Harley Test-Drive: V-Rod Muscle

My riding buddies and I signed up for a Harley Davidson test drive today. Harley is sponsoring this test drive event called "Super Ride - Lead Yourself Into Temptation". Unlike your typical HD test drive, they give you the keys to the bike and you can go where you like, unescorted by dealership staff.

The four of us signed up to ride and the same time. Brian chose a Tour Glide,

Dennis chose an XR1200. Bob and I both wanted to ride the V-Rod Muscle, but they only had one. He was kind enough to agree to switch to a Night Rod Special.

I like the looks of the Muscle, so I focused on it for a few shots. It's the bike in the center, and it features symmetrical pipes, which I prefer. All other V-Rods have right-side-only exhaust. You can see Bob's "Night Rod" after-market Vance & Hines 2-into-1 shorty exhaust on the bike on the left. And you get another shot of the Tour Glide on the right.

The V-Rod Muscle features a front cowl over the neck and triple tree that is distinctive from all other V-Rod derivatives. You can see it here as it appears "bolted" on in front of the "gas tank" (which isn't a tank at all). I'm not really a fan of the look, but it does set it apart from the other V-Rods.

Satin finish exhaust pipes, as opposed to the typical shiny chrome finish, set this bike apart from the others as well.

Just wanted to illustrate the symmetical exhaust - one pipe on each side of the bike. Somehow that seems right to me.

The dealer asked each of us to sign a waiver, then gave us an overview of the bike's controls before turning us loose. We hopped on the interstate for a quick 10 mile jaunt to the next exit. We exited onto SR 39 south, through Monrovia. This is one of our favorite roads.

With the Night Rod's after-market exhaust, everyone could hear when Bob rolled on the throttle. With a loud crack, the bike would jump forward. In a few seconds he was out of sight.

I was improessed with the motor, transmission and suspension on the V-Rod Muscle. But if I had to choose one word to describe my test drive, it would be this:

OUCH!

Willie G. Davidson, what the hell were you thinking? This is a horribly uncomfortable seating position. Imagine the top half of your body leaning forward, like you were riding a sport bike. Now imagine the bottom half of your body reaching forward, like you were riding a cruiser. Here you are, bent in the middle at less than a 90 degree angle, like you're riding some sort of medieval torture device. And how the heck can you design a bike so that you can see the front wheel while you're riding down the road. The front wheel was so far out there, I was checking the front tread at 70 mph (posted Interstate speed limit, thank you very much.)

And the first time I had to turn it, I thought it never was gonna turn. Very slow into the corners, and it took some persuasion to initiate the lean. This got better as the ride went on, as I developed a feel for the bike and what it took to lean it.

Once I got the hang of how to turn it -- with a firm grip on the bar and a decisive push -- the suspension was rock solid as a threw the bike through the twisties.

The torque curve also took some getting used to. Most other Harley's I have ridden had so much grunt down low, you could practically take off from a dead stop by letting the clutch out at idle. It would get the bike going with only the slightest encouragement from the throttle. With the V-Rod, I had to rev it up in order to pull away. I didn't have to rev it like a sport bike, but unlike any other cruiser I've ever ridden.

Once I got used to the power delivery, I was amazed at the breadth of the power band. A Harley with a tachometer, and a (nearly) 10,000 rpm redline! That really is the oddball of the Harley family.

We stopped at a gas / beer/ bait store in some off-the-map location, amidst twisty roads. It was a hot day, some bought gatorade to keep hydrated.

I snagged a photo of Dennis snagging a photo of the XR1200.

You can see the photos Dennis took, and read his Test Drive Report here.

The two V-Rods parked side by side. Bob's "Night Rod" on the left, the "Muscle" on the right.

By the way, Bob test drove a V-Rod Muscle last year and gave it a favorable review.

From here we turned back and retraced our steps to the dealership. To my surprise, they didn't try any arm twisting or coercion tactics. The friendly sales rep talked to each of us about what we liked about the bike. Some of us asked about available options - different handlebar configuration, different seats, or anti-lock brakes. We were each entered in a contest to win a gift card or a free motorcycle, and each of us walked out with a brochure and the salesman's business card.

And they let us go at that.

Not a bad way to spend a morning.

As for the V-Rod Muscle, I'm giving it a thumbs down because of the seating position. The day Harley puts mid-mount controls and/or serious pull-back risers on the bike, I'll give it a serious look.