HD Sportster Discussions about a VMax

[hubeerjw]

I though some of you might get a kick out of this link:

http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?p=1544552



My favorite post was this:

"I very much doubt people on a V-Max forum have "why my Max is better than a Sportster" discussions."

 

[maleko89]

Too funny! Jeff, you need to responsd and let these guys know you beat a Vrod destroyer.

 

[dannymax]

I though some of you might get a kick out of this link:

http://xlforum.net/vbportal/forums/showthread.php?p=1544552



My favorite post was this:

"I very much doubt people on a V-Max forum have "why my Max is better than a Sportster" discussions."

That was a funny read!! :biglaugh: :biglaugh: :biglaugh:

Surprisingly, quite a few HD guys defending the V Max. Like one guy said "It is what it is!" Hard to argue with results.

And the dude above is spot on-I don't ever recall seeing "Why my Max is better than a Sportster" on this forum.

There's some things that just don't need discussing!! :rofl_200:

 

[Heretic]

I find it wildly humoruous that many persons posting on a HD website freely admit that the bikes they own are underpowered, unreliable piles.

"From my experience with both ricers and Harleys, I would say the V-max will probably do two to three or even four times the miles a 1200 Sportster does before the engine needs rebuilding.
Four cylinder ricers regularly get 200,000 miles out of an engine or more.
And as long as routing maintenance is kept up, it is rare indeed for ricers to break down, suffer vibration induced failures, etc. Their technology and build quality is second to none in most cases.

But, come 200,000 miles or whatever, the difference comes in. With the engine's complexity and high cost of parts, you dont rebuild the engines on ricers like you do on Harleys.

You go down to the bike wrecking yard and get a low mileage engine out of a crashed bike for a few hundred dollars - there is no demand for engines cos they never wear out, so the price is low - and bolt it in."

 

[gamorg02]

wow... this is new...

"The V rod will out corner,..out power, and out pull the v max. Now we have a winner,.. no more winning about the "v max" and all its glory. The V harley still kicks ass. "


haha closing remarks:

"well I had the opertunity to ride an old 85 max today. A fellow walked over to my bike at the coffee house/bike meeting place,...He complimented my bike and I told him I was impressed how it went after the 1200 conversion. So we walked over to his very dirty,unkept and neglected max.This chap definatly had 0 pride in his ride,

..home made canvas saddle bags,..I think. Still,..I was interested after all the debate about this " marvolous" machine. He offered his key,..I took it.

It sat fairly high and was heavy. I was not expecting the friggen power it produced and just about lost it bad. My right side is pulled and sore as i type this.It took everything I had to recover and get that dam heavy monster straighted out. I AM IMPRESSED! That bike is NUTS. By the way ,,it was for sale for $2800.But in poor shape. So I looked on AUTO TRADER.COM at the used ones,..man you can get good power for cheap!!Any where from $3400 to $6400 for a really nice one. It might make a fun 2nd bike at that price.Take it down to the drags on the week end and run the sh$%t out of it."

 

[Hatter]

I liked this one.

well I had the opertunity to ride an old 85 max today. A fellow walked over to my bike at the coffee house/bike meeting place,...He complimented my bike and I told him I was impressed how it went after the 1200 conversion. So we walked over to his very dirty,unkept and neglected max.This chap definatly had 0 pride in his ride,

..home made canvas saddle bags,..I think. Still,..I was interested after all the debate about this " marvolous" machine. He offered his key,..I took it.

It sat fairly high and was heavy. I was not expecting the friggen power it produced and just about lost it bad. My right side is pulled and sore as i type this.It took everything I had to recover and get that dam heavy monster straighted out. I AM IMPRESSED! That bike is NUTS. By the way ,,it was for sale for $2800.But in poor shape. So I looked on AUTO TRADER.COM at the used ones,..man you can get good power for cheap!!Any where from $3400 to $6400 for a really nice one. It might make a fun 2nd bike at that price.Take it down to the drags on the week end and run the sh$%t out of it.

Someone just got the V Max bug!

 

[maleko89]

Good bug to have. I've let a couple of non Vmaxers ride mine and I keep hearing them say Jesus Christ! I'm a nice guy and all but not worthy to be called that. :git:

 

[Shuriken]

Funny thread over there on their XL forum. Funny for me to read for many reasons. The guy almost getting his arse burned by getting on the throttle like the Harley and the Max says... no way yer' ridin' me like a Hogly, learn to ride a Max or I'm buckin' yer arse off! .....

To the XS650 comments... they are saying compare the XS650 to the 883... I ran an XS650 for years. I guess if the 883 will rattle your teeth out at 55mph, if it eats fuses and headlights and melts fuseboxes, and if it goes 0-60 in 35 seconds, I guess it would compare to the 650. If so, ya' gotta hand it to those Harley dudes for "loving" their sportsters!

But if the choice is pay $5-13k for a Sportster or $5-13k for a Max or a "ricer" (as they call 'em), I'd put my money down on a Max or "ricer." I'll keep the performance, reliability, and take the leftover cash and get a Morley seat, relocate the rear turn signals and add some saddle bags, and a windshield, and then I'll ride across the country with them!

They did mention the XS11... and yes, the following for that bike is incredible. And they did get it right about them as far as mileage. My first one was pushing close to 50k and ran fine. I know many with well over that....

I did agree with the maintenance thing. As bikes get more complex, maintenance - for me - becomes more difficult and expensive.

The XS was dirt simple to work on. The 650 was even simpler. But they keep saying you work on your Harley, but with a Jap bike, you just go get an engine from the wrecker.... so they have the maintenance thing backwards here IMO because I'd rather just swap in a good running replacement engine than replace rod bearings, gears, etc...

Interesting thread anyway.

 

[kevman]

It was an interesting read [the whole lot ] and to be honest I thought there would be more HD loyalty but I was wrong ,the majority were open and honest with their opinions and the one guy I thought came over as a wanker ended up test riding a Vmax and discovering what real horsepower is all about to the extent that I think he will be on this forum asking for tips hee hee .Though I am stuffed as to how he pulled mucles riding the original muscle bike .I mean when I am accelerating I hold on for grim death but in a relaxed way so I don't get a speed wobble.Cheers Kevman

 

[Hatter]

the way I read it, He probably dumped the clutch on it revved too high, and it jumped out from under him. LOL:rofl_200:

 

[forestdaledave]

A lot of Harley dudes don't have a clue. The Harley company has done a much better job at marketing their Bikes than building them. I met a Sportster owner on a poker run. He had a new 1200 that he was very proud of. Clean and polished as can be. I didn't think anything of it when he asked me how big my motor was. Later at one of the stops he tells me he was trying to race me but fell way behind. The rub was I never knew I was in a race. I was just cruising at what I call "spirited riding".

Dave #3505

 

[jfeagins]

A lot of Harley dudes don't have a clue. The Harley company has done a much better job at marketing their Bikes than building them. I met a Sportster owner on a poker run. He had a new 1200 that he was very proud of. Clean and polished as can be. I didn't think anything of it when he asked me how big my motor was. Later at one of the stops he tells me he was trying to race me but fell way behind. The rub was I never knew I was in a race. I was just cruising at what I call "spirited riding".

Dave #3505

The wife's boss had just bought a new 1200 sportster and met us down at the lake to go boating one Saturday. When we all left, I just left. 30 miles up the highway, I stopped to wait on the wife coming with the truck and boat, the guy catches up to me after a couple minutes and proudly tells me how good his sportster did in keeping up with me as we "sped" through the twisties. I thought he'd pulled off the road while still at the lake, cause until I'd stopped to wait, I didn't even see him behind me any longer. I had been riding with the kid gloves on and NOT even hitting any corners hard. I doubt I even had to lean on any of them.

I didn't really know what to say that was kind, being he was the wife's boss and all, so all I said was we should ride together more often and really go find some crooked roads to ride.

What's a Vmax rider to do? Ah, what fun it is.

:rofl_200:

 

[gamorg02]

The wife's boss had just bought a new 1200 sportster and met us down at the lake to go boating one Saturday. When we all left, I just left. 30 miles up the highway, I stopped to wait on the wife coming with the truck and boat, the guy catches up to me after a couple minutes and proudly tells me how good his sportster did in keeping up with me as we "sped" through the twisties. I thought he'd pulled off the road while still at the lake, cause until I'd stopped to wait, I didn't even see him behind me any longer. I had been riding with the kid gloves on and NOT even hitting any corners hard. I doubt I even had to lean on any of them.

I didn't really know what to say that was kind, being he was the wife's boss and all, so all I said was we should ride together more often and really go find some crooked roads to ride.

What's a Vmax rider to do? Ah, what fun it is.

:rofl_200:

haha thats atough one... :whistlin:

anyone else and you coulda said "lets go back out..."

I feel like a lot of 1200 sportsters think they keep up pretty good with vmaxes. Maybe not a lot but a much greater percentage than I'd thought.

i wonder why that is? B/c they have the same displacement?

 

[Jayhawk]

That is what my motorcycle plate says btw...


Anyways I used to get alot of shit because of my plates and had SO MANY hd owners beggin me to race them from lights it just got downright funny.

I used to just DESTROY these guys by 50-60 lenghts especially the baggers.

I've only had one or two want to even fool around with me at a stoplight...perhaps the custom plate might be a good idea. :damn angry:

 

[Redbone]

Last year I rode on a short local trip that we kind of looped around our area. Near the endof the ride the 2 other riders we were riding with split off to go home leaving a new sportster and my Vmax to finish the ride. The first mile or so we were "stuck" behind a truck and since this was the first time I rode with this guy I stayed with him. Well there was a long (1.5 mi) stretch coming up. He pulls out to pass so I follow. We get around the truck he turns and looks at me, smiles and hammers it. A big smile comes across my face as I hit 'ol Redbone in the ass. It didn't even take one upshift before I blew past him so I just kept it dialed up to about 125. By then I was over 1/2 a mile in front of him, so I slowed down to about 45 to let him catch up. When he finally did he hit it again going past me a few lenghts. We were getting to a another straight stretch so I nailed it again blowing by him and I again ran it up to 120+ leaving him in the dust.
We stopped at a store after a couple of miles and he was saying "OMG! how fast were you going?" I said 125 and he said man your bike is fast. I told him that my brothers fz1 will blow it away easily on top end.
I don't think he could comprehend what fast is. BTW, that was the last time I ever rode with him, although I ask him all the time to come out to ride.:confused2:

 

[jfeagins]

Had a guy on a 1200 sportster one time shoot some throttle at me deliberately when I came up behind him in traffic riding my 1986 Venture Royale and carrying the wife double. He changed lanes, made a right onto a 7 or 8 mile four lane highway out of town. I thought it'd be need to see what he'd do if I dogged him. Well, he didn't want any of that, tucked his head down and went WOT. Yee haw, powder river and let her buck! That bike made it to 120mph in no time at all. Of course I knew this by tucking into his left side blind spot and pacing him. After a mile or so, he let up on his throttle, sat upright and checked his mirror. That's when I pulled up along side him (remember, I'm riding double) and just nodded and grinned.

He seemed a little miffed or something. Anyway, he bent back over and went back to WOT for another two miles or more the second time. SAME RESULT! I just pulled up beside him and paced him mph for mph. (my
Venture tops out around 125mph)

If I'd been on Max........ I couldn't a done it .......cause the wife won't let me go that fast while she's on it with no backrest. ha ha

 

[Noxx72]

Just another point on the long list of things I dislike about Harley culture .

In all seriousness, you'd think if the H/D people would "get" any metric bike it would be the Max The Max is just it's own thing, either you love it, or it's probably off your radar. It doesn't win any contest of machines by the numbers (except perhaps in the 1/8th, heh, but who's counting).

It isn't an all-day cruiser, it isn't a corner strafer, it isn't an overt display of financial excess, it's not a practical commuter (yes I know some of you do, stay with me here) it's a V-Max. It's an iconic anachronism, and for some of us, that's the magic right there.

 

[Biker Bill]

Exactly!:clapping:

I use to have a 1999 Sporty 883... Biggest POS I've ever owned. Turd from the word go... I know I know.... Why did I buy it? Duh know....

 

[2stangs69-91]

A V Max is one of those bikes that has to be riden to really be apreciated. I do not have any Harley kill stories because the way I usualy ride I can't tell if they were racing or not lol.

I do have a very good friend of mine I ride with who owns a GSXR 1100 a early one. I pulled him through 3 gears one time and he thought his bike was broke lol. He is a Way better rider than me so I let him take my max out for a ride (since it was under warranty) and needed a new rear tire. he could not belive how it ran. He has rode and owned just about everything except a V Max. and judging by the 100 foot+ long burn out he didn't just putt around on it.

 

[kozy]

I love how so many of those guys on the Sporty site are buffaloed into thinking that a V-Rod will outrun Mr. Max. I'll put my BONE STOCK V-Max up against any Harley on the street. I've outrun V-Rods, and most importantly, my buddy's bagger with a 108" motor that was bored over to about a 1900cc motor. He was riding solo and I had my woman on with me too!

Bring on the stupid racers.....I wish I could find a couple of dumb schmucks that would be willing to lay money down on a race. I need cash to satisfy the mod monkey!