I went into the shop for the mail a few weekends ago and checked out some Harleys parked uo and down the street. it was the annual Glendale Harley Love Ride. Eye candy for 4 blocks, about a thousand bikes
One that caught my attention was this silver one with the Porsche crest on it. The owner said that Porsche Design had done some development on it for Harley Davidson. The badge looked like a DIY, but nonetheless the bike was hot. 133 hp also.
Marty


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another HD with some excellent airbrush skill, "Dark Angel". Looks like the artist favors Seattle, Wa.
I'll stop by the HD dealer and ask about the Porsche connection...
Marty


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Here ya go-

http://www.chuckhawks.com/vsrca_v-rod.htm

Porsche did engine developement on the V-Rod

Harley drivers of all kinds were dismayed and in a state of violent denial when Willie G confirmed the Porsche/Harley cooperation a few years back, and many still refuse to believe or admit it ..............

The Cap'n

Saw it on TV. Porsche wouldn't sign off on it untill the engine would run 24 hr's WFO, IIRC.

Every Hardley-Ableson guy I ever talk to hates the V-rod becuase it's "so smooth"

I used to work for Harley Davidson back in the '90s. HD did in fact collaborate with Porsche on the V Rod. I have a pic stored somewhere of a pre-production V-Rod on a Porsche test track in Germany.

That is the one Harley I really want just based upon the engine.
It is the old de-tuned drag racing motor that porsche developed and they re-tuned it for a street bike.

It has alot more power to be tapped without changing the internals of the motor...just ECU and intake/exhaust and you have the same race motor...

When it was released I read alot about the motor and it appears to be the exact same architecture, CR, valves etc...
Just tuned down with the ECU.

They are finally getting cheap because of the die hards resistance to that bike....good for me.

I start dreaming and I then remember a few things.
I am not a kid anymore..I have a life to maintain.

There are three types of riders
Ones that have been down
Ones that are going down
Ones that are going down again.

I fall (no pun inteneded) into number one with a broken neck on my 14th bike.
If I got taht bike and did what I want to do...I would end up in number three and probably end up dead...
I tend to ride fast.
I got into Porsches for the seat belts.



Rich

The last bike I had was an FJ1100 I picked up from Chris (local 914 nut) and loved it. But at 170lbs, a liter-plus bike was too much for me. That was my.....4th bike? I use to ride daily years back. Downed once, got run into 2-3 times, got mad and kicked a car door while on my bike once (stupid people). Now I'm just too plain affriad of other drivers to own another bike.



I'd love to have a V-rod, but I'd probably wind up very hurt in short order.

'Tis true! My buddy with that nice Bahia Red 1 owner 71 914/4 that I posted before, also has an 09, 08 or 07 V-Rod IIRC - sorry, no pix, it's a sweet ride in all black.

My left hand is sorta not working from my fault riding with a bunch of people on a poker run almost 8 years ago, it will never get well I guess. I think I lost my becareful mode as I have ridden all my life. I still have my little hotrod sporster but it's been waiting on me since the wreck. I had three v65 hondas the 83 was 130 hp stock and they are only 1100's. I went many years between wrecks, they were all single person or vehicle wrecks and all my fault. I only lost a lot of skin and one sprained ankle on the other wrecks one of which was about 85mph. I came to the conclusion that if I didn't hit any thing I could manage a fall really well. The last one I don't remember the fall. I came away with 5 broke ribs and a cracked vertrabre and a month long concussion. The full facehelmet has some serious cracks in it. It was just a grassy ditch at about 65mph. In my opinion except for the liquids in the frame the vrod is just a expensive copy of a high tech 83 jap bike.

I see a plain ole 88 harley held wide open till the rear tire explodes several times every year at ROT in austin. You should see the exhaust pipes glow.

Probably not going to make any friends with these comments..
BUT.. I have absolutely no use for any Harley..
And it goes back a long way.. I had a 48 Panhead when I was 17

A couple of years ago, I went with my niece to look at bikes. She wanted to check out the Local Harley Dealer. We walked in and the hot little sales lady came right over to me {ignoring my niece} and told me how Sexy I'd look on a New "Night Train". I almost vomited.. Then I told her my Niece was the one looking for a Bike..
She went to great lengths to explain to me how Harley's aren't just Motorcycles..
They are an INVESTMENT. Then she explained how NOBODY ever lost money on a Harley.
I then walked her over to a brand new leftover V-Rod that was marked down to just over 1/2 of Retail and asked her if the people that bought one for full price lost any money on those. She didn't have an answer.
Thank God my niece bought a new Triumph Instead.
Harley used to sell to anyone, even if they knew they couldn't afford it and were happy to repossess the bike and sell it again for more profit. Now, Harley's biggest competitor for sales is their own used bikes that people are trying to sell BEFORE they get taken back. { Bad Economy}
My 79 Honda Still Goes, Stops and doesn't leak oil. It has never broken down or left me stranded on the side of the road. It isn't an ATTITUDE or a Wanna Be Bad Boy bike.
It does what it is supposed to do and it does it relatively well... And I'll be the first to admit it is a dinosaur and a modern 600 Jap Bike would probably eat it alive..
But at least it isn't a Harley....

I like the V-Rod. It's pretty much the only Harley I have any interest in at this time.

But I also think that I'd just as soon have a BMW R1200GS.