Real World Road Test
2004 Harley-Davidson V-Rod
Story and Photos by MetalMan
While I'm not the kind of guy who disses anyone who rides a non-Harley, I'm also not a fan of many bikes that are not made in Milwaukee. Back in September 2004, a police sergeant we know invited me to take an experienced rider course he was organizing with the Ohio State Highway Patrol. I thought, why not? I think it's a good idea to get some positive reinforcement about my skills now and again to ensure I haven't picked up any bad habits. This isn't to say that I think I need someone to tell me I can ride—I KNOW I can ride. The issue is that even though I get by on a day-to-day basis, it's a good morale booster to ride with others who THINK they're good and be able to show them that I'm good, too. (Besides, I think the cops just wanted to put me through the ringer, y'know? So I had to stand up to the challenge!)
We needed 12 riders to participate, and initially, we got numerous commitments from some local police officers and firefighters. In the end, when it came time to commit, the number of dropouts made it such that the course had to be canceled. After further collaboration with some local people, we ended up getting enough interest to assemble a regular Motorcycle Ohio course. MO is a state-sponsored rider education group that follows the Motorcycle Safety Foundation program. The course we ended up taking was the MSF Experienced Rider course, which was attended by a dozen riders. Bikes consisted of seven Harley baggers, a Honda 1800, Yamaha Volusia, another Honda 1100 sport touring bike, a road racer…and my borrowed 2004 V-Rod. (One guy with an H-D Electra-Glide even brought his wife along; he rode probably 50% of the course with her out back.) Given that I have a sense of adventure, and because I was really curious about this bike that deviates so much from what most consider a "real Harley," I thought having one to ride for the course would be revealing in many ways. I wanted to see how well I could do on a bike that wasn't mine, an don which I'd spent very little seat time. In other words, I assumed the skills I'd developed over the years should show beyond the bike.
I picked up the bike from the local H-D dealership on Friday afternoon about 4:30 pm. This gave me about one hour of daylight riding and a few hours of evening riding in temperatures that would range from low 60s to mid 40s. The following day was supposed to see temps rise into the 60s, so I felt this 24-hour period would be a great opportunity to see how the bike performed over a range of temperatures. (As it turned out, the morning temperature on Saturday when I left my place at 8:15 am was a balmy 39 degrees.)
So let's talk about the bike itself.
The V-Rod is Harley's metric sport bike. It has a 60-degree Porsche-designed V-twin engine that is nothing like any previous product to come out of the Milwaukee Motor Factory. Without mincing words, this isn't "your" Harley. It's a water-cooled, FI bike that smacks more of an import-maybe a Yamaha Royal Star-more than your typical Dyna or Sportster. When I decided to try this scooter for a day, I was pretty much ready for a bike that was nothing like any H-D V-twin I'd ever ridden. I was correct.
Immediately after I picked up the V-Rod, I put on about 30 mostly-city miles at speeds that didn't exceed 40 mph. Within short order I discovered a few issues that would stick with me until the end of the ride, and another I noticed later that could seriously piss me off if it tended to happen more than infrequently. Allow me to elaborate.
Overall, I liked the bike; it was a lot of fun. However, there were three problems that I couldn't write off: the shifter position, the horn location, and pipes. While I have heard media writers complain about the V-Rod as being uncomfortable for shorter riders, I did not find that an issue per se, even at my not-so-tall 5'6".
Concerning the pipes, I found two problems. First, when sitting with both legs on the ground, my right leg was always against them. The fact that they're shielded makes the difference between this being a minor annoyance and getting burned. Second, should you tend to get fumble-fingered—another way of saying clumsier than a freshman boy at the junior prom—with the ignition key, it easily finds its way into the recess between the pipes. The photo below gives you an idea as to how far out the pipes extend from the right side of the bike. You can also see the "pocket" that forms between the upper and lower pipes that seems designed for catching keys. Drop yours and getting 'em out might require some creativity.
Concerning any minimum height requirements for the rider, I think the V-Rod would work out fine for shorter riders—down to about 5'6" or so—if the horn weren't sticking out between the cylinders on the left side of the bike. Combine that with a shifter that seems tucked in too far, and the task of shifting becomes not only challenging, but painful to the inside of your left knee. Take a look at the photos below.
The right side controls are perfect. The left side's a different story. To change gears, you have to contort your left foot and place it deliberately between the peg and shifter. I simply couldn't ride with my foot on the peg with the shifter rubber waiting above my boot for a toe-tap to change gears. I thought how simple it would be to relocate the damn horn and space the shifter lever such that there was ample room for my steel-toed Carolina boots. Made me wondered if the H-D engineer in charge of this component thought we'd all be riding in low profile flip-flops.
Now H-D, via their Parts & Accessories catalog, can provide shorter riders with a set of pegs that are set back an inch, a complimentary seat that sets your butt forward an inch, and a set of extended bars... for about $900. I think that's excessive. In fact should I get the notion to buy one, I'd make the addition of these parts a condition of my purchase. Freebie or forget it. If the horn was relocated and the bars raised an inch or so and set back a like amount as a standard offering, things would be fine. Those mods would allow most riders to sit straighter, allowing their feet to move forward naturally, and eliminating the need for the modified parts for all but the shortest of riders who may want to consider purchasing a V-Rod.
Another aspect of this bike I'm not keen on—and this may be a result of my unfamiliarity with water-cooled rides—is the fact that the radiator scoops tend to scoop more than air. Take a look at the photo below.
Notice the autumn leaves accumulating in the recesses that are designed to duct cool air through the radiator? In terms of cooling, the bike's fan turned on infrequently, which I felt was a positive thing. When I found it turning on most was during periods of idling in the parking lot waiting for my next trip around the bike course.
Where I think this bike shines is "at speed." The handling below 10 mph was lousy, but above that it was awesome. The wheelbase, rake, gearing, and lack of torque does not make this bike one I would recommend for a class. For a beginner, fageddaboudit. If an advanced rider could spend 4-6 months practicing, possibly. My instructors, both serious enthusiasts, recognized the design's limitations and allowed my skills to carry me through. Now when you get above 10-15 mph, you're gonna love it. Handling is superb. The 34-degrees of rake in the neck is noticeable at faster speeds and contributes to the bike's exceptional handling. And when you crack the throttle at 65 it's gonna put a serious grin on yer mug.
So what's my overall impression of the V-Rod? While I put a total of only 75 miles on this bike, at no time did I ever feel I was riding a Harley-Davidson. While it appears to be a great bike, this old-school biker couldn't get used to a water-cooled, high-revving, gas-tank-under-the-seat and electronics-under-the-fuel-tank motorcycle. (Is the V-Rod really sold by the Motor Factory?) It was too different. The bike's best features? Its brakes and power—YEAH!
Even though I could find no real faults with the V-Rod, I'm not ready for Harley's metric offering. I'm going to let the Ricky Racer types who feel they've outgrown their rice rockets be lured to this branch of the H-D product tree. Should they also happen to peruse the Screamin' Eagle portion of Harley's "big book" they'll also find that this scooter can be made to be about as quick as any sane person would want to ride. For those individuals, this bike is a perfect fit. But for me—for now—I'm going to stick with the air-cooled offerings.
And in case the Motor Factory decides it needs to forsake its heritage and start converting the remaining line to the water-cooled technology, I'm keeping my panhead. I can add an electric starter at any time and not feel like I've sold out. (I'm old enough to be able to have this attitude and justify it!) Anyone buying a Harley in 50 years will most assuredly be buying a scooter with way more technology associated with it than we have today. Unfortunately, they won't be able to experience the "fun" of a basic bike. Then again, will they even care?
I'm happy I won't be around to have to make that choice!
So how did I do in the course? Whadaya think? Sheesh. And I had fun, too, especially when I got the instructors grinning from ear to ear after stopping the V-Rod safely in 18 feet at about 30 +/- mph!
IN A NUTSHELL:
- Ride quality: I was quite comfortable, and the seat's not bad for a factory offering, at least for my butt.
- Riding position: Reasonable, even for short guys, but will require mods to be ideal.
- Performance: VERY fast. Fun as hell.
- Brakes: Awesome. Fun as hell.
- Torque: Not much compared to my panhead. The bike's gearing is designed for street performance, not parking lot cruising or low-speed riding.
- Overall fun factor: VERY high! Cruising along at 65, snap open the throttle and the V-Rod scoots like you were taking off from a dead stop. Impressive.
- Fuel consumption: Sucks big-time. I somewhat expected this given the engine's power level, but not 25 mpg, which was my average. (Other V-Rod owner's have corroborated this.) With less that 4 gallons under the seat, you're going to be filling up often. Warn your riding buddies.
- Handling below 10 mph: Lousy.
- Handling above 15 mph: Exceptional.
