Hotshots
HOTSHOTS
Roddy McWow!
I wonder how many of your editorial staff, not to mention your readers, could see the irony of your story on Harley’s new V-Rod? I say ironic because who would have guessed that good old Harley-Davidson would upstage mighty Honda with a similar bike some 700cc smaller!
Consider Honda’s VTX1800: With an unprecedented 1800cc, it’s a pretty ballsy statement for any manufacturer. But take away that massive displacement, and you’ve got a pretty ordinary and relatively low-tech approach to building an American muscle-cruiser. Then along comes Harley’s version, which shoots a few holes in the old adage that there’s no substitute for cubic inches. Harley and Porsche have decisively proved that high-tech efficiency will clobber low-tech displacement any day! How else do you explain that an 1130cc VTwin can outpower and outaccelerate an 1800cc monster?
As for how the V-Rod looks, I like it. It’s beautifully proportioned and loaded with exquisite details. The $17K price
is steep, but I like what the bike portends-a whole family of Harleys powered by variants of this engine.
No doubt, you’ll be getting a fair number of letters from poseurs who’ll rush at all speed to criticize anything with a Harley-Davidson nameplate on it. They’re missing the point.
Peter A. Marshall Port Chester, New York
Rod knocks
So, the new Harley is for those of us, “Tired of classic American motorcycles hewing to a Thirties blueprint?” Well, how about one from the Eighties? I almost puked when I saw the butt-ugly V-Rod on the cover. The thing just screams “Yamaha,” and is loaded with warmed-over Asian technology. But you think “it wins on both style and refinement,” huh? How you can claim objectivity when printing brown-nose “reviews” like that is just beyond belief! Doug “Scarecrow” Laidler 18-Wheelin’ on I-75
Just read the pages of lame, blatant drooling over the doubly lame and incredibly hideous V-Rod. As an old fogey who grew up on Knuckleheads, Flatheads and grudgingly settled down to a Panhead, I am thoroughly unimpressed. The last 20 years have demonstrated to me that it isn’t gonna matter that the Willie-Davidson Company is building a 1984 Kawasaki Vulcan all over again. With all the weekend weenies out there, Milwaukee could sell a Suzuki-Wankel clone for 17 grand if they just painted “Harley-Davidson” on it.
Detroit Dave Posted on www.cycleworld.com
Let me be the three or four hundredth person to say this: The V-Rod will be the XLCR of the 21st century. You remember the XLCR, Harley’s ill-fated café-racer of café-racers in 1976. As I recall, you could buy a new one right off the showroom floor years after they went out of production. Harleys are pushrod bikes for ultra-traditional owners. The new engine might have worked in a Buell, but as a Harley it will flop. A less flamboyant motor with overhead cams might have worked in a Fat Wide Glide Bob, but this weird custom is destined for the Bad Memory Books. Jim Zeiser
Deposit, New York
Boy, I hope that new V-Rod is fast and handles well, ’cause it sure is F-U-G-L-Y. Harley took their design integrity (no covers, everything looked like what it was, etc.) and turned it on its ear. An air cleaner that looks like the gas tank, a liquidcooled engine with cooling fins? They took everything that makes a Harley a Harley and threw it out the window.
Matt Giangreco Brooklyn, New York
As a long-time rider of Harleys, I wish The Motor Company success with the new V-Rod. It seems that after all the years of the Japanese copying Harley, now Harley is copying them. I never thought I’d see the day. Wendell Drenchpohl
Mahomet, Illinois
The V-Rod has The Look and The Motor, but I can’t get past The Price (although if history is any guide, Harley dealers will have no such difficulty).
Wes Bridges Plant City, Florida >
Wow, a stock Harley with performance? Truly a new world. Too bad about the radiator. I wonder what Porsche could have done if left alone. In-frame reservoir and rear-fender rad? Under-tank cooling system? For $17-20,000, you’d think there’d be something left for R&D on compact cooling technology. Stan Sinex Everett, Washington
While reviewing the V-Rod statistics, I couldn’t help noticing the similarities it had with another power cruiser, the Yamaha V-Max. The V-Rod’s name, styling, air-filter location and fuel-filler cap access are all remarkably similar to the Max’s. Still, Harley-Davidson should be applauded for the leap in design...they have finally made it to 1985. Shane Kreuzer Sumter, South Carolina
Hot for the Rod
I read with interest your article on the new V-Rod. As a long time V-Max owner, I liked what I saw. The bike , reminds me a lot of Mr. Max, but is truly a clean slate. I like Harley's solution to under seat gas tank access. What I like more is Harley's willingness to take a chance and .. move for .. ward.
Kevin Paradise Orlando, I~ Florida
My take on the V-Rod? It should be 80 pounds lighter, and the 38-degree rake is an unnecessary styling gimmick. Other than that, it’s a good start to a new H-D chapter. Brad Shuput Orlando, Florida
I can’t believe my eyes! A watercooled Harley? Is it finally true that Harley plans on giving us reliability and performance? Now maybe some of the Harley faithful will venture into unknown water-cooled territory, and hooray for them. David Olson Broomfield, Colorado
Water-cooled; overhead cams (dual even); one-piece crankshaft; section of frame removable for easy engine access; gas tank under the seat; unit-construction engine/trans/clutch; wet sump; built-in compression release; hydraulically activated clutch; enough ponies to get out of its own way...
Am I missing something, or is this the nicest Honda that Harley has ever built?
Leonard Schutz Bridger, Montana
Messin’ with Mr. Max
I am pleased to see that America’s only real motorcycle company is finally moving into the 21st century. The VRod looks great (except for the headlight and instrument cowl), though it reminds me of one of my favorite old Japanese bikes, Yamaha’s V-Max!
Yes, it is a more modern design, but I find it somewhat amusing to see the HOG sect copying the Japanese for a change. Looks like a great bike, I just wish Yamaha would update Mr. Max with 21stcentury technology and styling, too.
Steve Miller Lubbock, Texas
Looks as though The Motor Company has taken a shot at the venerable V-Max with its new “Water Boy.” Can they hit the target? I believe a headsup comparison is in order. Mr.
Max has been at the top for nearly 17 years, and I don’t think he’s about to fall. Ray Milek West Berlin, New Jersey
So, how long ’til the V-Rod/V-Max comparison test? Get back to me if you want to do it in Hawaii and need some help.
Josh Blickhahn Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
In your article, “Forgotten Fours,” you gave a Down to the Yamaha V-Max because, and I quote,
“You put the gas where?” Well, if you weren’t so busy falling in love with the Harley-Davidson V-Rod, you might have asked Harley, “You put the gas where?” Marty Ballard Madison, Wisconsin
Regarding Harley-Davidson’s new VRod: I was wondering if I could order it with V-Boost and fake air scoops?
Ted Nichols Leola, Pennsylvania
