V-Rod Test Ride

The other day I recieved an invitation from HD to enter a drawing and test ride a V-Rod, "Kick the tires they bite back" how could I refuse?

I had to wait a few days for it to stop raining but it cleared up today a bit so I hopped on my Suzuki, picked up my bro-in-law on his FXR, and rode to Destination HD in Tacoma. Checked out the new bikes for awhile then asked if I could ride a V-rod, It took about 5 minutes to fill out a disclaimer and they wheeled out an '02 with Screamin Eagle pipes, The bike started right up and idled smooth, took a few minutes to warm up fully then we took off. The seating position was at first odd, as I'm more of a sport bike guy, and this is a full-on cruiser, not un comfortable, just odd, I'm 6'2-270lbs and the bike fit well, at low speeds in traffic the bike shifted and braked well, nice light hydrolic clutch, good balance the rake and wheel base is responsible for that as the wheel is WAY out there, we rode through town, then on to the river road, it wasn't raining but the street was wet from showers, I found a clear spot and opened it up, from about 30 or so up to 110 with no problem, I'm talkin' freight-train-stump pullin'-crack-a-smile-power, very impressive, we went through some stop lights then on to the freeway, again good strong power, no hiccups, at 75 or so on the freeway the bike feels in it's element stable and smooth, did a few miles then back off onto canyon road, which is twisty steep down hill, it started raining, but the bike still cornered and tracked well at a pretty good clip, then back to Tacoma and the dealership. as you can tell I'm pretty stoked about this bike, it's a thoroughly impressive machine, miles away from the Shovelheads I came up on, The only gripes I have is the highway pegs, they tend to make my legs fall outwards, this puts strain on my inner thigh muscles, I'm sure I could get used to it, also with the solid wheels it deflects in a crosswind, not bad but it's there, and last it tends to fall into corners at low speed, again I'd get used to it but noticeable, As to the price and styling, thats something you'll have to decide for yourself, I think it looks pretty damn good, a real quality piece, nice detailing and finnishing, MSRP on it was about $18k, OTD around $21k on the spendy side for me, but if you have to have one you won't be dissapointed. I've been riding for 35 years and owned a dozen or so bikes, mostly sport or sport type's with a shovelhead chopper I scratch built and an FLH to round it all out, I would recommend this one, if your in the market.