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Sat on a 2007 V-Rod with less then 1,000 miles on it for $10,000, if I could just stretch these legs, move the seat up, or the controls back, I might take it for a test drive. Other then being HD, are there known troubles with this bike or year?

isn't the engine a Porsche design?

I thought it was Ferrari, but I could be wrong, water cooled, fuel injected, belt drive, etc.

I think Dave is right on the designer but HD can't keep oil in can they keep water in?

Don't really know, The '74 Shovel head Super Glide I had, marked it's spot and always made rides an adventure, something always had to be put back on or cleaned....

The V-Rod is Porsche designed and is a trouble free blast to ride. I'm 6' tall with a 34" inseam and I find it very comfortable. I can see how someone a bit shorter might find it a reach.

" I can see how someone a bit shorter might find it a reach."
Can the seat be moved up an inch or two?

After I read some of your personal criteria here Warren(the "controls back" thing especially), all I could think of here is what a shame it is that this V-Rod you're interested in is not a VRSCR "Street-Rod", which had those pegs where you wanted them, and also featured a slightly steeper rake of the forks, which resulted in quicker steering and less a tendency to "flop" into turns as does the standard V-Rod.

But alas, H-D couldn't sell this superior version of the V-Rod model line to their usual clientele, as it was evidently deemed "not crusier enough" for them. And so, The Motor Company only produced the Street Rod in 2006 and 2007.

Oh and btw, the V-Rod's engines are strongly based on the H-D testbed and AMA Superbike series race bike VR1000 which was campaigned back in the mid-to-late 1990s, but met with very limited success and with very few podium finishes, as I recall.

And yes, Porsche had a strong hand in their engine's initial design.

they will scoot!

I often wondered why that motor didn't find its way into a tube frame Buell. Dumb.

My brother has a v-rod muscle, its a very nice bike and can shift, its almost as fast as my rocket. I dont fit on it due to a rather large middle section!

That castle must make a great back-drop for some nice bike pics Neil?

Its one of the most photographed castles here. Its called Eilean Donan.

never rode one. But I did see Hell Fire in South Dakota...

Mechanically they are alright, but they just don't look right.

Fuel tanks just ahead of the rear tire..... makes for a lower center of gravity.

Looks like something from a 70's Science Fiction B movie like MegaForce, or a TV show like Galactica 1980. Does it fly?

I saw a V Rod with black paint, wheels and pipes the other day at a diner. It was the stripped down no extra fairings and such style. Great looking bike. I could get along OK with a Porsche V twin and water cooling, but my limited budget would steer me toward a Rocket first.

Stevie didn't say it yet. Oh well thats as fr as I go this time.

A friend of mine has the orange with black decals. It does look awesome. He takes heat from the Harley guys because of the water cooled engine but he's always waiting for us at the next light.

Sorry I agree with John on this particular one. V rods are fast bikes ugly beasts but fast. I guess most of the fast ones are ugly though.

the engine was a Porsche design, one of the few engineering decisions I've heard HD make in the past half-century that made any sense (though it's funny they asked for help with liquid cooling from one of the last car companies to adopt it). HD brass and Erik Buell were in on it, as it was supposed to be a motor for Buells with perhaps a future HD application. After HD got done throwing their specs and requirements at it, it was too heavy for Erik to want anything to do with (general consensus being HD just started the project to shut Erik up about having his own engine), so they slapped it in a cruiser frame and the Vrod was born. read that in an article about Buell. Rode a Night Rod myself, and besides being absolutely stunning (especially after they hid that headlight with a flyscreen), I was underwhelmed. Beast of a motor in a lowered chassis with less cornering clearance than a Softail Deluxe with floorboards (I only scraped once on a 90 degree into a parking lot on that).

took one for a test ride when they first came out and when i leaned it over i ripped the radiator shroud off the kid that was following me on a Beull stopped and picked it up and when he caught up with me i could tell he was not happy' said to me what happened, i replied, i guess your not supposed to lean them over, sorry needless to say they stopped all test rides for that day