| Author | Message | ||
     Cataract2 |
OR maybe we'll get a VROD powered Buell. (Hey, I can hope right? Otherwise it's the 12R Firebolt for me.) | ||
| Outrider  |
Go for the Firebolt! | ||
| Glitch  |
I'm disappointed. I was all prepared to be jealous. I just received some spy pics. To me, it's what the V-Rod should have been in the first place. I do however like this Harley better than all the others. | ||
| Tripper  |
Have they fixed the ridiculous footpeg position out near the front axle? | ||
| Mutt2jeff  |
Man, what a letdown. I was hoping for something MAJOR. | ||
| Nxtr |
Glitch, Pics; are you going to share them with us? Nick | ||
| Outrider |
Glitch...Unless your are sworn to the secret world of HD and will lose your family if you tell, It would be greatly appreciated if you would post the pics. Yeah, I am a little disappointed as well. Then, I never figured it to be a Buell competitor. Just a nice big sporting muscle cruiser in either street tracker or street fighter drag, both of which would indicate better cornering clearance than the existing V-Rods. If you want a nimble bike to haul tush in the twisties, on the track and in BattleTrax, stick with a Buell, either a tuber or a slab-sided model as they handle the tight stuff like a fine dance partner. The inverse is the sport muscle cruisers will provide miles of smiles but you will have to learn a slightly different technique to get them through the tight stuff. Believe it or not, my Wide Glide handles the tight stuff quite well and it is all in how you set up for the turn. Regardless, all bikes have their strengths and weaknesses. About all I can say is... I can't wait for Monday!!! | ||
| Tripper |
It looks like a VROD with the footpegs placed in the proper riding position, I.E underneath your butt. Typical HD evolving engineering, nothing new here. | ||
| Glitch |
It looks to be higher. After market tail is in order. I like the two into one into two. I'll post a pic or two in a little while. | ||
| 1313  |
I must say that when the B model V-Rod came out I was let down. From how the discussion has gone while I was out of town on vrodforums it looks like I will again be disappointed by H-D's next V-Rod sibling. Oh well, I couldn't afford another bike in the fleet yet anyways. 1313 | ||
| Mutt2jeff |
Even if you cant afford another bike, this seems like a classic Harley move. HD- "Hey guys, guess what? We have a total new bike coming out. Yeah, its gonna be sweet, we used the the VROD engine. Did you see the pictures yet, the ones we made about a year ago? Yeah, sweet. (next week) Tada! Look, we moved the footpegs and changed the forks! Pretty cool, huh?" ME-  (Message edited by mutt2jeff on January 23, 2005) | ||
| Glitch |
    | ||
| 1313 |
SNORE!!!  1313 | ||
| Glitch |
Chances are very good we'll have one to play with during March Badness. I got to play with the V-Rod last year. I didn't like how it handled in the turns, I'm kinda looking forward to trying this one. Might just be a little more fun in the North Georgia Twisties. | ||
| Tripper |
Better than the NEW FOR '04 HEADLIGHT they touted last year. Huge engineering leap that one was. The upside down fork, steeper steering angles (did I read that somewhere?) and losing the disk wheel should help handling a great deal. If I was more fortunate in my funding level I would have one. I love the motor. | ||
| José_quiñones  |
I like it, had I not bought mine I would be buying this one for sure. We'll see how many parts I can swap to convert mine to this configuration. | ||
| Aydenxb9 |
I don't know, but I see some potential there. The problems with the V-Rod up to this point has been it's been trying to be all things to all people. The styling has always been good but two things seem to turn many buyers off. To the Harley traditionalists it's been the sound and the appearance of the engine. If it doesn't go potato-potato-potato and it's appearance can't be quickly visually identified as a decendant of the flat-head or pan engine, they scoff and call it junk. On the other hand, many buyers who are interested in the V-Rod wind up being put off by the incredibly stretched out controls and seating position. On top of that, much of the targeted competition for the V-Rod have much more compact ergos. I think it's a move in the right direction. Would it have been nice to see a more radical sport oriented V-Rod engined bike? Yes, but then that would encroach on Buell, possibly taking sales away from them and Buell is already having enough problems in many U.S. dealers. What I see is a more potent V-Max/Warrior fighter for Harley. That's a good thing. It will hopefully bring in more people who wouldn't have set foot in a Harley shop. If they price it correctly, I see it helping Buell sales also. I hope it will be priced above the Buell line but below the VRSCA/B. That will place it in a position to give V-Rod customers a real choice in the V-Rod line(C-mon, right now the differences between the A&B are embarrassing to even give them separate model designation) and for customers looking for a more aggressive Rod there it is. For those that balk at it's length and size for it sporting pretensions, then there's the Buell XB, at a lower price to boot. Look at the pictures again. Mid controls, flat track bars, what appears to be a readable tach, enough ground clearance to give it some lean angle. Attractive wheels. I'm looking forward to it. Aren't those the same things that many have said that would help the V-Rod? I look for good things with that bike. | ||
| Nxtr |
I kinda like it, Cary Fass exhaust, and someone to fix the 70's era super glide boat tail rear abomination. It may be my next. | ||
| José_quiñones |
the mid controls are farther back than the ones Kosman sells, that's good. Looks like the ignition key is no longer under your butt, that's great! The passenger pegs are mounted off the frame instead of off the rear swingarm as before. The seat height looks like it went up about 4 inches, that's where they got the extra fuel capacity in there. Love the front end and the triple trees look pretty cool. Basically they took all the feedback that existing Vrod owners have been giving HD since it came out and fixed/improved most of them and added the inverted forks to sweeten the deal. (Message edited by josé_quiñones on January 24, 2005) | ||
| Aydenxb9 |
Wow, sure enough. Missed the inverted forks. Even more to like. | ||
| Reepicheep  |
For all you Veggie Tale fans out there... say the following with the voice of a dissapointed Jr. Asparagus: "Oh look. They chromed it." No doubt it's a great bike, and people will rightfully like it. I am happy they are getting what they want. As much as I want to be a Harley apologist, I just can't get very excited about this bike. No matter. I am not the target audience anyway, and *my* bike I bought came from a company with vision. | ||
| Dale |
Darn, my wife well kill me if I buy another bike. Wonder what the lean angle is. Still has a long wheel base. | ||
| Reepicheep |
And if looking at those pictures does not finally convince the "put the VROD in the XB" folks to finally give it up, I don't know what will. That thing is *still* a boat, and it does not look like they are wasting much space. Viva la air / oil cooled engines  | ||
| Mikej  |
Ah, to be a fly on the wall, only to get swatted. | ||
| José_quiñones |
Also a new Sporty 883R Dirt Track Replica and a S.E. Fatboy. Good stuff check them out at HD's website | ||
| Mikej |
Are they really going to call it a "Street Rod"? Nevermind, looked right at the pic of the 883"R" and didn't realize it was the one mentioned in their press release. Oh well. Nice stuff, but it's back to searching classifieds and rummage sales and old barns for me. $16g is way out of my reach. (Message edited by mikej on January 24, 2005) (Message edited by mikej on January 24, 2005) | ||
| Buelluk  |
I like it, sorry about the blasphemy but looks like a good replacement for my XB9S and my wife can get on the back seat...another factor to consider when pushing for another bike. I would need to look for an after market pipe after a few months though..it's not a bad looking pipe but its still too bulky. my 2 cents.. | ||
| X1tx  |
The 883R had some potential to be a pretty decent bike. But it's clearly no "Flat Track Replica" what with the 19/16 inch rims. Hanging 17" rims on both ends and changing out the seat/rear fender with something a bit more flat track inspired would have made it an interesting bike. But that would be much easier for The Motor Company to do than an individual owner. As that one stands, it's just a tarted up 883 with a special paint job.  | ||
| Outrider |
Glitch...Thanks for the pics!!! I find the Street Rod to be interesting. Not at all like either the StreetTracker or StreetFighter we had been kicking around on this thread. Then, neither of those really fit Harley's family concept and that is an extremely important consideration from a profit plan perspective. One good thing that came out of this was discovering the V-Rod Forum that JQ participates in. If you get a chance, check it out. There are some really great concept bikes posted there (like Baggers, etc.) that are really outstanding bikes if you are into that sort of thing. The Sportster 883R doesn't float my boat either. I like the overall design and color selection, but the motor performance has always been underwhelming. No sense in buying a bike that one is immediately going to upgrade to a 1200. It looks like I am back to a "Wait'n'See" mode. More pics and some tire kicking at the dealership might help stir the soul. After that, seeing what both Harley and the aftermarket come up with for parts and accessories might change my mind. In the interim, I am just going to continue to enjoy the hell out of my X1.  | ||
| Bigj |
The videos from the HD website on it are pretty cool.  |
