V-Rod market

[tomcat64]

i guess part of the reason i'm posting this is to see if anybody actually looks at the v-rod section, so here is my question... i work at a HD dealership and i am also the owner of a 2003 V-rod, the problem is we can't sell them to save our lives, hell i just ordered my first one in 2 years, and the used ones we have had sit forever, no matter the price. don't get me wrong, i love our v-rod and my wife and i ride it often, but  damnn,, they just don't sell, so what should i be doing to market these bikes and make them worth while to stock?? otherwise i really thinkj HD will drop them soon..

t-c

[dirty jim]

Yes T-C, I read this,  you're not alone. I have no idea, local dealer recently sold a "new" 05 SE V-ROD. He had two! Maybe the MOCO should make them 45 degree ,air cooled twins. I also love my 03.

[Reddog74usa]

I have heard a few riders say they thought the idea of a V-rod bagger. Who knows it might be worth a shot.

[gryphon]

Honestly, I think the only way HD is gonna be able to market those things is if they can interest younger riders. Most of them don't already have a preset idea of what a harley is. They look fast just sitting there and should definately get you laid if you're young and wild. They need to be maketed as a "bad boys bike". And that means that young riders or "wanna be" riders need to feel welcome when they come into the dealership to look and dream. They can't be run off like kids in a candy store reading the comic books. The dealerships cannot continue to be run like a stuffy "old man's club".  Most of the guys who own harleys these days bought them as a fashion statement and, like most fashions, it's coming to an end. Harley did a great job of convincing guys that buying a Harley made them a biker (kind of like owning a rope makes you a mountain climber). Now they need to make young guys think that they will be the baddest kid on the block if they own a V-ROD.

[loudnlow]

well fellas, i dont have a vrod, but id love to have one.  and i dont even need the moco to tell me how much of a badass id be if i had one.  I wouldnt get rid of my harley chop, but it would be nice to have something new.  Part of harley's problem is the perception that its an old mans bike.  Im 29 and I have friends that say they arent old enough for a harley yet.  That being said, im not old enough for a road sofa yet either.  Unless the "younger" crowd grew up in the harley circle its kind of hard to get into it.  I had a yamaha and a honda before i bought a wrecked sportster as my first harley.  (def couldn't affford a new one, and still couldnt)  They almost price themselves out of the younger customers.  but also the generation under me just really dont seem passionate about anything.  I would have killed for a harley when i was younger but instead i saved some cash bought a wreck and fixed it myself.  most of the younger generation (including mine) just dont have the same drive that previous ones have had.

I agree about the dealerships alienating people.  They say hi and then ask for your credit.  You sort of get an evil eye for just lookin.  Not to mention the attitude that you sometimes get from others because your handbuilt custom harley gets more attention than his $40,000 chrome trailer queen.  I go in, get what i have to get, talk to some of the pretty girls an get out.  Sooner or later they get it, hopefully, no new customers, no harley.  Sorry to rant, but yea, i def want a vrod. 

[76shuvlinoff]

 Along gryphons line of thinking....

A guy I work with laid out BIG bucks for an 06 SE V-rod he bought it new in 07. Pretty bike, lots of stripper glitter and I would bet with the right rider it probably goes like a greased bat.  Honestly for this fella it was just butt jewelry, it might have 2500 miles on it today. He was looking to pedal it off then found out what the resale was. I think he'll be keeping it. I'm not knocking the bike I don't see any bike as an investment. This same fella bought a shovel during the last big H-D rush and he was in way over his head very quickly, 10 years and it logged 3000 miles but he had every trinket made and the biggest damn H-D barbed wire tat I have ever seen. I think the V-Rod was his anti-shovel, righteously so but now he's whimpering about that too.
I wouldn't mind a V-rod in the stable myself but age wise I'm a lot closer to that old mans road sofa....

[China twin 88]

I see more and more in China.. but not from the local dealer... they seem to come in through Hong Kong bought used in other countries...

[pddredduece]

I used to ride sport bikes till November 2005, wife talked me into a Deuce. It's ok with a built 95" motor, I miss my Yamaha R1. I guess the last speeding ticket I got on the R1 did it 128 in a 50 zone. Sure would like a SE VRod in my garage!

[deathwish]

Lots of V rod mistakes were made along the way and maybe nothing will fix them now. It took to long to make them is something other than Silver ( I used to laugh if you went in front of a dealership and moved the bikes around, the rider would get on a different bike and wonder why it wouldn't start). They should have never had a 38 degree rake from the start (it didn't look right to the regular riders or feel right , should have been no more that 34 or 35*.) Anytime a bike is introduced that doesn't have excellent passanger seating you lose 30% of your market (not just with V rods but all aftermarket bikes. Buyer soon sells because thay become useless). Mufflers were so high that bags were hard to mount and the ones the factory offered looked like 2 half helmets glued together. Worthless). Mufflers were so high if you did try to take a passenger thier knees were ski high. Yamaha made the same mistake on the Warrior and wondered why it didn't sell). No torque. Not that it needs to have a bunch but anyone that has ridden a normal V twin can't get the drift of going down the road at 5000 rpm. I could go on and on. I do like the looks of the bagger conversions with the roadglide fairing and hard bags but if HD does that they need to increase the cubic inches and make it more of a torker. Since you work in a dealership you know the customer (99%) just go putt putt putt and never ride very hard so HD needs to remember the customer wants a dog. Only 1 or 2 % ever want to really go fast.

[x52gnr]

I have a 2009 Muscle which keeps my Ultra company in the garage and I must say its a blast to ride...I got it on the cheap from my dealer as he couldnt give them away...lol. No 2011 v-rods on his sales floor this year...

[kruser79]

I also belong to another forum that deals specifically with VRods. You wouldn't believe the number of people that either had this happen TO them, or saw it happen. It never could have happened to me, I was out to buy my DX, and very little would have deterred me.
But a LOT of the dealerships never knew how to sell the VRSC line...never knew WHO to sell them to! A number of them also didn't feel comfortable talking about a product they weren't familiar with. So they steered potential customers toward the traditional bikes. A move which lost a fair share of sales. Enough to kill a model line? maybe not, but it sure couldn't have helped. The MoCo is going to run itself into the ground because they can't say "No" to the old grizzled Harley rider that "Don't want nuthin' but a air-cooled V-twin". Once they can't make that venerable combination pass EPA's ever-tightening regulations and don't have a engine that can....

What to do, what to do?

[dirty jim]

I'M NOT SO SURE IT'S "OL' GRIZZLED HARLEY RIDERS" THAT ARE THUMBING THEIR NOSE'S AT THE V-ROD. I'M 56, BOUGHT MINE NEW IN 03, AND I SEE OTHER GUY'S MY AGE OR OLDER ON V-RODS. BUT EVERY "KID" I TALK TO WANTS A FAT BOY. AND MOST OF THEM ARE COMING FROM RICE ROCKETS.

[kruser79]

I always hate it when people slap a generality down and say "All of them" when blaming some group. And then I went and did it, lol. The wife and I were at a friend's wedding, said friend is a Boozefighter and the wedding was a typical MC wedding, lol.
But at one point the wife asked me what a "knock off" was. I asked her what context it was used in and she told me, "Oh some of those old bikers are gathered around the bike and one of them said "It's a Harley knock off"
Make me mad? Nahhh. I love my DX. I've ridden on every ride with the guys, never gotten sore (actually make it longer than the guys on smaller bikes) or needed the group to stop, and she gets me wherever I want to go...as fast as I care to get there. I ride with a permagrin tattooed on my face.

But it's "those guys" that make it hard to be open minded, lol.

[x52gnr]

Yeah I know what you mean....When I ride my v-rod no Harley rider will even acknowlege my exhistance unless its some one else on a V-rod, all the sport bike riders give me a thumbs up or nod....When I am on my Ultra its the opposite.....

[bcrichard]

I've been riding Harleys since 1978, my last three were Evos, I now have an '08 V-Rod and still ride with the same Buds all on their Street Glides and Softails, I like this ride and the way it moves and have not had any negative flack from anyone, in fact this V-Rod has received more positive comments than any bike I have ever owned. I am 72 yrs old and have been riding since 1960.

[brunothedog]

i guess part of the reason i'm posting this is to see if anybody actually looks at the v-rod section

t-c

Whats to look here for, they're so damn dependable, I have over 80,000 miles on my old B, and more than 35000 on the X model and that it amazes me.
I have done the 1302 mini stroker on the X and I still cant seem to break it.

Own a Shovel too and only use it when I ride with my daughters.

I can see why people dont consider it a Harley, It breaks the traditional myths that seem to float around.
cheers

[burgies08ultra]

i have been thinking about a ssmaller bike like the vrod to run around on.. we r moving to ft worth area, and was thinking a water cooled bike would be nice for daily riding...  i need a nice ride cause i have back problems and was wondering how the vrod is in the comfort area?? i have an 08 ultra and would like to know what year vrod is the best for reliability and updated by hd...
any info would be appreciated.. thanks   burgie

[76shuvlinoff]

I can see why people dont consider it a Harley, It breaks the traditional myths that seem to float around.
cheers

The same is said for shovels... and then I go like this >> 

[Bladesmith]

The Harley demo truck came to my dealer last week...I finally took my first V-rod ride. I loved it!!  For seat of the pants fun it beat the hell out of my Ultra.  Would I want to own one? Yeah! Will I actually Buy one? No!

[ViennaHog]

VRods are very popular in Germany and there are great aftermarket companies that are dedicated to VRod customizations. Sure, the Vrod is not the 'typical' Harley, but it is a good and attractive bike all by itself. The only gripe I have with them is the awkward seating position on most models and the only onewith a half way decent riding position was the 2006 StreetRod which lasted only 1 one year. I think Harley missed out on finding a replacement for the StreetRod at least for the European market.

[Eccool]

I'm interpreting the original poster's question as, "What can I do to sell them?".  And the answer to that is, of course, absolutely nothing.  I believe that most people know what they want when they walk into the dealership.  And most people go into a Harley dealership looking for a 45 degree, air cooled twin.  And I don't think there's anything that anyone can do to change that. 

[War Horse]

OK, so I'm one of the old guys, and have riddin many a different bikes, that said, back in '02-'03 , a buddy came to my shop with a new VR, he had his Ultra being serviced and didn't have a way home so he bought one, he told me to take it for a ride, I've known him since we were teenagers.

The bike felt nimble and fast, but the heaviness and steering fight was all I could handle , when he asked what I thought , I just smiled and walked away.

Sorry to say but I think they were doomed from the beginning, let them die out and become a collectable down the road that people will reminisce about.

[garyajaz]

i had one about 2 months.  test rode one and kinda liked it.
good power.  seating was odd to me as well as handeling.
so walked on it.
a  used one came along at very good price.
  i bought it.  i got over the radiator thing by just not looking at  it.
was definetlhy fast enough.  some of my euro friends love them cause of the high speed cruising they can do over there.
after some trips and twistie riding i had enough.  it just did not "fit".  and forward controls on a ""sport"" bike??
gave/sold it to my brother.  he kept it almost a year.  put some different cams in it and heads i believe.
said he only kept it that long cause i practically gave it to him.
he could not get used to it either.  everything was close, but just wrong.  he sold it for a dyna...now he happy.
why they dont sell?  they just not quite "right"
poweer is to the right of what people want . got to keep revs up.
they dont really handle, seating is weird. on and on.
oh well, harley tried.
 
p.s. after i sold it i bought my buell.
it sits weird  but it definetly handles.
maybe if erik was given a shot when v-dog was in development would be a better bike/seller.

[Hillside Motorcycle]

Just modified an 06 Destroyer here.
Mega-Cycle custom ground cams, headwork.
We've bumped the regular V-Rods up to 1450cc with Falicon cranks/bb kits/cams/heads/t/bodys, etc.
All in all, they seem to be the nicest Honda, Harley ever made.
Scott

[Brrrap]

All in all, they seem to be the nicest Honda, Harley ever made.
Scott