Triumphrat

losman · 07-25-2007, 04:33 PM

Has anyone ever put their Rocket III up against a Harley V-Rod? I already know the answer to this question, but my buddies friend thinks his V-Rod will smoke the Rocket. Your input will be appreciated. I will then print it out and send him your replies.

Thanks

dougl · 07-25-2007, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by losman

Has anyone ever put their Rocket III up against a Harley V-Rod? I already know the answer to this question, but my buddies friend thinks his V-Rod will smoke the Rocket. Your input will be appreciated. I will then print it out and send him your replies.

Thanks

The stats in tests for stock bikes are very close.

LukeSkyWalker · 07-25-2007, 05:26 PM

The Rocket will CRUSH the VRod!

How do I know this?
My very good friend Doug A. has a VRod (with a Dreamin’ Eagle motor / pipes the whole bit).
He had been challenging me for months (when he was conveniently riding his Ultra Classic) to a race.
Well, earlier this summer, we went at it.

Round 1 started off with a side by side, 3rd gear, rolling start.
I didn’t need 5th gear due to the fact that I was so far a head of him and the area we were in was known to be visited by the local law.

Round 2 entailed a start from a dead stop.
He stood a better chance with the rolling start.
By time I hit 3rd gear, I could hardly make out his headlight.

Round 3 was a side by side, top gear (65 mph) roll-on on the interstate.
He nodded, hit the hammer, and jumped about a half a bike length ahead of me before I pulled even with him. I held the hammer down until the GPS indicated 132 mph….that was enough…and he was 50 feet (or more) behind me.

His excuse was that I am much lighter than he is…I didn’t mention that the Rocket has a few pounds on the VRod.

In the end, he fessed up to the rest of our buddies that the Rocket had little trouble with the VRod.

I’m sure you’ll have the same experience as I had.
Run the Rocket to the Rev. limiter, power shift and HANG ON!

Pig9r · 07-25-2007, 05:38 PM

Same result as LSW in Round 2 with SE V-Dud.

I have been asked by several HD guys (the type that think that HD is the only real brand of motorcycles), "Is that faster than a V-Rod?" like it is some marker of great performance.

The biggest surprise I had: I have a buddy with a Big Dog chopper with a 117 CI S&S motor and 300mm rear tire. It will stay within a bike length or two of me from a dead start to about 70 mph.

LukeSkyWalker · 07-25-2007, 05:47 PM

That Big Dog is about 35K....right?

For less money, you would be better off with the Road King.
My other Harley buddy rides one but has put a ton of $$$ into it.
Believe it or not, from a roll-on, top gear (60+ mph to 90 mph) this Road King took my Rocket....until the 2300 cc's of real top end power caught up and overtook him. I was really surprised at the midrange performance of his RK.

Chi-TownRocket · 07-25-2007, 07:06 PM

I rented a VRod for a few days last year and it feels alot slower than the rocket. My good friend that I just crushed with the rocket who owned a K1200RS BMW was able to beat the VRod. I can't imagine how bad it would be against a Rocket with pipes and tune!

sbljr · 07-25-2007, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LukeSkyWalker

That Big Dog is about 35K....right?

For less money, you would be better off with the Road King.
My other Harley buddy rides one but has put a ton of $$$ into it.
Believe it or not, from a roll-on, top gear (60+ mph to 90 mph) this Road King took my Rocket....until the 2300 cc's of real top end power caught up and overtook him. I was really surprised at the midrange performance of his RK.

Having owned both a Road King and a Rocket, all I can say is he MUST have put a ton of $$$ in it! Probably to the point it's no longer really suitable for what makes a RK worth owning: that would be eating up huge expanses of cross-country asphalt comfortably, reliably and economically on a bike that feels like an honest-to-goodness motorcycle not a 2-wheeled Lexus. That's what the RK shines at--it ain't no dragster and was never meant to be.

The RK is one of the best traditional touring baggers out there, but no way would one even vaguely resembling stock take a Rocket at anything.

Lancelot · 07-25-2007, 11:44 PM

I roasted a V-rod when cruising around in northbrook Ill to visit some relatives. This snot nosed suburbanite did not give me a second glance at the stop light. I said to him want to see what it has. He said sure, with an air of confidence that demonstrated he thought the V-rod was the only fast bike made.

I CRUSHED HIM. At the next stop light he was like "uh what bike is that? how many CC's horsepower etc." I kept explaining that I was told it was the largest, fastest, most HP stock motorcyle made.

That was as I was pulling away from him at the second stop light and did not look back.