| Author | Message | ||
     Silas_clone |
Went down to the HD dealership to get inspected. I was talking with a tech and mentioned that I liked the now defunct "Street Rod". I asked him what he thought of the V-Rod engine. He told me that you have to drop the motor in order to adjust the OHC shim buckets, and pull the cams to measure and adjust!!! WT...? Anyway, he said that this has not posed a problem since not ONE V-Rod owner has come in for their 12k service!!! Apparently there are either a lot of mal-adjusted v-rods or nobody is riding 'em? | ||
| Djkaplan |
Don't know... but I liked that StreetRod myself. Got a chance to wring one out in the twisties at a MB demo. Pretty good moves for such a big dancer... not so sure I could recover if my foot got stepped on. | ||
| Ducxl |
He told me that you have to drop the motor in order to adjust the OHC shim buckets, and pull the cams to measure and adjust!!! As a 4valver Ducati owner i can tell you that,if you do it once you can do it a thousand times.My cams now practically fall out of my Ducati.Too easy | ||
| Bbbob |
When I worked at the HD/Buell dealer I loved riding the Street Rod almost as much as riding the Buells. The killer for me was there was no way of lowering the footpegs (34" inseam) the exhaust pipe is right under the peg. | ||
| Sloppy |
There's even more Honda V-Twin and V-Four bikes out there without their front cams adjusted either! But as Duc says, once you do it yourself, it's not a big deal to do it next time. Same as a belt replacement on a Buell! | ||
| Beachbuell |
V Rod is a piece of cake to work on. | ||
| Silas_clone |
Well, I feel better. I hate to admit it, but I want a STREET ROD. I wish they looked a little less "VEGAS", but I still want one... | ||
| Djkaplan |
I'd take a StreetRod in a heartbeat. I don't have a clue why it was never popular with the Harley believers. My step-brother rides a NightRod... he loves it (even got the tattoo) but I still look at it and say to myself, "He could have gotten a StreetRod". His first Harley too. His previous bike was an SV650. He said it was the V-twin engine in the Suzuki that made him look real hard at the Harleys. He just wanted a bike with a badass V-twin engine and he thought that Harley had the baddest one on the block with their Rods (he never even considered a Big Twin). I bet the marketing development guys at Suzuki never saw that coming. | ||
| Bbbob |
The Street Rod was a hard bike to sell, it didn't appeal to the cruiser riders because of the seating position. The sport bike crowd went with the import in-line 4's for much less $$. The HD guys that wanted something sportier for a second bike went Buell (also cheaper). You had to find someone wanting a sportier ride but HAD to have a Harley. | ||
| Guell |
id deffinently rock a street rod, hell it would be my main bike if i could afford one, so i could build the m2 in my spare time. | ||
| Silas_clone |
I test rode one, It was loooong and went faaaaast. Couldn't decide if it would be best doing the back roads or the highway. Tried it on both. I think it would be a great highway commuter bike, like for making a 30-40 mile run and back, if it wasn't so expensive. I liked the riding position too. Why not hydraulic lifters? I am sure there are lots of people who own AND ride them, but to not have one bike for in for a 12k service leads me to believe they are not being ridden. Maybe I can score one for less than $10,000? Geez, that's a lotta cash. But that engine, great! | ||
| Ducxl |
Why not hydraulic lifters? No room/no such thing on an overhead cam engine Heck,i don't even have valve springs! | ||
| Silas_clone |
I am pretty sure OHC engines can work w hydraulic lifters, I guess the tech term is "cam followers" or "shim buckets". If not, I better get my T-5 Volvo to the service center stat. As far as Desmo gear, why bother? | ||
| Silas_clone |
From "HOW STUFF WORKS" Due to tariffs being levied at the time on motorcycles with engines of more than 700 cc, the 700-cc 1984 Honda Nighthawk 700S motorcycle replaced a 750-cc bike in Honda's line. But where the Nighthawk 650 and the older chain-drive 750 were styled like "standard" motorcycles, the 1984 Honda Nighthawk 700S motorcycle sported angular lines. And it was capped by a bikini fairing and smaller 16-inch front wheel -- then becoming the rage for sportbikes. The 1984 Honda Nighthawk 700S motorcycle came only in black, with either blue or red accent panels. Power was from a slightly larger version of the 650's double-overhead-cam four, which featured hydraulic lifters that virtually eliminated valve adjustments. The 1984 Honda Nighthawk 700S motorcycle also had a special four-into-one exhaust header finished in black chrome. The engine itself was enameled mostly in black, as were the lower fork legs, handlebars, and rear grab rail, pieces that were normally chromed. Since full-tilt sportbikes of the era were gravitating toward a more radical look with full fairings and crouched seating positions, the 1984 Honda Nighthawk 700S motorcycle filled the gap between sport and standard motorcycles. Unlike true sportbikes, the 700S was fitted with low-maintenance shaft drive and hydraulic valve lifters; the latter would normally have limited engine speed, but an innovative new design from Honda allowed a lofty 10,600-rpm rev limit. Just so I could go back to sleep. | ||
| Werewulf |
ive owned two v-rods, an A model and a street-rod... the A model was a great bike and i put a lot of trouble free miles on it.. the street-rod was one of the biggest disappointments ive ever had in a motorcycle. yes, setting the valve is a pain...you have to get them shimmed correctly and be careful the shim doesnt fall off the magnet and get in the motor...i had everything from rubbed holes in the coolant lines, to warped wheels and motor vibrations.. | ||
| Rkutzner |
Word on the forum is most people haven't had to bother for over 20000 miles. We're dang lucky we don't have to do it on our XBs ! The VRods motor is about as bulletproof as they get....designed by Porsche....get more scoop on www.1130cc.com I have the VRSCA and shop manual and it doesn't look any more difficult than any other shim over bucket that I've done on my own (mostly ATVs and dirt bikes). Instead of removing a gas tank to get to the stuff, you remove the airbox stuff. If you have a Buell, you'll probably be disappointed by the Street Rod unless you just like the position. It's about 200 lbs heavier with only a few more horses. Don't get me wrong, my VRod is a HOOOOOT of a cruiser, but it ain't a Buell in handling. Now if you want to mod for drag racing, the VRod is a much better start..... (Message edited by rkutzner on July 08, 2008) | ||
| Werewulf |
i have set the valves on my v-rods several times and its a pain in the butt...my streetrod, was way out of spec on the shims at the intiial setting, others have been closer to spec... you have to drop the front of the motor to do the job, which in itself is not a big deal.. however, if you dont know what you are doing, you can end up with a lot of small problems, such as holes in fluid lines and coolant leeks...if you dont have a mechanic who likes v-rods for warranty work, you can get into a bunch of issues... most mechanics dont like to work on them or dont understand them...should a shim slip off the magnet during the process, its split the case time... i no longer own the v-rods, but own buells, because i ride everyday and appreciate the simplicity of the buell.. | ||
| Jstfrfun |
The thing is Dave the Rod and the Buell are both bastard children to H-D. The V-rod was initiated to be a Harley that your wife could ride comfortably and still keep up(as opposed to a smaller import like the rebel). In my experience there is nothing easy about working on the V-rod. Good riddance! | ||
| Rkutzner |
The VRod isn't that hard to work on, and where did you get the idea it was designed for the 'wife'. It's no beginner bike for sure...it'll kick you harder than the Buell if you make a mistake...it's not as nimble with the extra poundage....though add mucho power and you can easily get it to the ground. Maybe you need to see the Discovery show with all the Willy D. interviews, he never mentioned the wife....just performance and style. It's the fastest large scale production Harley ever built. It's nimble and that motor is heaven...I'd take that in my Buell any day. Only Porsche could have pulled that off. Problem is the old close-minded 'I dress like I just escaped from Levenworth' crowd can't accept change. I'm 43, ride a V and a TT cause I embrace new technology and it's ability to kick old technologys BUTTOCKS. Ride on...... | ||
| Jstfrfun |
Just the saddle height and general ergonomics, yes they go like hell but are not as LARGE as the baggers,or as top heavy,that's all I meant. | ||
| Rightpecial |
I own a night rod special and love the hell out of it. It is fast as hell, comfortable and a lot of fun. Everyone should try one just for the experience. I'm buying a tuber so I have something to ride when customizing the rod and I like that they're both bastards. | ||
| Chasespeed |
Just the saddle height and general ergonomics, yes they go like hell but are not as LARGE as the baggers,or as top heavy,that's all I meant. Not as physically large... no... But the ergos? Uh, well.... I checked them out when they first came out... with the fwd controls(no mids then), and all, I was almost sitting on the tank, I was way too short(I am 5'8)... IN fact, a comment was made, that only someone around 6ft or more, would be comfortable on it... Sorta like the Sportster is for women.... myth/ and nonsense spouted by people who wanna feel better about their purchase... or, whatever.... Chase | ||
| Rkutzner |
I'm 5'9" and my feet and seat are perfect but you're right, I could probably use the 'reach' handlebar to move it an inch closer. They also make a reach seat to get the seat 1" forward. Definitely made to accomodate taller people. I agree with the Sportster comment, too...that 1200 rips, too but doesn't have the frame to handle the power the VRod has. The best thing about the VRod is you can supercharge or turbo the motor to 165 or 200+ horsepower and NOT TOUCH the internals of the engine or tranny. And the frame can handle all of that too. The VRod is for the tinkerer in all of us....if I could just affort those power adders ! | ||
| Silas_clone |
Went to pick up parts yesterday. I walked thru the showroom and there are all kinds o FL-ABS's [I can't keep up with the model designations anymore] and Sportsters. The few V-rod's and fewer Buell's are in one little corner. The XB's look like space ships, so does that new "rocker" thing. The V-rod's look like something Arlen Ness did on acid, but there is one '06 Street Rod sitting there, waiting for me to hit the lottery ['cause at 16k+ I know nobody shopping for leather goods or bandanna's is gonna buy it] | ||
| Ducxl |
if I could just affort those power adders ! like the engineered Supercharger that takes mere hours to bolt on? WOW,that one takes the cake |
