1983 kz1100 vs 03 vrod

I was just bored so I decided to share my weekend event. I have raced a lot of other bikes on my stock kz1100 spectre. My brother is a Harley guy. Recently he sold his 1200 sportster and bought a 03 v rod. I would spank his 1200 with a stage 2 kit in it. He and I ran our bikes last weekend and depending on who launched the best would win. I was really shocked on how fast the v rod is. I was battling with keeping my front tire on the ground and he was battling with not spinning that huge tire. I would guess at the track he would pull off better numbers due to the track compound. I would say that the v rod is a bit quicker bike than my kz1100. This was my first experience with running a v rod. I would have never of thought that they were a 11.5 second quarter mile bike. Anyone else here ran a v rod with a stock or close to it kz1000 or kz1100? He will never let this down, lol. I think is funny. I may be dropping some coin into my bike this winter so it doesn't happen again. I wonder if just putting some higher compression pistons in with the stock cams would do it. I guess only time will tell.

Porsche designed; water-cooled; DOHC 8 valves; etc. engine. Most Harley guys don't like them because they're not "real" Harleys. Ed

V-Rods are fast bikes. With a little work they can be very fast. Seat position and weight placement make it tough. But if the guy has practice on one he can get some 10 sec times. Maybe less with a lot of work.

I am really impressed with the v rod I still cant see ever owning a Harley lol. At the machine shop I work at almost everyone there rides one. Everything from buells to full dressers with air conditioning. My next bike will be a concours 14 for those long rides.

I'd run a stock one 1/8 mile at the track.
1/4 mile it'd run me down.

Russ Jackson wrote: V-Rods are fast bikes. With a little work they can be very fast. Seat position and weight placement make it tough. But if the guy has practice on one he can get some 10 sec times. Maybe less with a lot of work.

I saw one during Bike Week one year that with a little N2O was pulling the front wheel at 40 mph. They are fast and with some mods can be real fast. I always have found it funny that the fastest bike that HD makes the guys hate and the gals love. Here in FL I think I've seen 2 to 1 women to men riding the V-Rod. Personally that and the XR 1200 are the only bikes that they make that I'd own myself.

I agree they are the best looking I still cant ever see myself riding one. I did pull away from him in the 1/8th but he was coming up on me in the 1/4 and its because he was new to the bike.

My V65 Sabre- a 1985 bike with 200k miles on it, absolutely destroys the V-rod in any hot rod category, from a standing stop, roll on, 1/4 mile and handling. Vrods are a fast bike, when compared a bike from the 70s, or for being a H-D. A V65 Magna or Old Kawi Eliminator positively rapes a V-rod. Only can beat a 30 year old + bike really LOL

I flat hate Harleys or anything that even reminds me of one, but the Vrod is a high 11s/ low 12s quarter mile bike, which is pretty good for a Harley. The stock KZ1100 would run about the same when new and running 100% in tune, but the J engine was only good for 10,000 miles or so, then it was a high 12s/ low 13s bike. A V65 Sabre or Magna would beat either if it was running right, but I would have even less confidence in that engine than the J after 10,000 miles. I'll say modern technology has been great in the motorcycle engines, even Harley I'll admit.

You may not like them but these run in the 8s from the factory


My brother has a 2005 Screaming Eagle 1250cc Vrod which he can get into the 10s

Ride what ever you like , but I try to keep a OPEN mind.

I ride my Turbo Kaw some days and my Harley Dresser on others depending on what kind of riding and mischief I intend to get into. Its All good. Just get out and ride

Dave

That is not a street legal bike either. I have a V65 Sabre which was a 10 second bike bone stock in 1985. Listed as the fastest bike in the world at the time. A busa and a ZX14 will hit those same times at half the price of the screamin Eagle. And you can ride it across the country at the same time. Harley doesn't make a bone stock 10 second factory street bike. the power cruisers- KL900 Kawi "Eliminator", V65 Magna, Suzuki Madura and Vmax make all the Vrod factory derivatives look laughably slow at a fraction of the cost, and more reliability.

Vtwin air cooled pushrod bikes had their heyday, and the CB750 ended that run forever, the idea that a H-D was "fast" for anything other than being a Harley.

I don't have a problem with H-D other than I believe them to be horribly over-priced. I was especially disappointed when the let go of Buell, just as it was headed in the right direction with the 1125.

650ed wrote: Porsche designed; water-cooled; DOHC 8 valves; etc. engine. Most Harley guys don't like them because they're not "real" Harleys. Ed

DITTO.......the harley riders i know don't like them.......yes , porsche designed engine.