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Ride From California to New York on VRSCR

8K views 60 replies 35 participants last post by  smokeydoc 
#1 ·
Hello,

I have always wanted to ride a motorcycle across the US so this May I am going to do just that. I have a VRSCR that has only around 4500 miles on it because the seat is so uncomfortable to be on for any length of time. I really want to ride my Street Rod on the trip, but everyone keeps telling me I am crazy. My thoughts are to change the seat to a corbin. Take the back seat off and fabricate a rack to hold bags ( It seems saddle bags are kind of out.) somehow move the handlebars back and last but not least find someone that makes a good windscreen. So far the stealer is telling me to get a road king and everyone else is telling me to get a BMW GS. Any advise would be great. I don't want to sell my bike but there are some very serious obsticles to overcome to make the trip. If you have pictures of mods I would also appriciate that allot. Thanks i advance.

-Rob
 
#2 ·
Well, moving the handlebars back is as simple as putting new bars on. Figuring out the ones you actually want will be the hard part. And if you move them back far enough you will need longer cables for every thing!

Enjoy your ride.
 
#3 ·
I can relate. I rode a VRSCF up the PCH this summer 3600 miles from San Diego to Astoria/Portland, OR and back, something I always wanted to do. Your thoughts about changing the seat, bars, and adding a custom rack are some of the exact things I did. Swapping bars for you would be even easier than it was on my F, and that was easy.

I haven't gotten around to writing a real trip report, but check out a few pics from my trip here. See pics of my mods here.

I don't know why saddlebags are out for you. Dig around and you'll find VRSCR's like this. I'm sure you could figure out how to incorporate some "throw-over bags" as an option. Search around, find some inspiration and have at it!

Just my :2cents: from an owner of the "other bastard V-Rod"... the F! We don't get any respect around here! :chair:
 
#4 ·
You can definitely ride the VRSCR cross country with the proper setup. I've done 600 miles days on mine with no problem. Better seat is a must along with a good windshield. Givi makes some universal models that will fit the VRSCR like the A602, http://www.twistedthrottle.com/givi-windscreen-universal-a602. Instead of the rack, consider strapping down a dry bag on the back seat like this Givi Weatherproof Rollbag, http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/14/71/986/37562/ITEM/Givi-Weatherproof-TW01-Roll-Bag.aspx. Kriega also makes some nice bags with a good strap down system for motorcycles.

Sounds like a hell of an adventure. Good luck.




Sent from my iPad using MO Free
 
#10 ·
I have a spitfire windshield, workds great on my R. The longest I have gone is 300 miles from Monterey to LA via hwy 5. The cross winds were brutal. That said, I was still in better shape than my friends who rode on naked sport bikes sans windshield. The only other mod i did was i got new footpegs. I got "beefier" ones from AVON. So you can really put your wait on them and have plenty of room to move your foot around.

I also have a corbin seat- it worked out great. for my bags I useda a cortech setup.. but i was not very happy, to hard to install with the corbin seat. I took them off after the trip.
 
#12 ·
I called Day long. They say their seats are designed for Iron butt riders. I will probably ride up to Redding and have them do my seat. Does anybody have experience with these seats? Also if you goto their website the R has some pretty nice big bags mounted. Has anybody seen these before? I am figuring on 300 miles/day. I take it that everybody on this board would trust the R to make it with no problems? It seems like the drive train is pretty bullet proof. Thanks again for everyone's input.
 
#13 ·
300 mile days.. corbin seat or equivlent. A good windshield. New footpegs, and the proper luggage system. Yes this is very doable. I have personally doneit. That said, before oyu leave make sure you bike gets a full check up by a professional mechanic!
 
#19 ·
I crossed the country twice this year on my R. MWT 7 and KC homecoming. I put on a road glide fairing, muscle bags, Corbin saddle. I did have a daylong made. Will try it out. See my gallery. You can do 500 mile days easily....I did. Get the bars, seat, pegs right for you. I use A model bars. I put a 1 inch spacer on to raise them a touch more. I put tools and gloves and riding stuff in the bags, and clothes in a Ortleib dry bag on the luggage rack, which goes in the hotel each night. Yes, you can do it! Joe
 
#21 ·
Wheyfast,

You can do it! I rode from Ohio to Oklahoma to Kansas City for the Homecoming and back with no issues in September. 2903 total miles.

I have the HD sport windshield, the Sundowner seat, hiway pegs on the engine guards, the HD VRSCR saddlebags.

But, the best accessory that I've found for the long haul is a large tank bag. You can basically lean forward and lounge on that thing all day. Mid position, hiway pegs, tank bag. Plenty of options keep you compfortable.

Good luck and have a great ride!

Doc
 
#23 ·
Wheyfast,

You can do it! I rode from Ohio to Oklahoma to Kansas City for the Homecoming and back with no issues in September. 2903 total miles.

I have the HD sport windshield, the Sundowner seat, hiway pegs on the engine guards, the HD VRSCR saddlebags.

But, the best accessory that I've found for the long haul is a large tank bag. You can basically lean forward and lounge on that thing all day. Mid position, hiway pegs, tank bag. Plenty of options keep you compfortable.

Good luck and have a great ride!

Doc
:them:

My tank bag immediately became my favorite accessory on my PCH trip. It's AMAZING how much stuff can fit in my tank bag. And just when you think it can't hold anymore, unzip the expansion zipper around the base and keep on adding stuff. It's incredibly convenient and makes it easy to get to things. And like thedoctor77 said, you can actually rest on it a bit. Mine was actually quite sturdy.

There are many out there, but I would definitely recommend the one I bought, a Nelson Rigg CL-1030 with the 4-point strap mounting system. I secured the loop of the longer strap with the pin that holds the back of the airbox cover down and the other strap just wraps around the steering head under the instrument cluster. Clip in and out. I logged 3600 miles with it and it didn't hurt the finish on my air box cover at all. It also comes with a rain cover. There's a review of a nearly identical bag here.

You can see that the piping on the sides is high-vis reflective, as the pic below was taken with a flash-fill. I know had a TON of other crap on my bike for that trip, but that tank bag really was my savior.

 
#22 ·
I don't find the R uncomfortable and I've lowered my bars. Then I've never done more than 300 miles in a day.

I would personally rent a road king for the trip. I wouldn't off my R for one but the road king is an awesome touring bike. You could probably do the trip in one go if you could figure out mid-air refuelling. And the bathroom thing.
 
#24 ·
You can do this trip no problem with a few mods of the bike. Two years ago I rode across the US from Atlanta to Seattle and the bike performed great. Here are a few suggestions:

1. you absolutely must have a windshield. I rode without one and I paid a hard and heavy price. I bought one after that and cranked out 680 miles from Atlanta to Miami on Thanksgiving day with very little issues.
2. The stock seat is a big problem. I had Mean City put in gel but by the time I made it from Atlanta to Kansas City it felt like someone was hammering nails into my ass. If you mod the seat you may want go with just better foam.
3. I bought an air hawk 2 which is inflatable and provides great cushioning if you stick with the stock seat. I think the ultimate combo would be the sundowner with the air hawk and you would be fine.
4. Take a look at cortech bags. They have a 3 bad system in their cortech 2.0 line that give plenty of storage. I used that on my bike for the trip from Atlanta to Miami and I had plenty of room. I would recommend packing lightly. If you overload the bike you lose performance from all the weight and that defeats the purpose of taking that bike.
5. Crash bars with highway pegs would be nice so you can stretch out.

Overall, the bike should do great. With a more comfortable seat, windshield and bags it makes a great sport touring bike. It blows my mind that Harley has never used this engine and chasis to compete in the sport touring market.
 
#25 ·
Actually the 'R' makes a great sport touring bike. I've done 1100-1200 mile trips over 2-3 days. I have a Memphis Shades windshield, but you could make do with a flyscreen of some kind. Frankly, the R isn't bad without a windshield and I prefer to ride 'naked' during warm weather. Either way, the R is much better than the DX I once owned. I was never able to resolve my buffeting issues with it.

The Cortech bags are actually pretty good as long as they aren't overstuffed. If you have a luggage rack, you could mount a Givi or similar (hard) top case. Available in various sizes, most come with a universal base plate. Lockable and waterproof, easy on/off the bike.

The stock seat will cause you much discomfort. I have a Corbin seat on the R and the DX had a Sundoiwner. I'd trade the Corbin for a Sundowner in a heartbeat. A Day-Long will also serve you well.

You might find the Airhawk worthy as it's the most adjustable and least expensive solution. It also allows for critical airflow under your privates.

Good luck ! Tim
 
#26 ·
Thanks to everyone for your advise. I have traded the R for a road king. I will miss the R and qould love to have another one down the road. The street rod i believe is the best Harley ever made.

Thanks again.

P.S. if anyone is looking for a really nice R with 4400 miles. They will have one at Oakland Harley very soon. It has been a very loved bike for 4 years
 
#30 ·
Road King? You can never post to this forum again. Have lots of limited fun with your new bike and spend lots of money on it trying to make as much HP as any Vrod. Hope you don't break anything when you get over 110 HP.
 
#31 ·
All right,everybody lighten up. Could he have modded the R made the trip ? Certainly, it's been done by many.

Is the Road King better suited for a comfortable cross country tour of the US? In my opinion,yes. Of the two bikes,it is the better tool for the job.

Heresy,Blasphemy? Ha,that's my stock in trade !
 
#33 ·
I racked up 5,000 miles in my first few months on my DX. But I did eventually sell it and bought a 2009 Road King Classic. Now I've got 52k miles on my FLHRC and I've ridden it coast to coast more than once, and done NY to FL straight ( 1,250 miles) They are very comfortable bikes.

But that being said...I wish I had kept my Vrod... I also want a BMW... But the fact remains you can do it on any bike. it's just a matter of how it's done.
 
#34 ·
Then you get someone like me who suffers serious back pain after half an hour on a Harley bagger due to the weird, to me, feet forward and up, arms up in the air and back slouched over riding position. But I can ride a Street Rod with a windshield straight through from California to Utah with no back pain whatsoever because the slightly leaned forward torso position with my feet below allows me to hold my back erect so there is no pressure on the lumbar.
 
#36 ·
Gel pads do not work, nor does memory foam, for a motorcycle seat. What works is a firm dense foam covered by a softer less dense foam. Which foams and in what proportions depend on the individual. Rather than spend a bunch of money on a fancy aftermarket seat find a skilled local upholsterer and have a seat made to your posterior. I have a wonderful custom seat built up from a stock seat on one of my Rs that cost me a whopping $200.
 
#38 ·
I think the vrods are find for long rides, with just a few basic mods.
I came over to the U.S. a few years back to ride around it. And bought a VROD to do it on.
The bike was a B model with easy reach bars, a sundowner seat, and a wind shield. I went riding pretty solidly for about 2 and a half months, for anywhere from 6 - 16 hours on the bike on any given day.
(the longer days were usually when i misjudged the distance or got a bit lost.)
I found i could usually ride for about 8-10 hours before i started to get sore. This obviously includes stopping for lunch, petrol etc.
Don't know what options there are for a street rod, but these were all just standard harley parts.
You might want to get some highway pegs too, if you have mid controls.
I found the tank size ok on the B model in the areas you are talking about riding as there were heaps of servos (thats gas stations for you American kids). It just a bit of an inconvenience having to stop an extra few times, but it does force you to take a break.
There were some other parts of the country though were i was definitely running on vapours and even ran out of gas once.

Thats my 2cents.
 
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