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Harley-Davidson FXDR 114 vs. Harley-Davidson Fat Bob 114 vs. Ducati Diavel 1260 S

11K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  ozzie21 
#1 · (Edited)
This is a new YouTube video posted in the last few days by Cycle World's YT channel.
It's called a shootout but seems to be more of a pistol whipping.
The Ducati Diavel 1260 S comes out on top in all categories.
They don't even mention 0-60 mph times or 1/4 mile times and speeds. That would be too humiliating. They'd probably get some whining from H-D home office and get cut off from being provided H-D motorcycles for testing and also denied advertising funding from the MoCo. That's the way the motorcycle print and online magazine industry works.
Both guys try really really hard to find something good to say about the new H-D FXDR but in the end they basically just zip the lip.
Too bad because H-D already had a better performing (than the FXDR) and good format to work with in the V-Rod. All they had to do was update the unchanged 17 year old technology in the bike to meet new EU and EPA standards (like Ducati and others have), give it a 6th gear, lose a bit of weight and a few other upgrades, with the refreshed V-Rod they would have had a good competitive modern performance cruiser.

 
#3 ·
Bought my first hd in 79. We all knew Harleys sucked then and they still do (except the v Rod). But they were American. That’s why we rode them.

But a funny thing happened along the way. Around the mid 80s a new type of Harley rider showed up. These guys were clean; didn’t drink; didn’t look like bikers; didn’t smell and their Evos didn’t leak oil. And by the mid 90s they were acting tough for all the wrong reasons: because they rode Harleys. See...we were tough AND rode Harleys. Most of my bros were messed up from Vietnam. The Harley didn’t make us tough.

Along the way these new guys began thinking a Harley had to vibrate; look a certain way; sound a certain way and all that bullshit. Nonsense. If Harley had released the V Rod in 1975, we’d have eaten them up. The hotdog crowd (“hey...let’s ride to the HD dealer and get a free hotdog��) are candy asses. I don’t care how many tattoos they have.

I just bought an 05 B for 5k mint with under 8k miles. When I was 19 (1981) I rode an iron head from Chicago to Oregon all on Rt. 20. We Began at Lake Michigan and ended at the Pacific Ocean. We went to sturgis that year, too. We put more miles on in a year than these guys do in 10.

So what’s the point of this? Well, Harley would build a bike that would smoke anything out there...but their riders won’t let them because of the idiotic mindset they have that limits HD to building air cooled archaic pieces-of-shit based on a 100 year old engine design.
 
#5 ·
All I can say is Double Amen to that there Bill Wallace. But now the easy breezy sell crap bikes easy as pie days are OVER for H-D. The whole Myth you speak of has, as you well know, run its course. The Jig is up as they say. If the new H-D bikes coming out don't cut the mustard in the Global marketplace the H-D market share just gets smaller and smaller and smaller in an ever dwindling group of motorcycle buying people. I Love my V Rod R model and will keep it (like I do all my bikes) but unless H-D builds something similar to an updated, improved R Model ( actually like the X Diavel S but with a good passenger seat ) I'll have to give a foreign M/C manufacturer my money. And I don't take that lightly. By now H-D should have H-D chain saws, Go Carts, Jet Skis's etc. but they can't even build an improved lighter V Rod with a 6 speed tranny, great suspension and great handling. So they can keep pumping out 950 Lb. Touring couches with scraping foot boards but that plan will be their demise as that business model (and the riders) is literally dying off. I'll pay 22-25K for the new improved Diavel like R Model replacement and more for the bags, goodies and a couple new jackets and tee shirts - SO Where the Hell is it ? H-D just Build the basic Naked Bike with also a Sport Touring Version, and I'm in ! Build it, H-D - they (we)will come !!
 
#7 ·
The problem for HD is that those of us who appreciate the Vrod are in a definite minority of Harley riders. People who want a performance bike are going to companies like Ducati. And I don't blame them. I've ridden Harleys my whole life, partly because they used to be the fastest thing on the road. I still have a '46 Knucklehead chopper because it was born the same year I was and I still think it's the most beautiful motor Harley ever built. And I love my Vrod in spite of its shortcomings because it's a kickass cruiser for the price. But when it comes to pure performance I would buy several other bikes if I could afford them, though I would still keep my Harleys.
 
#8 ·
I've been scouring YouTube for months in search of an FXDR 114 vs. V-Rod Muscle comparison, but to no avail. I know that the VRSCF would wipe the floor with this "New Ancient Technology" bike, but I'd want to see it for a good laugh.

I agree with everyone else here. Harley Mo. Co. is essentially held hostage by these 60-70 year old HD fuzzheads that demand they keep producing $30k, 900lb., 70hp bikes, simply because that is what makes Harley a Harley. :stac:
 
#9 ·
Yeah, like I said, I hope the good folks in Milwaukee are reading this thread.

What I can’t figure out is why HD discontinued the V Rod. Supposedly, it was the best selling bike HD ever produced. So that doesn’t make any sense. Maybe it was making the M8 look bad.

Was in a dealership a few weeks ago and a salesman (never used to have those at dealerships!) tried to tell me the M8 would smoke a V Rod. Right.....????
 
#13 ·
Even though you can't understand a word that they are saying, I did find an interesting part in the video:

At ~28:15, they run them from a dig and the V-Rod Muscle dusts the 114R.
 
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