Quote:
Originally Posted by marko138
I'd like to hear your honest opinion on the HD's.
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Ok. Keep in mind that I only got to ride 3 bikes and it was for a whopping 8 miles on the demo ride. The ride went through some of the city streets, then out into part of the country on a road with about 3 nice curves, then back into the city. There were a couple of long straights where the cops who were leading actually got up to some decent speeds (hit over 70 in a 30).
The first bike I rode was the Street Bob. This was the overall best bike for city riding and handled okay on the curves. It had the standard foot controls, so it wasn't the most comfortable for cruising on the longer stretches, but it wasn't bad. Acceleration was so, so.
The next bike I road was the Rocker. It had forward foot controls and was a bitch to get use to, especially after only really riding sport bikes. However, those forward foot controls were very comfortable for cruising. The rocker felt like it couldn't turn to save it's life. That was NOT fun. Acceleration was quite nice, but I couldn't get use to the horrible handling and wide turns. Maybe I would have with more time.
The third bike was the VRod Muscle. It had forward foot controls and nearly had drag bars. The riding position was somewhat awkward, at least after riding the Rocker where you felt like you were kicked back. On the VRod Muscle, your legs are forward, as are your arms. While the riding position wasn't the most comfortable, the bike was definitely the most fun. Acceleration and handling were both great. The bike leaned into the corners smoothly and quickly. It certainly wouldn't be great for long highway rides, but would be fine for the city and for corner carving. One big downfall of this bike was the amount of heat it put out while sitting at a light. I felt like my legs were going to melt.
The Vrod also had the heaviest clutch, so it really wasn't the greatest for city riding.
Also, both the Rocker and the Vrod seemed a bit wide in the saddle, at least for a small guy like me. It was definitely NOT fun sitting at lights for very long, as it felt like it was starting to cut off circulation in my legs.
I really don't know which one of those three I'd pick if I HAD to pick a Harley. Personally, I prefer sportbikes, so I'd probably take the Vrod cause it was the most fun on the corners. For a city bike, I think the Street Bob would be my choice. For kicked back cruising, the Rocker was nice, but damn, that thing did not like to turn. I don't know how the hell Gas Man rides that damn chopper.