OK, don't laugh at me but I can't seem to get the launches right. Yesterday tried dropping rear tire pressure down to about 10 pounds, felt like I was running on a marshmellow for a rear tire, back up to 22 pounds and it felt better to me.

Also just can't get my mind comfortable launching at 7000 rpm or higher, dumping that clutch at that rpm just seems so wrong. Guess I been riding on the street to long.

Any words of wisdom on how to get past the launch , been told 7000 rpm and 10-12 pounds in rear tire is about right for destroyer, but I just can't seem to get a good launch like that.

Good burnout, tire warm, track holding power for everyone else but I seem to be all over track until about 100 foot.

I know biggest problem I having is just dumping the clutch, still catch myself slipping it and rolling out slowly on launch.

"COWBOY UP" set the lauch box at 7k and the tire pressure at 9psi and see if you get more control. If not drop the pressure 1 more pound at a time until you are in control.

The boys here know how to do it.

Good Luck.

Kinda the answer I expected.

I have to agree. COWBOY UP. Look I have been racing a destroyer for almost 3 racing seasons. I still race my street legal V-Rod so I do understand about sliping the clutch. Just remember one thing you are not on a STREET BIKE. You have a wheelie bar and it will not go over on you. So dump the clutch. If 10 pounds seems odd to you start off at 12-14 and then go down from there. Most of us that race them run some where around the 10 pound range. Understand this a V-Rod is like a small block chevy. It needs RPMS for horsepower and has low torque numbers. GO launch it at 7000 and have fun. Until you do that you will be probably running in the 10's. I mean do disrespect just stating what I have seen from other guys running their destroyers.

I not taking any of this wrong, knew when I started the thread replies weren't going to be nice. Just wanted to make sure it was me and not something I been doing WRONG or some bad info I may have gotten.

WILL Launch at 7000 rpm and set pressure at around 12 pounds, again just wanted to make sure it was ME and not something I was doing wrong (other than not "Cowboying Up")

Once you get it down you will be thinking its so easy :deal:

Mate I have only ridden mine about 20 or so passes and first bike with this capability. Never have that much psi on board mate. 12 would be the absolute maximum. I have run as low as 7.5lb and it is "easy as", 9 - 10 is about the average. I ran lower pressures after advice from a visiting AHDRA racer saying 7 or 8 is do able. It requires adjusting the wheelie bar sometimes especially if you had it at 18 or 20 lbs like you said. Do you have the manual? Know how to correctly adjust your wheelie bar?
Once you are ready. Line it up as best you can, with the 2 step set to 7-7500, put it in 1st, ring its neck and throw the clutch out when you see the tree.

Good luck and enjoy! :thumb:

I not taking any of this wrong, knew when I started the thread replies weren't going to be nice. Just wanted to make sure it was me and not something I been doing WRONG or some bad info I may have gotten.

WILL Launch at 7000 rpm and set pressure at around 12 pounds, again just wanted to make sure it was ME and not something I was doing wrong (other than not "Cowboying Up")

Once you get it down you will be thinking its so easy :deal:

Mate I have only ridden mine about 20 or so passes and first bike with this capability. Never have that much psi on board mate. 12 would be the absolute maximum. I have run as low as 7.5lb and it is "easy as", 9 - 10 is about the average. I ran lower pressures after advice from a visiting AHDRA racer saying 7 or 8 is do able. It requires adjusting the wheelie bar sometimes especially if you had it at 18 or 20 lbs like you said. Do you have the manual? Know how to correctly adjust your wheelie bar?
Once you are ready. Line it up as best you can, with the 2 step set to 7-7500, put it in 1st, ring its neck and throw the clutch out when you see the tree.

Good luck and enjoy! :thumb:I have to agree. It will be alot easier with seat time. Once you get past the uncertanty that you have it is easy. Have fun on the bike and good luck.

Thanks for the encouragement, You are right I know its lack of seat time and the fact that no one around me has anything close to the Destroyer that I can get help and advice from. Yes I have the Manual on mine, guess need to spend a little more time reading it and a LOT more time in the seat.

Not really sure how to adjust wheelie bar, all I can remeber reading is no higher than 3 inches off the ground.

To adjust the wheelie bar you need 2 people. Here is old school. A older racer showed me this. I would say set your air pressure at 10 or 11 pounds. Pick one and live with it. Sit on the bike. Get you a 2x4. Have your friend to put it under the wheels of the wheelie bar. Adjust the bars to the 2x4. If you have question I can help I have several others asking me question on here on PM's. I know where you are I was there. This is all new. I had to learn on the fly running a national series. If you need to know anything I will be on here and the other site today and some tomorrow. But tomorrow I am leaving to race in the national finals this weekend.

I not taking any of this wrong, knew when I started the thread replies weren't going to be nice. Just wanted to make sure it was me and not something I been doing WRONG or some bad info I may have gotten.

WILL Launch at 7000 rpm and set pressure at around 12 pounds, again just wanted to make sure it was ME and not something I was doing wrong (other than not "Cowboying Up")
NO IT'S NOT YOU!!!!

Unfortunately email doesn't really help communicate the real meaning conveyed in short messages.

What vrodracing90 and I were trying to say is get used to the bike and how you ride it. Don't push it. Do it in small increments that are comfortable for you.

So show up early at the track and do a few more test runs than others. Play with the tire pressure until you are happy and then the launch box. What ends up being the right combination for you may not be the same for many others.

You will get there.


OH YEA--- THIS IS MY PERSONAL NAG;

DID YOU CHECK THE WATER PUMP BOLT AND PUT SOME LOCKTITE ON IT??

DID YOU CHECK THE REAR SPROCKET AND PUT SOME LOCKTITE ON THOSE BOLTS TOO??

What else belongs on the check list that I missing vrodracing90???


Good Luck

Make sure it is BLUE locktite not the red on the sprocket bolts.

If your front tire is WET after you do a burnout and you grab a hand full of front brake. The front wheel pitches out but you hold up the bike. You might want to stop there and go back to the pit. It happened to me and I saw someone do it. Both times the front wheel was bent.

DO NOT draw the bike down too hard in the trailer it also can bend the front wheel. THE FRONT WHEEL IS VERY SOFT.

When you can tear the motor down and change the shaft and second gear in the transmission. Vance and Hines sells it. When the destroyers first came out they were blowing the transmission when second gear broke. Then it tore up the whole motor.

If you seat starts breaking meaning the passenger cover(PLASTIC) make a brace because Harley does not sell just the plactic you have to buy the whole thing.

Put a pig tail on your battery to hook a battery tender. The battery is a jell battery and it will last but a jell battery does not like to go dead. Most of the time when this happens it is no good.

In the first year there was one person that I heard that his chain adjuster broke on him going down the track.

There are no spare motors from Harley that you can buy. You can buy parts but not motors from the motor company.

Watch you oil pan on one of my bikes getting it in and out of the trailer it drug a little. After time it got shaved down and thin.

That is all that I can think about at the moment.

Have already retorqued triple sprocket bolt (with red loctite), removed and retorqued rear sprocket bolts (blue loctite), been watching front wheel when I put it on trailer because heard about them bending. Bike stays plugged into battery tender when in garage, no problem with seat yet, but read thread somewhere else about cracking problems.

Will look at V+H's website for transmission parts, already using longer trailer ramps so as not to drag oilpan while loading and unloading.

To start off with HELP FULL hint when you can Pingel, go to the dealership or V&H do not tell them the part you are looking for is for a V-Rod. Make sure if you do clear it up by saying Destroyer. The reason is some things like the shift minder under your seat. When Harley set the bike up it is with quick conects for Harley. Pingel only sells it but they have one that you rewire in and the one set up for destroyers. Same part just different conections.

Harley says to rebuild your destroyer from around 100-150 passes. Usually a rebuild is:

Valve job

Rings------check to see if you had piston shrinkage if none reuse the pistons

Bearings

Check oil pump for wear

Inspect everything else.

Speaking of oil pump I had something happen to me that was weard. I was going down the track and at the end of 4th gear the bike nosed over. I shifted into 5th and it acted like the motor was locking up. I killed it and got a tow to the pit. The motor would not turn over in 5th gear rocking it. I got it back pulled the clutch basket and oil pump off and the motor turned over. I pulled the pan the bearings look good. No spun bearings. Looked in the cylinders they looked good. So, I put a new oil pump on it and reinstalled it and ran it at the Summer nationals.

If the shift minder goes out it will not go into gear or stay ingauged till you cut the power.

DO NOT draw the bike down too hard in the trailer it also can bend the front wheel. THE FRONT WHEEL IS VERY SOFT.

Here's a suggestion to prevent the above. When you trailer the bike put a 4 x 4 under the bike frame, near the front to let it take the weight during transportation and not the front wheel.

These wheels are very soft. If you draw down on them to much and they bounce while in the trailer they have a tendency to go out of round.

Have you had the kill module updated by Pingel? It's a good idea to have a spare.

Also a good idea to keep it on a Tender in between rounds, especially if you're using a race pac for data. Keep in mind the bike only runs for a short time, not a lot of running time to recharge the battery and these things have a tendency to run way better on a fully charged battery.

I've accumulated a bunch of spare Destroyer motor parts and some are for sale. It's a good idea to stock spares if you're racing in a series. Quite often these parts are on National back order during the race season. ( I currently have 4 complete complete sets of heads, transmissions, rods, liners, pistons, cams etc.)

If anyone ever needs them, send me a PM.

I find adjusting the wheelie bar with a 2 x 4 under the front wheel and on a nice flat concrete pad is easy. Ride the bike up and onto the 2 x 4 and adjust the nuts and eyes on the lower front mounts :2cents:

Yep, that is the other way of doing it.I find adjusting the wheelie bar with a 2 x 4 under the front wheel and on a nice flat concrete pad is easy. Ride the bike up and onto the 2 x 4 and adjust the nuts and eyes on the lower front mounts :2cents: