The Long And Lowdown

THE LONG AND LOWDOWN

What some famous Harley and hot-rod guys think about the new V-Rod

Arien Ness-I don’t have much of an opinion yet. It’s so different from a normal Harley, I think it’ll take a while to get used to. It’s not for the Softail rider, that’s for sure. The aluminum body is kind of different. I always liked that look. Solid wheels never made much sense to me, though. We’ve got one coming. We’re going to make a few parts for it.

r.i/jvf IlilillllUUi I like it a lot. It’s a diversification away from the original Harley-Davidson design, that’s for sure. I like the racy aspect of it, and the disc wheels. There are definitely some hot-rod influences: It’s long and low, and it’s got some flow. Willie G. and those guys did a great job.

think it’s tremendously cool. It’s nothmu new to the motorcycle industry, that kind of bike, but it’s certainly new to Harley. I think it’s amazing that customer can choose a Harley now. I’ve actually got one coming to chop up. I’ve got a couple of drawings already...

was pleasantly surprised, to tell you the truth. It’s better than I expected. There’s not a whole lot you can do with a radiator. I love the drag-bike look and the spun wheels, and the anodized aluminum bodywork is bitchin’! I think the aftermarket is going to sell a lot of exhaust pipes, though.

Both from a looks standpoint and a technical standpoint, it’s an absolute state-of-the-art product. There’s a lot of refinement in it, the helical stuff in the gearbox and all that. I think it’s woken up a lot of people as to Harley’s technical capabilities. It’s like, “Look what we can do with the handcuffs taken off!”

3 The motor is a pretty neat design. They did their homework on it. We’re actually building a Pro Stock bike that’s based on a V-Rod, but it uses an air-cooled engine. NHRA rules allow 160 cubic inches, which is about 2600cc, so we’ve got to go with that. It takes that high-tech engine out of the equation.