My friend Mark, who'd spent literally decades riding H-D's and souping them up, was first in line for the new V-Rod. He knew that there was no easy was to get this much HP and TQ out of any other bike in the H-D line up. His bike quickly got cams, N02, exhaust, suspension, etc. For guys like him who wanted to go fast, and not leave the H-D flock, this was a dream come true. R.I.P Mark. Fuck cancer.
Was at a HD dealer and we started talking about the V-Rod and the salesman tried to downplay the Porsche collaboration. It was like they where embarrassed.
A big part of Harley's identity, and a big source of it's brand loyalty, at least the older riders. Is the fact that Harley supplied tons of motorcycles during WW2. That's a big reason alot of motorcycle clubs are Harley only today. Its traced directly back to vets and the bikes they were given to fight the Germans. So to say that the Germans had a hand in this particular Harley...causes alot of the old heads to glitch out 😂.
@@super16g123I couldn't agree with you more. But Harley has a rough road ahead because the younger ones think WW2 was only about a bad guy killing people they never met. The war is losing its historical momentum. How the war was won is unfortunately less important to the younger generations, which waters down Harleys identity/brand advantage. And Harleys aren't any better made or do anything better than most other bikes these days. So when us old guys quit riding. I hope they have a game plan to stay relevant because tradition and image will fade. Not completely. But it will. Maybe I'm wrong..
I've worked in the industry for a long time and I've heard both sides equally. "Porche did it all", to the "it was like 5 guys from Porche engineering, not Porsche motorcompany.".
I had one of the later iterations of the VRod, put thousands of miles on it and really enjoyed the experience. Like someone else mentions, I always wondered what a more touring oriented version, along the lines of the current Lowrider ST would have been like.
Don't forget that in the early 80s Reagan slapped a 50% tariff on Japanese bikes so that Harley could recover from the days under AMF. Tariffs never should have happened, but the Japanese came back swinging with new bikes.
So glad for this video. I can't remember how many times I had a pointless argument with HD fanbois who at the same time thrashed this bike and denied Porsche's participation on the project because HD's so great they need no Germans. :)
I bought brand new a 02 Vrod in Germany and kept it until 13, when I traded it in on an 11 Muscle which I kept until 2019. Super fast (140mph on the Autobahn) and with the right mods a blast to ride. The dealerships hated working on them and many of the Harley purists never extended the V-Rod riders into "the family." Would have love to have seen a shorter wheelbase VRSCR with ABS. Never had a problem with either machine.
the best engine i ever found on a bike . Awesome sound , smothness and powerband , incredibly reliable (never had a broken engine at the dealership i worked). A shame they didnt used the engine on other bikes
It's kind of simple? The loyal buyers thumbed their noses at the vrod, the dealers made more money on the evo bikes , they murdered it thru neglect ,came as buell . Imagine what HD would be like if they had the balls to go with the vrod motor to replace the Evo twin. And turned Buell into a legit racing division. But the loyalists had a hissy fit about it , and blocked if . So the vrod went away , now we have the RevMax engines and the Bronx is still MIA. I'd buy a RevMax or a VROD before a Milwaukee 8. 30 yrs from now "what happened to Harley?" They had chances to improve and actively said the old stuff is good enough , they were acquired by Royal Enfield after they bought our Triumph in 2048, and HD in 2049
Harley run crying to Reagan to impose import tariffs on Japanese bikes because they couldn't handle the competition. They didn't "just keep making cruisers" in the 80's because they were cool.
My youngest had a Vee Rod. I never got a chance to ride it but I did take a couple of rides with him. He had pipes and a tune on it. The sound could put the fear of God in you. It had surprising power and handling. I was impressed but the bike wouldn't continue to this day. So it goes and yes, the engine would have made for a great street fighter. Surely a missed opportunity. Thanks for a wonderful video!
He is glossing over the V-4 Honda Magna. I was there, in the 70's and 80's. Older men than me lusted for the Magna. It was a cruiser, but not a POS like H-D. It was a big seller in my neighborhood!
I loved my V-Rod. Smooth, powerful, and so comfortable my wife as a passenger actually used to fall asleep on long rides. To this day I regret trading it in for a Softail Deluxe.
Bart, you seem to be forgetting the first AMF Harley and Porsche collaboration in the late 1970's with the Nova project. It never went into production but was this a resurrection? Did they dig out the original blueprints or did they begin anew with a clean sheet of paper? There is more to this story than meets the eye.
@MrPomdownunder I think they tried V twins and fours, overhead cams, water cooling and all sorts of modern stuff but the yanks being yanks still kept on building an engine that was fifty years out of date even then.
I never rode one so I can't speak from experience but my son and I ran into a guy who had a V-Rod a few years ago and he didn't like his at all... he had had it for a couple years so he wasn't talking off the cuff. It was a few years ago so I dont remember what all he said but I do remember him saying that it was cheaply made. Like I said, I dont remember specifics but he did say that the chrome was flaking off in places here and there, he didn't like the economy, the tires wore out in a hurry, the paint was fading and so on. Not sure if any of this helps but there's what I know about it.
The V -Rod was actually Harley-Davidson's second collaboration with Porsche. The first was the Nova project that was going to be liquid cooled V2, V4 and V6 engined bikes that would be of different displacements depending on the model. Several prototypes were built but the program was eventually scrapped when Willy G and his investment group purchased the company back from AMF. I have a 2006 VRSCR Street Rod that I absolutely love. It has reduced rake, a 5 gallon fuel tank, Brembo Brakes and mid controls. It has much better handling than the other V-Rod models and boasts a 40° lean angle. Unfortunately the Street Rod was only a two year only model with 2006-2007 being the only years it was produced.
I traveled with a couple of buddies a number of times on long trips. One rode a 1200 Sporty and the other a Vrod. The downside of that hidden gas tank on the Vrod was that it was tiny and the bike was thirsty. I was riding an ST1300 and for every one of my gas stops, there would be at least 2 for the Vrod; the Sporty was not quite as bad, though it too had a small tank. Also, apparently the Vrod didn't like high ambient temps. It temporarily shut down a few times on a 3 Flags run in the Nevada heat.
My local HD dealers used to have an annual bike demo.. I once took out the V-Rod and got a bit carried away... 230kph and still accelerating.... Best HD ever....
I still have my original 2003 100th Anniversary Edition HD V-ROD in the garage. It only has the 1,200 original miles that I put on it before I got married, went to grad school, had kids etc. etc. Wasn't super popular on the street when I bought it in the fall of 2002, but nowadays everyone that sees it wants to buy it. I may never sell it--Would love to see them bring it back in an updated version!
Still have my 2002 VROD, it was my 1st bike and now had close to 140,000 miles on it. Have had other bikes come and go in my garage (right now it shares the garage with 2012 Triumph Scrambler) but that VROD will never go anywhere. Love it, Saw that Birth of VROD Doc in 2004 and said "Hey thats a nice looking bike, I need one!" Found one with 7000 miles on it and the adventure started. HD handling of this bike was horrible. Sales people would try and talk anyone away from them, they were pushed into corners of dealerships. Service? Non-Exsistant. Dealerships didnt want to work on them and they didnt bother to have a tech on hand who knew the bike. Other HD riders? Just as bad. It was a lot of work owning one of these but worth it. for a 1st year production to have this many miles on it without any major problems.
I sold a Vrod for a customer, hadn't ever been up close to one before, so I told em while it was on consignment, I would ride it a bit to keep the battery up (automotive shop and they didn't have a tender). The first time I rode it, I rode it like my Sportster, shifting at like 4500, not really beating on it. The second time I rode it, I decided to try to find the limiter, because it didn't seem much faster than my sporty. Holy hell, at like 6k, you would think a second engine came on line. They are quick and sound cool as hell at high RPM. I ended up selling it for the customer and I tried to find one before settling on an Indian Scout. Another high revving V Twin, except the scout power band may as well been drawn with a ruler. No drama, just go faster the higher the RPM😂
I used to fang around in the 80/90s with a group of guys which had a couple of VMAX and the smaller Virago as well as mid-range straight 4s, such a fun time in motorcycling history!
I was the target customer for the V-Rod. I started riding on my roommate’s Rebel 250, bought the only thing I’ve ever financed a Kawasaki 454LTD, drove a Toyota Supra or my 67 Dart GT-S so obviously a V-Rod would have been my next bike but didn’t make sense because of where I lived for the next 20 years. A sandbar surrounded by salt water. Plastic rusts there. I’m literally negotiating a trade/work/cash for one now. Porsche also collaborated with the designers of the WJ’s high strength steel framework of its unibody.
I've never heard that one before. They did work together previously on the project Nova liquid cooled v4 engine. It was being developed at the same time as the more traditional Evo engine. It was eventually scrapped for the evo. That might be what your thinking of. This was back in the seventies I believe. It's funny. There seems to have been a "performance minded" faction that have attempted several performances takeovers of the brand for decades lol. Never got it done though lol
@@captainamerica9353 I sold it. I burned the inside of my thigh 3 times. I despised the exhaust layout. I saw no alternative layout. I did enjoy how it ran.
I've never been a Harley guy. I'm one of those "four broke guys" buying a Rebel. 😉 (And, later a Shadow that I rode for 10+ years.) However, I always liked the looks of the V-Rod. At 5'6", the V-Rod was about the only Harley with a low enough seat height that felt comfortable to me. Another interesting video. Thanks.
Please forgive my off-topic post!!! I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this subject!! I believe Harley erred when they dropped the Street 500 and 750, and especially the Street Rod 750 from their lineup. I really wonder how they're going to attract new, younger riders with their entry bike (Nightster 975) now costing 12000.00 MSRP? (Personally, I thought the Street Rod 750 had a shot a filling that bill.) Oddly enough, when I got back into riding at age 51, I had a job working at a local H-D dealer. That was in 2011. The Buell Blast was the bike used in the Rider's Edge class. I asked my manager if I could ride one around the lot during my lunch hour. He allowed me to do so. I bought one two weeks later! One month later, I traded it in on a used Iron 883! I really think they need a true entry level bike in both size and price! Should they bring back the Iron?? Thanks again, Bart! Love your work!!
I liked the engine, but did not like the platform. The seating position did not appeal to me, it had pathetic range, and the solid wheels caught side winds and pushed the bike around far too much. I applauded the effort to get out of their comfort zone, though.
It IS/WAS a Harley and a very good one imo. Not for everyone, but a viable option for H-D customers to consider. I could not get one at the time, but man...if that would have continued...just consider the possibilities of where it could be in 2024. Hopefully H-D will keep moving the newest 1250 platform to new heights...the Adventure bike is a very good first offering, but put that in a touring style bike and hang on.
Something I wish you had touched on, and I get why you didn’t from what I understand it’s just rumors. But it was actually buell that engine was originally designated to get but Harley decided they’d take it during development. Everything that bike has seems more buell. Engine water cooled, no gas tank on top off the engine. Buell ended up going to rotax before Harley gave up on them, but it is cool to think of these engines inside of a buell
Without the v-rod I would never had bought a Harley as i came from Hinckley Triumphs and the big twins seemed very agricultural. I believe that the canning of V-rods closed a major route into Harley ownership.
@@Emily-ou6lq Wow. You must be incredibly manly and overall more wonderful than us. You talk about powerful purpose built machines that us regular guys think are impressive and you say they are unimpressive toys. You're likely hung like a horse and drive a very loud mustang like an idiot. Geeze. I guess some have all the luck. Please respond to me so I can feel what it's like to know an A lister like you. Clown.
Bart, I love your videos! Thank you for looking into unique bikes and telling their stories. Would BMW r1200c be a good bike for another video like that?
4 วันที่ผ่านมา +1
Harleys motto "Yesterdays technology...........tomorrow" Then came the v-rod
Use to have a 78’ Yamaha xs11, with just a 4-1 pipe. Paid 700 bucks for a 25 year old bike (back then) that bike (two up) ripped the sh…. out of the V rods. It was just so much fun….
Porsche / Harley did a horrible job on the v rod.....could have been really powerful but.....many 70s and 80s bikes are way faster 😂😂 its so hilarious 😂😂
Harley DID build a bike influenced(in part/allegedly) by the UJM style bikes. It was the best bike they had ever built, and some argue still the best in some respects. The FXR series was phenomenal. The sound and torque of the Big Twin and set into a modern, stiff, perfectly engineered frame. The Original FXR, the Super Glide II is one of the most beautiful Harleys ever made. An '83 FXR will STILL walk away from a modern Touring or Softail on tight mountain roads.
I love the idea of a power cruiser, XDiavel S owner for 4 years. Its a shame that the market never caught on to the joys that a Power Cruiser brings to the table. VRod is discontinued, VMax is gone, only the Diavel and XDiavel remain, with some competition from the Rocket 3. When you already own a superbike (I also own an 899 Panigale), a street fighter just feels like more of the same but worse wind protection for slightly better comfort. A power cruiser on the other hand is a more novel experience, and variety is the spice of life.
The KZ900LTD was ONLY made in 1976. It was the first and last year for it. They went to the KZ1000, LTD available, in 77+. You made it sound like it was made in the 80s. It was still just a UJM bike.
Manufacturers in the car and motorcycle industry share their expertise all the time. Yamaha have developed engines for Ford, Volvo and Toyota, Lotus had a big part in the design of the DeLorean and several Fords. HD were obviously too proud to embrace this.
I started my bike career out at a metric dealership in 1990 uncrating the new bikes and setting them up and we would sell probably two VMX1200's a year compared to probably ten FZR 600's. Older guys bought the VMX younger got the FZR but that was lost on me the FZR looked like a cheap toy compared to the Max. I could never own a V Rod because there is nothing you can do to not make them sound like shit no mater how well they run. Every platform has it's distinct sound that is part of the soul of the machine and the V Rod sound cheap and shitty.
And now this engine lives on as the new engine for the 1250 Sportster. Porsche designed an absolute peach of an engine, it just was too far ahead of its time.
The average Vrod with an average rider could get high 11s or low 12s seconds ETs in the quarter mile which is as good as my Thruxton R, BMW R9T/5, and Kawasaki Z900RS SE. You would need the Vrod destroyer to take on the VMax. The Vrod engine was pretty good from my viewpoint.
The VRod was never really accepted by the faithful. Some referred to it as the VRoid. There is a famous picture of the VR1000 race bike on fire by the side of the track. It was never competitive in super bike racing.
At 8:59 I think you refer to "rake" angle, and the V-Rod's 34 degree forks are pretty kicked out compared to my Superglide's 28 degree head. Hardly a corner-carver. Then at 9:05 you say the V-rod uses a monoshock rear suspension. Dude, have you ever actually seen this bike?
You not a REEEEEEEEEEEL biker A coworker was such a douchebag to me because I bought a 1000sx after he got a REEEEEEL bike, a nineteen eighty something Dyna. He let me know how much better a Harley is compared to "jap crap" and would ask me why I wore all that "stuff" when I rode. Stuff like a full face helmet, kevlar jeans and armored jacket. I rode from 1990-2022 in shorts and t shirt without incident so I figured my luck would run out at some point. I realized how right he was when he put flame stickers on it.
I am afraid I too have never been a Harley guy but I really like the Vrod. I think it is a very stylish and classy creation …as is the VMax…..I disagree that either of these bikes are ugly….the Honda Rune also falls into the category IMHO. I guess the fact that as another non Harley guy who really likes the Vrod, goes some way to explaining why true Harley guys don’t like it. I still think is is a Harley which they should be proud of.
Vrod is the only harley (that I know of) that was designed by non-american engineers. It is also the fastest and maybe the prettiest, those flat black rods are just chef's kiss. Correct me if I'm wrong but porsche is a german engineering company, that usually makes cars, not motorcycles.. It's almost as if the german engineering was superior to american?
Some of the German engineering is first class. They are last in line though when it comes to ease of maintenance and service parts pricing and installation methods. Truly baffling though as it kind of resembles the late war tanks they made that, on paper, were nigh invincible, but in reality were rather less than the sum of their parts.
@@danconnolly2341 ah, a man of culture I see. for the reasons mentioned above, I'll never ever buy anything made in germany. Japanese bikes got like 85% of the tech of the german bikes with 300% the reliability and ease of maintenance with 34% of the price lol.
Porsche clearly had 0 input in the Breaking Dept😂, absolutely horrendous breaks that almost got me killed!!! Bye bye V-Rod!!!Another Huge issue was the lack of fuel capacity, nobody wanted to ride with someone on a V-Rod because it needed fuel 2x more than other Harley’s
I remember when this bike was introduced in 2002, some of my riding buddies trashed this bike. “…ain’t no Harley”, or “… looks like some Japanese bike…” and, this is my favorite, “… Harley didn’t ask us for input…” My response was, if HD had asked the core customer for input, this is what we would come up with as I pointed to a Heritage Softail. I went on, HD is looking to expand its customer base, “… it’ll be a failure”, they said. Well, it wasn’t, while it didn’t sell in big numbers, it sold well enough to stay in the lineup for 15 years. That’s a good run and its biggest sales were in Europe and Australia. Today, HD is going thru the same thing with the PanAmerica, it’s a new market and genre, Adventure, but the core derides it as”… it ain’t no Harley”.
Dang it.. these were just starting to get affordable because people were starting to lose interest in them and now this is like the third video I’ve seen about them lately..not to mention the bearded mechanic using one in the build off between him, shaun from bikes and beards, and paul sr. From occ 😂 …now the prices are about to go back up on them, watch.. 😂
I have a 2003 jubileum model and it is fuckin fantastic to ride , could not be better , well maybe but I don´t know how . I bought one 2019 when my dog died and at that time it had gone 27000km. Since then I have driven it very much så now the numbers are 79000km!! Drive safe !!! Anders Cöster Sweden
I remember back in 2006 I was in the market for a power cruiser and rode this and did not like it. It was too small. It was about $5000 more expensive than the Suzuki M109R but the worst part was when I rebved the Harley out. It did not make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It seems like you were asking it something I didn’t wanna do Compared to the Suzuki so I ended up buying a Suzuki instead after a year onceI got that out of my system because they are horrible cruisers power cruisers that is I traded in and bought my first Harley Street bob which was a fantastic bike.
I remember i wanted a v-rod, back when i was a young sailor. Unfortunately, the salesmen were all pretty crap and stuck up. That alone ended any interest i ever had from Harley after that.
My friend Mark, who'd spent literally decades riding H-D's and souping them up, was first in line for the new V-Rod. He knew that there was no easy was to get this much HP and TQ out of any other bike in the H-D line up. His bike quickly got cams, N02, exhaust, suspension, etc. For guys like him who wanted to go fast, and not leave the H-D flock, this was a dream come true.
R.I.P Mark. Fuck cancer.
Sounds like Mark squeezed every precious moment out life that he could. I envy and respect that. Glad you got to know him. 😑
Whoah there evel knievel. We can all agree that the V65 started the muscle wars not the vmax.
@@randypullman1155 whut?
Was at a HD dealer and we started talking about the V-Rod and the salesman tried to downplay the Porsche collaboration. It was like they where embarrassed.
It's interesting how the Vrod documentary does the same thing. They act like they just threw the vr1000 engine in it
A big part of Harley's identity, and a big source of it's brand loyalty, at least the older riders. Is the fact that Harley supplied tons of motorcycles during WW2. That's a big reason alot of motorcycle clubs are Harley only today. Its traced directly back to vets and the bikes they were given to fight the Germans. So to say that the Germans had a hand in this particular Harley...causes alot of the old heads to glitch out 😂.
It's mindboggling Stuff they didn't want to say that a different company Help them make a better engine and bike overall.🤯
@@super16g123I couldn't agree with you more. But Harley has a rough road ahead because the younger ones think WW2 was only about a bad guy killing people they never met. The war is losing its historical momentum. How the war was won is unfortunately less important to the younger generations, which waters down Harleys identity/brand advantage. And Harleys aren't any better made or do anything better than most other bikes these days. So when us old guys quit riding. I hope they have a game plan to stay relevant because tradition and image will fade. Not completely. But it will. Maybe I'm wrong..
I've worked in the industry for a long time and I've heard both sides equally. "Porche did it all", to the "it was like 5 guys from Porche engineering, not Porsche motorcompany.".
I went from building and riding Harley's since the later 70's to a Ducati XDiavel, the bike blows my mind... Great video on the V-Rod!
Been wanting one of these for a while. Probably the only modern Harley that ever appealed to me.
"Modern" 😂
I had one of the later iterations of the VRod, put thousands of miles on it and really enjoyed the experience. Like someone else mentions, I always wondered what a more touring oriented version, along the lines of the current Lowrider ST would have been like.
Don't forget that in the early 80s Reagan slapped a 50% tariff on Japanese bikes so that Harley could recover from the days under AMF. Tariffs never should have happened, but the Japanese came back swinging with new bikes.
Right
The Vrod was a donkey compared to the vmax.
So glad for this video. I can't remember how many times I had a pointless argument with HD fanbois who at the same time thrashed this bike and denied Porsche's participation on the project because HD's so great they need no Germans. :)
I bought brand new a 02 Vrod in Germany and kept it until 13, when I traded it in on an 11 Muscle which I kept until 2019. Super fast (140mph on the Autobahn) and with the right mods a blast to ride. The dealerships hated working on them and many of the Harley purists never extended the V-Rod riders into "the family." Would have love to have seen a shorter wheelbase VRSCR with ABS. Never had a problem with either machine.
I have 2010 Vrod I love it . Never had a problem with it very reliable and fast 👍
the best engine i ever found on a bike . Awesome sound , smothness and powerband , incredibly reliable (never had a broken engine at the dealership i worked). A shame they didnt used the engine on other bikes
I'll never understand why HD didn't use V-Rod engine in a touring model. 😮
Why 😂? Any Japanese manufacturer made better and faster bikes than Harley 😂😂😂
I wanted to see this. Another I’d like to see was the Suzuki m109 in a C model. That amazing engine in a good touring style
It's kind of simple? The loyal buyers thumbed their noses at the vrod, the dealers made more money on the evo bikes , they murdered it thru neglect ,came as buell . Imagine what HD would be like if they had the balls to go with the vrod motor to replace the Evo twin. And turned Buell into a legit racing division.
But the loyalists had a hissy fit about it , and blocked if . So the vrod went away , now we have the RevMax engines and the Bronx is still MIA. I'd buy a RevMax or a VROD before a Milwaukee 8.
30 yrs from now "what happened to Harley?" They had chances to improve and actively said the old stuff is good enough , they were acquired by Royal Enfield after they bought our Triumph in 2048, and HD in 2049
@@davegallo8166 Interesting take. Glad I will not be around to see that possibility.
Because no matter how good the engine is Harley buyers don't want new things
Best Harley Ever! The FXR was good as well.
“Harley fanatics and normal people” 😂😂😂 🤙🏻
Harley run crying to Reagan to impose import tariffs on Japanese bikes because they couldn't handle the competition. They didn't "just keep making cruisers" in the 80's because they were cool.
My youngest had a Vee Rod. I never got a chance to ride it but I did take a couple of rides with him. He had pipes and a tune on it. The sound could put the fear of God in you. It had surprising power and handling. I was impressed but the bike wouldn't continue to this day. So it goes and yes, the engine would have made for a great street fighter. Surely a missed opportunity. Thanks for a wonderful video!
These were such great bikes. I wanted one ever since they came out. I like their looks, and as a tall rider, I felt they were very comfortable.
He is glossing over the V-4 Honda Magna. I was there, in the 70's and 80's. Older men than me lusted for the Magna. It was a cruiser, but not a POS like H-D. It was a big seller in my neighborhood!
Indeed! The V65's were rocket ships!
I loved my V-Rod. Smooth, powerful, and so comfortable my wife as a passenger actually used to fall asleep on long rides. To this day I regret trading it in for a Softail Deluxe.
You can always pick up another one for cheap. No one wants them and they just rot on dealer floors as trade ins.
"a little" LMFAO. Yeh it's JUST the engine....cuz bending a bunch of tubes and welding them, that's the difficult part 🤣
Bart, you seem to be forgetting the first AMF Harley and Porsche collaboration in the late 1970's with the Nova project. It never went into production but was this a resurrection? Did they dig out the original blueprints or did they begin anew with a clean sheet of paper?
There is more to this story than meets the eye.
was that a V4 ?
@MrPomdownunder I think they tried V twins and fours, overhead cams, water cooling and all sorts of modern stuff but the yanks being yanks still kept on building an engine that was fifty years out of date even then.
My 03 Vmax always left room on the wish list for a V Rod
I had been waiting 4 decades till HD make bike that go not just barks ,have one since 2002 ,regards Zbigniew
V rod a great bike ❤
I never rode one so I can't speak from experience but my son and I ran into a guy who had a V-Rod a few years ago and he didn't like his at all... he had had it for a couple years so he wasn't talking off the cuff. It was a few years ago so I dont remember what all he said but I do remember him saying that it was cheaply made. Like I said, I dont remember specifics but he did say that the chrome was flaking off in places here and there, he didn't like the economy, the tires wore out in a hurry, the paint was fading and so on. Not sure if any of this helps but there's what I know about it.
The 1700 triumph thunderbird is a great cruiser. I rode the 1600 and it was the best twin ive ever seen. Simple clean and understressed.
‘06 vrod streetrod had mid controls; now there are convert kits for mid control .HD+Porsche = as cool as it gets in Milwaukee.
The V -Rod was actually Harley-Davidson's second collaboration with Porsche. The first was the Nova project that was going to be liquid cooled V2, V4 and V6 engined bikes that would be of different displacements depending on the model. Several prototypes were built but the program was eventually scrapped when Willy G and his investment group purchased the company back from AMF. I have a 2006 VRSCR Street Rod that I absolutely love. It has reduced rake, a 5 gallon fuel tank, Brembo Brakes and mid controls. It has much better handling than the other V-Rod models and boasts a 40° lean angle. Unfortunately the Street Rod was only a two year only model with 2006-2007 being the only years it was produced.
13:35 - LOL "Harley fanatics and normal people"
I caught that too! Must have been watching South Park
I traveled with a couple of buddies a number of times on long trips. One rode a 1200 Sporty and the other a Vrod. The downside of that hidden gas tank on the Vrod was that it was tiny and the bike was thirsty. I was riding an ST1300 and for every one of my gas stops, there would be at least 2 for the Vrod; the Sporty was not quite as bad, though it too had a small tank. Also, apparently the Vrod didn't like high ambient temps. It temporarily shut down a few times on a 3 Flags run in the Nevada heat.
My local HD dealers used to have an annual bike demo.. I once took out the V-Rod and got a bit carried away... 230kph and still accelerating.... Best HD ever....
I still have my original 2003 100th Anniversary Edition HD V-ROD in the garage. It only has the 1,200 original miles that I put on it before I got married, went to grad school, had kids etc. etc. Wasn't super popular on the street when I bought it in the fall of 2002, but nowadays everyone that sees it wants to buy it. I may never sell it--Would love to see them bring it back in an updated version!
Keeping the miles off your V-rod is like not F*****ng your wife to preserve her p***y for the next guy. Shame on you!
Still have my 2002 VROD, it was my 1st bike and now had close to 140,000 miles on it. Have had other bikes come and go in my garage (right now it shares the garage with 2012 Triumph Scrambler) but that VROD will never go anywhere. Love it, Saw that Birth of VROD Doc in 2004 and said "Hey thats a nice looking bike, I need one!" Found one with 7000 miles on it and the adventure started. HD handling of this bike was horrible. Sales people would try and talk anyone away from them, they were pushed into corners of dealerships. Service? Non-Exsistant. Dealerships didnt want to work on them and they didnt bother to have a tech on hand who knew the bike. Other HD riders? Just as bad. It was a lot of work owning one of these but worth it. for a 1st year production to have this many miles on it without any major problems.
I remember when the V-rod came out. They were as radical as the C4 Corvettes were when they first came out in 1984. They were just awesome.
The only radical Corvette is the C8...
I sold a Vrod for a customer, hadn't ever been up close to one before, so I told em while it was on consignment, I would ride it a bit to keep the battery up (automotive shop and they didn't have a tender). The first time I rode it, I rode it like my Sportster, shifting at like 4500, not really beating on it. The second time I rode it, I decided to try to find the limiter, because it didn't seem much faster than my sporty. Holy hell, at like 6k, you would think a second engine came on line. They are quick and sound cool as hell at high RPM. I ended up selling it for the customer and I tried to find one before settling on an Indian Scout. Another high revving V Twin, except the scout power band may as well been drawn with a ruler. No drama, just go faster the higher the RPM😂
I used to fang around in the 80/90s with a group of guys which had a couple of VMAX and the smaller Virago as well as mid-range straight 4s, such a fun time in motorcycling history!
The Viragos were gay. They were gay back then and even more gay today. **vomit**
I was the target customer for the V-Rod. I started riding on my roommate’s Rebel 250, bought the only thing I’ve ever financed a Kawasaki 454LTD, drove a Toyota Supra or my 67 Dart GT-S so obviously a V-Rod would have been my next bike but didn’t make sense because of where I lived for the next 20 years. A sandbar surrounded by salt water. Plastic rusts there. I’m literally negotiating a trade/work/cash for one now. Porsche also collaborated with the designers of the WJ’s high strength steel framework of its unibody.
Porsche also helped with the EVO
Evidence?
I've never heard that one before. They did work together previously on the project Nova liquid cooled v4 engine. It was being developed at the same time as the more traditional Evo engine. It was eventually scrapped for the evo. That might be what your thinking of. This was back in the seventies I believe. It's funny. There seems to have been a "performance minded" faction that have attempted several performances takeovers of the brand for decades lol. Never got it done though lol
Porsche helped also with the pan head ....
The VROD was the only HD I have ever owned. I experienced "snobbery" from the HD purest. It was just insane.
Don't feel bad - the snobs look down on Sportsters, even Super Glides, and hated Buell. What happened to your VROD?
@@captainamerica9353 I sold it. I burned the inside of my thigh 3 times. I despised the exhaust layout. I saw no alternative layout. I did enjoy how it ran.
I've never been a Harley guy. I'm one of those "four broke guys" buying a Rebel. 😉 (And, later a Shadow that I rode for 10+ years.) However, I always liked the looks of the V-Rod. At 5'6", the V-Rod was about the only Harley with a low enough seat height that felt comfortable to me. Another interesting video. Thanks.
Maybe a video about Buell in the future? Erik Buell did have a big hand in the development of the vrod
Please forgive my off-topic post!!! I'd really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this subject!!
I believe Harley erred when they dropped the Street 500 and 750, and especially the Street Rod 750 from their lineup. I really wonder how they're going to attract new, younger riders with their entry bike (Nightster 975) now costing 12000.00 MSRP? (Personally, I thought the Street Rod 750 had a shot a filling that bill.)
Oddly enough, when I got back into riding at age 51, I had a job working at a local H-D dealer. That was in 2011. The Buell Blast was the bike used in the Rider's Edge class. I asked my manager if I could ride one around the lot during my lunch hour. He allowed me to do so. I bought one two weeks later! One month later, I traded it in on a used Iron 883! I really think they need a true entry level bike in both size and price! Should they bring back the Iron??
Thanks again, Bart! Love your work!!
an unbelievable bike - i remember its launch
love the vrod
v rod looks great only bad thing is the small gas tank
I liked the engine, but did not like the platform. The seating position did not appeal to me, it had pathetic range, and the solid wheels caught side winds and pushed the bike around far too much. I applauded the effort to get out of their comfort zone, though.
Love my 2013 VRod Muscle extremely reliable and fun to ride 🇺🇸👍🏻
It IS/WAS a Harley and a very good one imo. Not for everyone, but a viable option for H-D customers to consider. I could not get one at the time, but man...if that would have continued...just consider the possibilities of where it could be in 2024. Hopefully H-D will keep moving the newest 1250 platform to new heights...the Adventure bike is a very good first offering, but put that in a touring style bike and hang on.
Something I wish you had touched on, and I get why you didn’t from what I understand it’s just rumors. But it was actually buell that engine was originally designated to get but Harley decided they’d take it during development. Everything that bike has seems more buell. Engine water cooled, no gas tank on top off the engine. Buell ended up going to rotax before Harley gave up on them, but it is cool to think of these engines inside of a buell
There were concepts of using the vrod engine in the buell thunderbolt...which wouldve been really fricking cool!
@ Erik buell didn’t deserve what happened to him and his company. Makes me sad
Without the v-rod I would never had bought a Harley as i came from Hinckley Triumphs and the big twins seemed very agricultural. I believe that the canning of V-rods closed a major route into Harley ownership.
I want my white 2014 VRod back so bad. Gawd,,, I'm jonesing for another ride on that beast.
Buy another one. They are around and not that expensive
"beast" bwahahahaaaaaa. I rode a Monster 1100evo and an R6.....they're cute but far from impressive.
@@Emily-ou6lq Wow. You must be incredibly manly and overall more wonderful than us. You talk about powerful purpose built machines that us regular guys think are impressive and you say they are unimpressive toys. You're likely hung like a horse and drive a very loud mustang like an idiot. Geeze. I guess some have all the luck. Please respond to me so I can feel what it's like to know an A lister like you. Clown.
They sould never have let BSA go, especially as they were so popular in USA. The frames and style was great like the single scramblers.
Bart, I love your videos! Thank you for looking into unique bikes and telling their stories. Would BMW r1200c be a good bike for another video like that?
Harleys motto "Yesterdays technology...........tomorrow"
Then came the v-rod
Best motor Hardly ever put in a motorcycle.
Don't you love spell check
@@Lemmon714_I spelled it that way on purpose.
Hardly Davidson sounds better anyway
This stupid thing always corrects to that
Use to have a 78’ Yamaha xs11, with just a 4-1 pipe. Paid 700 bucks for a 25 year old bike (back then) that bike (two up) ripped the sh…. out of the V rods. It was just so much fun….
XS 11 would pull hard any time the throttle was twisted.
But the V-Rod would leave the XS 11 for dead
Another model ridden by the group I hung out with in the 1980s to 1990s
Porsche / Harley did a horrible job on the v rod.....could have been really powerful but.....many 70s and 80s bikes are way faster 😂😂 its so hilarious 😂😂
Harley DID build a bike influenced(in part/allegedly) by the UJM style bikes. It was the best bike they had ever built, and some argue still the best in some respects. The FXR series was phenomenal. The sound and torque of the Big Twin and set into a modern, stiff, perfectly engineered frame. The Original FXR, the Super Glide II is one of the most beautiful Harleys ever made. An '83 FXR will STILL walk away from a modern Touring or Softail on tight mountain roads.
I love the idea of a power cruiser, XDiavel S owner for 4 years. Its a shame that the market never caught on to the joys that a Power Cruiser brings to the table. VRod is discontinued, VMax is gone, only the Diavel and XDiavel remain, with some competition from the Rocket 3.
When you already own a superbike (I also own an 899 Panigale), a street fighter just feels like more of the same but worse wind protection for slightly better comfort. A power cruiser on the other hand is a more novel experience, and variety is the spice of life.
The KZ900LTD was ONLY made in 1976. It was the first and last year for it. They went to the KZ1000, LTD available, in 77+. You made it sound like it was made in the 80s. It was still just a UJM bike.
Manufacturers in the car and motorcycle industry share their expertise all the time. Yamaha have developed engines for Ford, Volvo and Toyota, Lotus had a big part in the design of the DeLorean and several Fords. HD were obviously too proud to embrace this.
The V Rod was the bike no one asked for.
The VRod and the Pan America are the only HDs I would actually like to own.
The frame is a steel tubular frame.
Enjoying your channel. Would love to see your take on the HD vs Ducati racing rivalry from the Gene Church (Lucifer's Hammer) and Adamo / Leoni era.
I started my bike career out at a metric dealership in 1990 uncrating the new bikes and setting them up and we would sell probably two VMX1200's a year compared to probably ten FZR 600's. Older guys bought the VMX younger got the FZR but that was lost on me the FZR looked like a cheap toy compared to the Max. I could never own a V Rod because there is nothing you can do to not make them sound like shit no mater how well they run. Every platform has it's distinct sound that is part of the soul of the machine and the V Rod sound cheap and shitty.
This was the best bike they ever made
And now this engine lives on as the new engine for the 1250 Sportster. Porsche designed an absolute peach of an engine, it just was too far ahead of its time.
HD did stay to the HD Heritage, think you do forget the HD 2stroke and Aeromachi models.
The average Vrod with an average rider could get high 11s or low 12s seconds ETs in the quarter mile which is as good as my Thruxton R, BMW R9T/5, and Kawasaki Z900RS SE. You would need the Vrod destroyer to take on the VMax. The Vrod engine was pretty good from my viewpoint.
The VRod was never really accepted by the faithful. Some referred to it as the VRoid. There is a famous picture of the VR1000 race bike on fire by the side of the track. It was never competitive in super bike racing.
they tried - but nobody in the HD factory had any skill with a pencil and paper...
or anything else for that matter LOL
9:07 rear monoshock?
At 8:59 I think you refer to "rake" angle, and the V-Rod's 34 degree forks are pretty kicked out compared to my Superglide's 28 degree head. Hardly a corner-carver. Then at 9:05 you say the V-rod uses a monoshock rear suspension. Dude, have you ever actually seen this bike?
I think it is the Rocker and Rocker C that use the monoshock configuration.
If you want a negative reaction to your motorcycle turn up to your local outlaw mcc on a V-Rod.😂
You not a REEEEEEEEEEEL biker
A coworker was such a douchebag to me because I bought a 1000sx after he got a REEEEEEL bike, a nineteen eighty something Dyna. He let me know how much better a Harley is compared to "jap crap" and would ask me why I wore all that "stuff" when I rode. Stuff like a full face helmet, kevlar jeans and armored jacket. I rode from 1990-2022 in shorts and t shirt without incident so I figured my luck would run out at some point. I realized how right he was when he put flame stickers on it.
@Lemmon714_ we've all met them,bud,when people start talking about "real bikes" you know you've met one.👍✌️
The best bike they ever made
I wish I had one nightrod they are amazing bikes I love them
I am afraid I too have never been a Harley guy but I really like the Vrod. I think it is a very stylish and classy creation …as is the VMax…..I disagree that either of these bikes are ugly….the Honda Rune also falls into the category IMHO. I guess the fact that as another non Harley guy who really likes the Vrod, goes some way to explaining why true Harley guys don’t like it. I still think is is a Harley which they should be proud of.
Vrod is the only harley (that I know of) that was designed by non-american engineers. It is also the fastest and maybe the prettiest, those flat black rods are just chef's kiss. Correct me if I'm wrong but porsche is a german engineering company, that usually makes cars, not motorcycles.. It's almost as if the german engineering was superior to american?
Some of the German engineering is first class. They are last in line though when it comes to ease of maintenance and service parts pricing and installation methods. Truly baffling though as it kind of resembles the late war tanks they made that, on paper, were nigh invincible, but in reality were rather less than the sum of their parts.
@@danconnolly2341 ah, a man of culture I see. for the reasons mentioned above, I'll never ever buy anything made in germany. Japanese bikes got like 85% of the tech of the german bikes with 300% the reliability and ease of maintenance with 34% of the price lol.
Might be interested if they still made it.
"Rear monoshock setup" 😆 You blind, m8?
I see two.
@@Earthneedsado-over177 9:06
The V-Rod is the only harley I would like to own.
If Harley Davidson wants to survive they should bring back the V-Rod and Dyna line..... To my knowledge the MIlwaukee line has too many flaws.
That's what the nightster 975 is. A new dyna with a vrod engine basically.
Mono shock year? Aggressive rear sets? Where did you find this information?
Requesting a history video about honda rebel series
Porsche clearly had 0 input in the Breaking Dept😂, absolutely horrendous breaks that almost got me killed!!! Bye bye V-Rod!!!Another Huge issue was the lack of fuel capacity, nobody wanted to ride with someone on a V-Rod because it needed fuel 2x more than other Harley’s
That would be ...brakes....unless you mean actually physically coming apart. 😂🤣
@@TexasRiverRat31254 = I hope English is the guy's 2nd language.
The only Harley I'd own.
I remember when this bike was introduced in 2002, some of my riding buddies trashed this bike.
“…ain’t no Harley”, or “… looks like some Japanese bike…” and, this is my favorite, “… Harley didn’t ask us for input…”
My response was, if HD had asked the core customer for input, this is what we would come up with as I pointed to a Heritage Softail. I went on, HD is looking to expand its customer base, “… it’ll be a failure”, they said. Well, it wasn’t, while it didn’t sell in big numbers, it sold well enough to stay in the lineup for 15 years. That’s a good run and its biggest sales were in Europe and Australia.
Today, HD is going thru the same thing with the PanAmerica, it’s a new market and genre, Adventure, but the core derides it as”… it ain’t no Harley”.
The worst thing about Harleys is the arrogant riders on them. No, you are not automatically a Hells Angel when you get one.
Honda created the power cruiser with the V65 Magna in 1982. Yamaha dethroned as the fastest with the V-Max in 1985.
should have been Judge Dredd's mount 😊
9:01 you say the vrod had USD forks and a rear monoshock, but it clearly has conventional forks and dual rear shocks?
it's = it is, while "its" shows possession
There shouldn't be an apostrophe in its if you'e using it as a posessiive.
Buell was supposed to get this V-Rod engine. And what a game changer it would have been.
Buell wanted something much lighter. Hence going to Rotax.
@@captainamerica9353 I have just a bit of inside info on this.
@@cyberlux Do tell - I used to have an 1125r
Yes, I love the V-rod. Not an HD hater. But.... lets partner with Porsche on a water-cooled engine? huh?
Dang it.. these were just starting to get affordable because people were starting to lose interest in them and now this is like the third video I’ve seen about them lately..not to mention the bearded mechanic using one in the build off between him, shaun from bikes and beards, and paul sr. From occ 😂 …now the prices are about to go back up on them, watch.. 😂
Ok fine, ya got me.
It sounds great 😢
I have a 2003 jubileum model and it is fuckin fantastic to ride , could not be better , well maybe but I don´t know how . I bought one 2019 when my dog died and at that time it had gone 27000km. Since then I have driven it very much så now the numbers are 79000km!! Drive safe !!! Anders Cöster Sweden
I remember back in 2006 I was in the market for a power cruiser and rode this and did not like it. It was too small. It was about $5000 more expensive than the Suzuki M109R but the worst part was when I rebved the Harley out. It did not make me feel warm and fuzzy inside. It seems like you were asking it something I didn’t wanna do Compared to the Suzuki so I ended up buying a Suzuki instead after a year onceI got that out of my system because they are horrible cruisers power cruisers that is I traded in and bought my first Harley Street bob which was a fantastic bike.
I remember i wanted a v-rod, back when i was a young sailor. Unfortunately, the salesmen were all pretty crap and stuck up. That alone ended any interest i ever had from Harley after that.
Those are not upside down forks, and not a single shock. Need to check your details