IN DA BACHK….”
Harley: “Okay, I think we are done here.”
Anyway, Harley got the motor back, and they took the Porsche design and revised it. How much did they revise it? Well, I don’t think any of us will ever know. The bike cranked out just a little under 120 ponies and revved up around 8K. That is pretty impressive considering we think of Harley Davidson as the “potato” bike…. you know Po Tat O…. Po Tat O… Po Tat O….. You are sounding it out and hearing the idle now, aren’t you? This is not a jab at Harley. Harley saw this as a distinctive sound, which is why they filed lawsuits against Honda in particular, and other brands as well. Harley saw that single crankpin with the “Po tat o” sound as distinctive to their brand. And we thought the 80s mullets were crazy! Eventually, Harley-Davidson dropped the lawsuit, and I think they are doing just fine today.
So, the family did offer to sell the bike to me, but I declined to buy it. It is not the time to buy another motorcycle right now. Also, I really want an adventure bike. I appreciate this bike and I am glad I had the opportunity to ride it, but it is not a bike where I am going to vote with my money to acquire it. I made a brief video below capturing my thoughts about the bike.
What I like:
The bike is over 20 years old and still feels relevant today. Accelerating the bike feels more like a Japanese bike or a BMW, those are the bikes I am most familiar, rather than the grunt of a Harley. Normally, you ride a Harley like you drive a diesel. You don’t run the bike out, but just enjoy the sound and the low-end torque. The V Rod is different in that regard. The engine comes alive as you rev the engine out. However, don’t get me wrong…. the grunt is there. The bike pulls smoothly, and the motor is very predictable as it revs out. I love the motor.
I am not a huge fan of cruisers. I know that there are people who really love a cruiser-type bike. It took a bit of time to figure out how to get the bike to run through a corner. I was a little scared to lean it because it does not corner like a sport bike. However, once I gained the confidence, I could lean the bike and take it through corners. I dare say, I think I started to smile. I was going to put the handling under a dislike. As I got used to the bike then I realized how to steer it, and it handles surprisingly well considering the rake of the forks.
The Screaming Eagle package was something that I thought would annoy me. I know I have ridden many motorcycles with aftermarket exhausts that sound really cool at idle, but the noise is absolutely grating after 30 minutes. I figured that would be the case, and I really approached the bike with a bias that the noise would annoy me. In fact, I was wrong. Dead wrong! The exhaust is perfect. You hear the sound of the motor, but you don’t feel like your eyes are going to rattle out of your head while your ears beg for mercy. The Screaming Eagle package reminds you that you are riding a Harley, but you don’t wish for a semi to take you out to end the ear pain. Harley did a nice job with the setup.
I also like the gauge cluster. It is simple. Very simple! It has an actual gas gauge rather than a fuel light. I like the old school needles. It is classy, and it is also functional. So, I give Harley props for that.
I really like the styling and feel of the bike. Keep in mind, I am not a cruiser guy! However, I like the industrial look of the bike. It communicates something that is moving forward, but at the same time, very visceral and mechanical. It is like Harley is saying, "We are moving forward, but we have not forgotten our brand! We will stick to the cruiser identity, and we will build very mechanical-feeling bikes.” It is something that I like about Harley-Davidson is you know, when you get it in first gear. The engagement is distinctive, and this bike communicates that as well. You squeeze the clutch, hit the shifter down, and you hear the CLUNK. I love it! It is so mechanical and awesome at the same time.
Dislikes
The main thing that I did not like about the bike, and I dare say hated, the peg position. I know that the owner put some aftermarket pegs on the bike so I cannot fault Harley for the pegs. However, if I bought the bike, the first thing I would look into is some sort of a peg relocation kit. In the grand scheme of things that is a little picky. Someone else might jump on the bike and say, “Dude, you need to stop smoking recreational crack! These pegs are awesome!”
I also wish that there was a gear indicator. I know…. I know count the gears. Yes, I did. However, I have been spoiled by gear indicators. It is nice when you are in traffic and you know what gear you are in. It is like my security blanket when crazy cagers are trying to mow me down. In my defense, it did not take long for me to remember the gear choice. I guess this is Harley’s way of helping us with Alzheimer’s by forcing us to use our brains. So, maybe Harley is doing a public service.
The other thing I would prefer to move is the key position. I know…. I know…. I am the annoying guy. I get that Harley is going for the old school cruiser/power cruiser so they put the key on the right side of the bike. I like my key between the fork top tubes. It is nice to see it there, easy to access, and I am an absent-minded dolt prone to leaving the key in the bike. Thankfully, I never left the key in the bike, but when the key is right in front of your face, then one tends to grab the key. However, this might be Harley’s way of keeping us all safe. I mean, when you have to look to the right to get the key in the hole, and then turn it… Well, if you are a little lit then you are not starting the bike. So, Harley can argue that this is a safety feature. Kudos to Harley for thinking of everything. However, I don’t drink and ride, so I request my key to be between the fork tubes, and I am sure that Harley has already filed this suggestion in the blue bin.
Conclusion
Overall, I am thankful that I had the opportunity to ride this bike. The things I don’t like about the bike are very nitpicky. They are, in fact, personal preferences. Some people might dare to call me whiny about it. They are probably right, but I still share my impressions. I commend Harley for taking some chances with their brand identity with this bike. They moved the company forward with this motorcycle. I think that is why the bike is worthy of coming in the “Anniversary Edition.” I would call this bike a V Rad! Kudos to Harley for maintaining their brand identity while moving forward. Do you have any motorcycle stories or experience with the V Rod? Post them in the comments! Thanks for reading! Until we meet again, may the Lord’s blessing and peace be upon you.
