Latching onto another oldish thread, but I had to pass comment.
I've had many VFRs, still have a couple and some other bikes, including a new (last year) V-Rod Muscle. I do enjoy a bit of cruising with friends on a nice warm and sunny day, but as a rule I don't like Harleys. However, the V-Rod is a very nice bike indeed, generally well put together and with that Porsche designed engine and almost everything metric, so no new tools needed. With stylish indicators in the mirrors, keyless ignition and immobiliser alarm all built in, Honda should take note. Anyway, performance...
The V-Rod has great brakes and is gratifyingly quick. Faster than most, possibly all other cruisers, but the typical cruiser rider who claims it'll blow any sports bike into the weeds has not ridden a modern sports bike. Even the fabled 'torque' is nothing to write home about. My eVo4 (VFR1200 based) would EAT it, at any speed. In truth, the V-Rod makes about the same power as an RVT1000, with possibly a bit more torque low down, but it's no thumper. The V-Rod is also about 50% heavier than an RVT and so nowhere near as quick. Compared to a VFR800, I'd say overall speed will not be hugely different.
But handling is another matter. Not that the V-Rod is bad, but with relatively limited ground clearance and awful suspension it would simply see the VFR disappearing into the distance - with the same caliber of rider. Of course there will be riders that on a V-Rod could outpace some other rider on a VFR, but that's not the issue here. With the same rider, there's no question that the VFR would get to the end of anything with bends in it before the V-Rod even came into sight.
This is not knocking the V-Rod, it is a really nice bike but when comparing real road speed capabilities with a VFR, it's chalk and cheese.
What I will also say about H-D is that they have a dedicated and loyal customer base that ALL other manufacturers dream of. Their absolute dedication to all things H-D is simply astonishing. But it does tend to make them rather narrow minded and actually lacking in knowledge and experience of other bikes. To each his/her own. I like a bit of cruising, a bit of off road, some touring and a bit of dashing about at exciting speeds. All part and parcel of motorcycling to me and I would not want to be limited to any one of those styles of riding. But that's me and a Harley owner tends to be a happy owner. Not because of any fabulous quality of the bikes, but because they really love their Harleys and don't want anything else and that's the happiest way to be.
BTW, I'm not aware of any H-D even as big as 2,000 cc and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be using any S&S engines either. That would be like Honda making a bike with an R1 engine. I guess I could be wrong, but I don't think so.
![[image: IMG_32081_zpsf2a20d72.jpg]](http://s299.photobucket.com/user/timmythecop/media/VFRD%20Calender/IMG_32081_zpsf2a20d72.jpg.html){kind=link}
![[image: tonysbike_zpsovvuns28.jpg]](http://s164.photobucket.com/user/gll429/media/tonysbike_zpsovvuns28.jpg.html){kind=link}