[Qman]

I have a 2005 1130cc VRSCB which I picked up new several years ago. As soon as I left the dealership for the first time, I got the bike up to 130-140 - got the high speed wobble and everything.

Fast forward to now...
I just picked up a new 2009 1250cc Muscle on closeout. After breaking the bike in over the first 500 miles, I finally took the chance to see what the bike could do. Several pulls on the wide open roads near Sturgis got nothing better than 110. Wtf? I thought I was getting a stronger engine with the 1250cc, but I can't buy a high speed wobble. Do I have to upgrade the pipes and air filter to get the Muscle to move? Has HD tuned down the newer bike?

Interested in any feedback from other Muscle owners. Thx...Q

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

just buy a tuner that changes the program in the ecm,use a dyno and get a proper tune.

 

[amanda11270]

I cant imagine riding my V-rod at 130-140 MPH, its a powerhouse no doubt, and its my favorite bike of any bike I have owned. But I have always had a sportbike in addition to the V-rod, and without even going 130-140 MPH on my V-rod, I can tell you, its gonna shake at those speeds, its reminds me of muscle cars from the late 60's, they were fast, man were they fast, but it took 30 years of evolution to make them handle well at speeds, the V-rod is kinda in that category. Of course now it has been 40 years later, whats Harley waitin for? I have a suggestion for Harley Davidson "adjustable compression and rebound", and some exotic tires like Pirelli and Metzeller wouldnt hurt either. Cause the Dunlops that came on mine, well had to go. Im being sarcastic of course. The V-rods a great bike, but it has no where near the handling of a modern sportbike. But its still my favorite, just because its BAD @SS.

 

[bigsrturbo]

Alot will have to do with if ur b had a 240 swap or not ...I did the 240 swap last year and it slowed my bike down alot went back to 200 and I've beat every 1250cc I've raced here in Ft worth that has the same mods as me cuz my bike is lighter...that rear wheel and tire makes a big diff...but looks better in my mind

 

[Getsome122]

my 08 DX would hit 140 without a problem before i did anything to it. Simple exhaust and fuel mods are gonna add a few hp but really we do those things just for the sound cause it doesnt add enough power to make much of a difference in day to day riding.

the wobble isnt too bad if you on a perfectly smooth road but dont hit a bump at that speed lol.

I am thinkin the super brace might have to be bumped up a few notches on my future mod list unless I can find someone to make me a custom steering damper.

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

I cant imagine riding my V-rod at 130-140 MPH, its a powerhouse no doubt, and its my favorite bike of any bike I have owned. But I have always had a sportbike in addition to the V-rod, and without even going 130-140 MPH on my V-rod, I can tell you, its gonna shake at those speeds, its reminds me of muscle cars from the late 60's, they were fast, man were they fast, but it took 30 years of evolution to make them handle well at speeds, the V-rod is kinda in that category. Of course now it has been 40 years later, whats Harley waitin for? I have a suggestion for Harley Davidson "adjustable compression and rebound", and some exotic tires like Pirelli and Metzeller wouldnt hurt either. Cause the Dunlops that came on mine, well had to go. Im being sarcastic of course. The V-rods a great bike, but it has no where near the handling of a modern sportbike. But its still my favorite, just because its BAD @SS.

If you ever meet me,ask to ride either one of my V-Rods.You will get to feel what a properly tuned suspension on these bikes feels like past 130.
If you still run the factory height of the bike,this will cause the bike to be unstable.Take the mush out of the front and rear,lower it and adjust the neck bearing preload,and the V-Rod will handle great.
If your V-Rod shakes at any speed,you have a problem somewhere.

Alot will have to do with if ur b had a 240 swap or not ...I did the 240 swap last year and it slowed my bike down alot went back to 200 and I've beat every 1250cc I've raced here in Ft worth that has the same mods as me cuz my bike is lighter...that rear wheel and tire makes a big diff...but looks better in my mind

I run a 260 on the 03 and a 260 on the 07.The 07 can bury the speedo and the 03 almost makes to 150.The 03 has a 150 speedo head in it.
I can make my 07 turn in the low 11's with the fat tire on back,and I usually cut a 1.58 60ft time.

 

[Louis]

I cant imagine riding my V-rod at 130-140 MPH, its a powerhouse no doubt, and its my favorite bike of any bike I have owned. But I have always had a sportbike in addition to the V-rod, and without even going 130-140 MPH on my V-rod, I can tell you, its gonna shake at those speeds, its reminds me of muscle cars from the late 60's, they were fast, man were they fast, but it took 30 years of evolution to make them handle well at speeds, the V-rod is kinda in that category. Of course now it has been 40 years later, whats Harley waitin for? I have a suggestion for Harley Davidson "adjustable compression and rebound", and some exotic tires like Pirelli and Metzeller wouldnt hurt either. Cause the Dunlops that came on mine, well had to go. Im being sarcastic of course. The V-rods a great bike, but it has no where near the handling of a modern sportbike. But its still my favorite, just because its BAD @SS.

I would check the head bearings (or "fallaway" as you Americans refer to it). I used to feel that way about mine, but it is pretty steady now, within the limitations of the riding position.

Not that I believe they would be capable of a real world 140, unless the rider was nude, shaved and lying on the tank.

 

[Louis]

The heavy rear wheel will sap power OK. But most of the weight is the terrible Dunlop.

 

[Louis]

From an AW owner (same bike, different cosmetics)...

Emission regs get worse every year. So yes, tune it. And buy a pipe that actually makes power on a dyno rather than just looking mean.

That huge rear wheel is sapping power. Fortunately most of the weight is the dire Dunlop, so fit a Metz (or Avon, whatever).

That should get you around 20BHP extra.

I think, when you look at the power output of the V-Rod and the aerodynamics, 140 is a bit unrealistic. It is going to very much depend on which way the wind is blowing and how aerodynamic you can make yourself on the bike. Small person, tight clothing, feet on the rear pegs, lying on the tank, then maybe it would break 140, I don't know.

Or find yourself a good big tail wind.

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

I would check the head bearings (or "fallaway" as you Americans refer to it). I used to feel that way about mine, but it is pretty steady now, within the limitations of the riding position.

Not that I believe they would be capable of a real world 140, unless the rider was nude, shaved and lying on the tank.

If your V-Rod won't go faster than 140mph,you have something wrong with it,or you need to go on a diet.
I have been clocked and pulled over by the state police for speeds in excess of 140mph.Believe it or not,I have never been ticketed for this.The cop either gives me an ass chewing and leaves,or we wind up talking about performance of engines.A couple of weeks ago was as close as I have come to a speeding ticket,and that was on my Softail doing 67 in a 45.I was given a written warning and an ass chewing and the cop left me alone.

 

[BLKBAL]

Fallawy

Qman
Congrats on the new ride!
Take my word for if the Muscle will move! If you are having the shakes,check the fallway! A few guys in the group are riding F's they ride solid and strong out of the box! After the tune,neck bearing adjustment,fueler,modified or aftermarket pipes should be even more fun.

BLKBAL

 

[Louis]

If your V-Rod won't go faster than 140mph,you have something wrong with it,or you need to go on a diet.
I have been clocked and pulled over by the state police for speeds in excess of 140mph.Believe it or not,I have never been ticketed for this.The cop either gives me an ass chewing and leaves,or we wind up talking about performance of engines.A couple of weeks ago was as close as I have come to a speeding ticket,and that was on my Softail doing 67 in a 45.I was given a written warning and an ass chewing and the cop left me alone.

Well, I've never tried taking it to 140. But 110BHP or so on an unfaired bike does not equal 140 normally. I think my VFR, with 100BHP and a proper fairing, was good for 147. The fastest I've seen indicated on the Triumph, with > 150BHP and a fairing, is 164.

However, going back to the OP, mine storms up to 120, so if his struggles at 110, there is a problem, I would say.

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

Well, I've never tried taking it to 140. But 110BHP or so on an unfaired bike does not equal 140 normally. I think my VFR, with 100BHP and a proper fairing, was good for 147. The fastest I've seen indicated on the Triumph, with > 150BHP and a fairing, is 164.

However, going back to the OP, mine storms up to 120, so if his struggles at 110, there is a problem, I would say.

Why would you even think of bhp? I always go by what is at the asphalt.I show 115 at the asphalt @ 8500 rpms.

And I agree,110 is not good on this motorcycle.

 

[plasticman05]

I agree with Blkbal. I had my 05B max out on the burnout pad at 147mph hitting the rev limiter (its on youtube w/ Blkbal). On the road, the windshield folds back pretty hard over 135, Blkbal and the guys on the dx's just smoked on by when I let off so I know 145+ is doiable. I have seen 140+ w/o the window but I chicken out. As for 1130cc, Well wildman Kenny's was one of the fastest in the group, 1130 or 1250 cc. I had a wobble problem but tightening the head bearings, changing the fork oil andadding a brace made that go away. The 260 doesn't seem any slower than the 180, just makes a wider burnout strip and the front end comes up easier.

 

[pday]

If your V-Rod won't go faster than 140mph,you have something wrong with it,or you need to go on a diet.
I have been clocked and pulled over by the state police for speeds in excess of 140mph.Believe it or not,I have never been ticketed for this.The cop either gives me an ass chewing and leaves,or we wind up talking about performance of engines.A couple of weeks ago was as close as I have come to a speeding ticket,and that was on my Softail doing 67 in a 45.I was given a written warning and an ass chewing and the cop left me alone.

You must be livin the good life my friend, cause that would never happen to me in a million years. In fact, I would probably be making my one phone call. The only time I ever got out of a ticket was when the cop asked me did I know how fast I was going, I just shook my head and said not "really, honestly I was just zoning out" He laughed, thanked me for my honesty and let me go. That was the first and last time. My luck is so bad, that I got a ticket immediately afer some asshole at the super market cracked my tail light by shoving a shopping cart behind it as I was backing up. Car was just 2 weeks old.

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

You must be livin the good life my friend, cause that would never happen to me in a million years. In fact, I would probably be making my one phone call. The only time I ever got out of a ticket was when the cop asked me did I know how fast I was going, I just shook my head and said not "really, honestly I was just zoning out" He laughed, thanked me for my honesty and let me go. That was the first and last time. My luck is so bad, that I got a ticket immediately afer some asshole at the super market cracked my tail light by shoving a shopping cart behind it as I was backing up. Car was just 2 weeks old.

Oh I have had my share of speeding tickets,along w a few willful and wanton reckless driving.If the law wanted to,they could bury a man here in Florida for speeding.
The speeding tickets I've had on motorcycles have been stupid as far as I'm concerned.Last one was a couple of years ago for 67 in a 60.I still have the safe driver stamp on my card ,and after a warning ticket was written a couple of weeks ago for 66 in a 45 on my Softail,I've toned it down for a while.

 

[CPTJAM]

I agree with Al, Keith. 110 should be real easy. Should not shake at all. Tighten up the neck bearing. Congrats - is the F in addition to, or instead of, the Roadrod? Joe

 

[Qman]

RoadRod was totaled - got caught playing tag with a deer while doing some country road riding. The RoadRod was the one that had the wobble - I always figured it was due to all the front-end additions.

But the problem is the Muscle - I would have thought it would outperform the 05B, but it comes up way short. I never get a wobble, since I can't get it past 110 - I'm actually looking for the wobble because that tells me I'm going faster than I should be. I presumed that maybe the newer V-Rods are tuned 'down' at the factory, which is why I was wondering what other Muscle owners are seeing as a top speed...Qman aka Buck the Deer Hunter

 

[Louis]

RoadRod was totaled - got caught playing tag with a deer while doing some country road riding. The RoadRod was the one that had the wobble - I always figured it was due to all the front-end additions.

But the problem is the Muscle - I would have thought it would outperform the 05B, but it comes up way short. I never get a wobble, since I can't get it past 110 - I'm actually looking for the wobble because that tells me I'm going faster than I should be. I presumed that maybe the newer V-Rods are tuned 'down' at the factory, which is why I was wondering what other Muscle owners are seeing as a top speed...Qman aka Buck the Deer Hunter

UK road tests say 135ish

My 07 storms up to 110 with plenty to go.

I'd say you have a problem.

 

[ElrodontheV-Rod]

Back to this 1250 Revo only allowing the bike to make 110 mph.
You need to start checking some things.Start w the throttle plates.Pull the filter cover off,hold the throttle WO at the grip and make sure the butterflys are completely opened.