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First hand experience with early V-Rods?


Ziggy

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 I have a 2003 and I love the thing but I have also done a good bit of work to get it where it is today.  I have not had any issues with the fuel gauge as of yet but I do know it can be an issue at some point down the road and I just use the trip meter and know I need to start looking for fuel after 90 miles. I also will be upgrading to a larger tank over the winter which will be much better as it will be a 5 gallon UE tank. The HD stock suspension is junk as it is on all their bikes so the first thing I did was upgrade to Progressive suspension front and rear. I made the mistake of going lower in the rear and lowering the forks in the triple trees for the slammed look which I love but it killed the handling. I have since raised the front back to stock height and will be doing so with the rear as soon as the 12 inch shocks are sold so I can buy the 13inch heavy duty ones. Changing out the tires help a great deal on this bike as well and the most popular is the Avon Cobras which are a taller tire and handle great on this bike, and the Pirelli  Night Dragons are becoming a fan favorite for the V-Rod as well which will be my next tires as I am very aggressive in the turns with mine.

 I have a power commander V with Auto Tune in mine running topless with a K&N and the V & H competition pipe ( Much lighter than the stock boat anker exhaust)  which is to loud for my liking but gives a great balance of HP and torque as mine gets 126hp and 84 foot pond of torque with no other engine mods. This engine does like the higher revs and is happiest in the 7500 RPM range so it does change how you ride a bit but a simple change of the front sprocket helps a great deal to make it much more fun to ride. I went down from the stock 30 tooth down to a 28 tooth but many drop to a 26 tooth. I ride a blend of Highway and the curves so I chose the 28 to be a be a good balance for both and I am very happy however I have ridden a few with the 26 tooth and they are great fun as well but just a higher RPM at highway speeds in which I did not care for. I also added the G2 quarter turn throttle to mine which I highly recommend as it makes it a more of a sport bike feel and more comfortable for long rides.  

 A buddy that I ride with has a earlier model and he added Mid Controls to his but made brackets to where he could also keep forward controls as well in which I love this dual control set up as the mids are great in the curves and the forwards are great when cruising. I hope to save up for a set of mids one day for mine as well.

 One thing I dont like about the earlier models is the handle bars are all one piece and there is not much choice for changing them if you keep the stock clamshell housing. I have found a D model riser and instrument housing in which I will be getting chromed over the winter in which will now let me use any 1 inch bars I choose so I can get the fit I want. 

 Not a fan of cleaning the stock wheels and plan to make some changes to them. I am thinking of sending them to Gorby's machine shop in which they will custom cut the wheels to a design of your liking and you can then have them chromed or powder coated for easy cleaning. Another option is 2008 D wheels which bolt right up and also happen to be the lightest of the wheels out there for the V-rods but this makes them in hot demand. 

 The V-Rod set up right will corner well but it is a workout as it is still a 600lb + pig but it will hang in there and is by far better than any other HD out there in the straights or the curves. 

 Feel free to hit me up should you have any questions at all and make sure you check out the 1133cc forums as there is a wealth of information over there dedicated just to the V-rod not to mention a large Ohio V-rod community there and on Facebook.

 

Regards

 

Jeff

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  I have not had any issues with the fuel gauge as of yet but I do know it can be an issue at some point down the road and I just use the trip meter and know I need to start looking for fuel after 90 miles.

 

wow.  that's pretty insane.  I could barely get to work and back on that tank...  I would have to fill up daily.  Then again, I can't commute anyway, which is why i'm trying to trade my street bike for another dirt bike.

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wow.  that's pretty insane.  I could barely get to work and back on that tank...  I would have to fill up daily.  Then again, I can't commute anyway, which is why i'm trying to trade my street bike for another dirt bike.

 I agree and I cant wait to get the 5 gallon tank installed as a result.  I am going with the Unlimited Engineering tank in mine which will be right at $500 bucks but well worth it to have the extra capacity. 

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