Screaming Eagle V-Rod

[Titan]

Rode one for the first time. Felt really weird that there seems to be nothing in front of you...all you see is the road, really have to look down to see any guages or headlight or anything. Engine is definitely not stereotypical Harleyesque...it doesn't start pulling until about 4500 rpms...then...hang on! It also seemed to wander down the road, not holding a line as well as I'm used to. End result of the ride for me: interesting, but, not an "Only" bike. By that, I mean, for the price, it would have to be my Only bike, and it's not an everyday rider to suit me. Oh, and it leaked coolant from the water pump. This was an 05 with 7400 miles on it. Very nice paint job, and accessories, not a bad price for what it is...it's just not "me" enough.

What I think I'd like to do is get one of these new 1200 Bobbers in a year or two...historically the Sportsters don't hold value as well as the bigger Harley's, and I love the Olive Green/Black one. If I had 10 Large available to play with by buying another cycle...but, I just ordered a new kitchen floor...the remodeling has begun.

 

[cfromc]

I rode a "regular" V-Rod and was not impressed at all, sad to say. It was fast for a stock Harley but no low-end torque. The engine, controls and "feel" felt like a Japanese bike. It also felt a little loose but had less than 10K miles. It probably did not help that it was a rental bike, but still, even without the worn/loose feel I didn't like it.

My Sportster is basically relegated to race/short trip duty at this point but to think I took it to Sturgis back in '96 when I bought it, well...I just can't believe I did that. Some people love the new style Sporty with the rubber mounted engine, and more power to 'em. Me, I like the old-style solid mount without the 65 pound weight penalty that the new ones have.

At this point in time you don't have to worry about the Sportsters leaking coolant.

 

[arkainzeye]

A friend of mine has a Niterod and guess what he took on his 3500 mile cross country ride? His fatboy.. He said there was no way in ____ he was going to ride that rod on long distance trips! He also said he didnt like how first gear felt like he had no torque until you gave it more gas and got the rpms up. Then it would lurch forward and not slowly pull out..

 

[Titan]

It's a strange bird, this Screaming Eagle, to be sure! I was impressed by the upper rpm power...but, that's about it. Got back on my V2K, and found I was "slipping" the clutch a bit in first...like you have to do on the V-Rod. Amazing how quickly the brain begins to adjust for differences. I'm sticking with Old Man Torque and will leave the high rpm HP for the kids!