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Vfr Can't Keep Up With V-Rod?


goose

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This has been bugging me since last Wednesday night... Now, let me preface this post with the disclaimer that I'm no expert rider. My '01 is my first "sport bike", new to me last spring, but I've been riding this and that steadily since '04.

Anyway, I'm friends with a couple guys that are in a "riding club" and they routinely try to sell me on the notion that I should be riding a Harley. My response is generally something like "that's not the ride I'm into right now." I'm enjoying the VFR right now and I'm not interesting in doing the cruiser gig.

Well, Wednesday night they let me know that I could come ride with them anytime, but of course, I'd have to stay in the back and I can't pass the "patches." Well, that hit me the wrong way and I simply said I won't ride in the back if I don't want to and you're too slow for me anyway. Well the conversation went on from there and I was told that their buddy had a V-rod that would leave me in the dust. Sure, maybe in the quarter mile... But they were insistent that it didn't matter and there are videos out there of V-rods shaming VFR's on the dragon and blah-blah-blah... Eventually I just tuned them out and let the conversation die.

But it still bugs me and since I don't know how much, if any, validity there is to this claim, I figured this was the best place to ask. So, what's the deal?

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Does it really matter if a V-Rod or any bike if faster than yours? If you enjoy riding your motorcycle that's all that matters. There will always be something and someone faster

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Does it really matter if a V-Rod or any bike if faster than yours? If you enjoy riding your motorcycle that's all that matters. There will always be something and someone faster

Ditto.

That said, to you question on a VFR keeping up with a V-Rod... I haven't been on a V-Rod but really don't think this would be an issue. I'd expect that the same rider on the same section of twisty road aboard both bikes would be much faster on the VFR... but who really cares.

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The VFR is about as fast as the V-Rod in the 1/4 mile. Both run low 11's.

I'd expect the VFR to corner much better with less weight, a better layout, more ground clearance.

Rider skill would more than make it up either way.

Sounds like a bunch of cocky dudes bench racing. Pay'em no mind!

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Maybe off the line. I am too lazy to check the power-to-weight ratios, but it may be that V-Rod will pull ahead at first and then be left behind as the RPMs rise.

But as others have said... Who cares.

The famous Yellow Wolf used to (or maybe still is) shame lots of 600 super sports on the Dragon.

It is 90% rider and 10% bike when it comes to the twisties.

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I've had riding buddies on KLRs (650 with about 40 horsepower) whip me on twisties - much better riders. I've never understood the Boy Scout badges for the Harley riding group - I grew out of that when I was 12. I'd ride your own ride or find people that like to ride the way that you do.

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Sounds like a "fun" group of guys. There certainly are some Harley riders that can ride the h#ll out of their bike, but group for group the VFR is a sport bike and the V-rod simply isn't.

I've done a few charity rides with primarily American bikes and have never had a problem keeping up with anybody.

When I ride with another group, I make it a point to honor their rules. It's a "When in Rome . . . " type of thing. Passing patched members may reflect negatively on you or your friends. If I were in that situation and they were just going pathetically slow, I'd just split off or deal with it. But thats just me.

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So let me make sure I understand correctly. You're bothered that Harley guys say their Harleys are more awsomer (yeah, that's a real-ish word) than your VFR. And you're asking a bunch of VFR owners if the VFR is more awsomer than a Harley.

:lobby: :lobby: :lobby: :lobby: :lobby: :lobby: :lobby: :lobby:

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Stock vs. stock I say the V-Rod will definitely take you in 1st gear, and maybe 2nd. It has a lot more torque so will get the jump on you from a stop. Once you are rolling out of 2nd into 3rd above 10,000 rpm the VFR should keep up.

With about the same hp but with more torque from an extra 450cc I wouldn't be surprised if a V-Rod could beat the VFR over a reasonable distance (i.e more than a 1/4 mile LOL). Indicated top speed should be right around 150-ish, so again the same as the VFR but it might get from A-B a few seconds sooner.

Harley also made a couple different types of V-Rod, and if this one was modified it may be considerably faster in a straight line than the VFR.

It's OK that it bugs you. Japanese bikes are still better, you're just comparing apples to oranges here with bikes that have a 50% difference in displacement.

My wife's FZ6R will smoke a GS500 too, but it's not like you could go around bragging about it to anyone with intelligence :goofy:

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Schlongs dicks etc...whose got the biggest....uhhh who cares.....

Its like the hooker said when I dropped my pants "who you gonna please with that!!!??"

To which I replied..."Me!!!".

Enjoy YOUR VFR or whatever you ride.....or buy one of everybike thats claimed to be better.

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i am a Honda certified tech and a Harley custom builder..its simple..

who cares what they say!!!

yeah the guys Vrod MAY beat you in 1 /4 mile.. so what? add one curve and he is toast.

yes, they had "CUSTOM STOCK " drag V rods.. buy the bike for $35,000 and go racing... big whoop. :rolleyes:

enjoy your ride...nothing sounds like a vfr.. and they jealous! :musik20:

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Would you feel better about it knowing that H-D consulted with Porsche on the drive train development for the V-Rod?

I've read that it was the engine also.
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I like underpowered, light bikes. You also have to consider the source. In those riders span of experience, they do ride and they do think they ride fast. I know how fast I am and how fasty bike is (both not much), but to compare is pointless.

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Honestly, I'd just find other folks to ride with. Or ride on your own.

I do agree, it's the rider who wins not the bike. That's true at all levels, look at Rossi on his first Yamaha stint, or Stoner on the Ducati that no one else could win on, or the retired guy on a dirt bike I ride with, that I can't keep up with, lol.

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Would you feel better about it knowing that H-D consulted with Porsche on the drive train development for the V-Rod?

I've read that it was the engine also.

its the whole package .. a single unit like on the VFR...and its ALL METRIC. :tongue:

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You should definately go trade in your VFR for a Harley Davidson V-Rod Flaming DBAG Edition, which is I think in HD acronym speak is a FDBAG...but I could be wrong. I don't speak antique overpriced bike language.

Seriously though, I would find new riding "friends". I don't know a single HD rider that doesn't think a big ride consists of hopping from bar to bar all day. It really can't be all that fun to ride with them anyways. Sitting around and hearing themselves talking about how great their bikes are instead of riding them seems to be the wrong way to waste a perfectly good weekend.

Don't worry- You can still give them the (one finger) wave when you roll past them at the bars.

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We sometimes pick on people for the brand they ride but that's just in fun. I have never made the comment "You should get a Honda." to anyone. I don't care what you ride but there is one brand of motorcycle that I pretty much despise. It's not just the motorcycle itself, it's the more than I can count remarks made to me or overheard like "You should do yourself a favor and get a real motorcycle." You'll think I'm crazy but it's that comment right there is the number 1 reason why I hate Harley Davidson motorcycles.

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First off who cares is right...

Honestly though...On a highway you might get beat might not. Big deal though.

Any kind of cornering though and you will absolutely smoke the Vrod. It has the wrong rake angle, wide wheel base, poor balancing, wrong tires, and cant lean like a VFR. If you are on a windy road and enjoy a moderate pace i doubt a vrod could keep up even if they were flogging it...

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I remember T-MAC a few years ago, where a younger kid, mid 20's riding a CBR or GSXR type bike, came up to us at the Gap store and said that he really liked the look of the VFR. And maybe when he was older and was ready to slow down a bit, it might be the bike from him... Can't remember who it was from the group, but after leading them on a trip a crossed and back, well they tried to follow if I remember the story correctly. This kid and his buddies, when they finally made it back 10 minutes or so behind the VFR, changed their mind quickly...

Its all in the rider, for the most part... I seem to remember seeing videos of a yellow Gold Wing at the Gap... Need I say more LOL

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My Burgman 650 is faster off the line than my VFR. Not top end certainly, but off the line definitely. But the VFR will make me crap my pants whereas the Burgman lulls me to sleep. Hope you aren't going to get goaded into a race that you could get injured in. If they have to brag about their machines, they probably come up short in other areas.

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I remember T-MAC a few years ago, where a younger kid, mid 20's riding a CBR or GSXR type bike, came up to us at the Gap store and said that he really liked the look of the VFR. And maybe when he was older and was ready to slow down a bit, it might be the bike from him... Can't remember who it was from the group, but after leading them on a trip a crossed and back, well they tried to follow if I remember the story correctly. This kid and his buddies, when they finally made it back 10 minutes or so behind the VFR, changed their mind quickly...

Its all in the rider, for the most part... I seem to remember seeing videos of a yellow Gold Wing at the Gap... Need I say more LOL

Me and KB do it all the time.

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Would you feel better about it knowing that H-D consulted with Porsche on the drive train development for the V-Rod?

because of this is why the V-ROD was not well received by the harley crowd when it first came out. Harley had to do something though because metric cruisers were faster, cheaper and more dependable and still are.

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A lot of pirates are checking out Honda since the intro of the Goldwing F6B. For some reason a lesser optioned Goldwing appeals to them. Looks like a bagger, I suppose.

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