Is the Harley V-Rod a ripoff of the Yamaha VMax?

Question

I've heard several people say this and seen it written as well. I'm not sure I believe it, although they are pretty similar. Given, a V-Rod is far from a true Harley anyway, and, even though it has 115 horsepower (about 50 more than my Road King), it looks like a Japanese bike. You wouldn't catch me on one. I just wanna know if Harley was copying the Japanese.

Answer 1

HD was looking for a new direction to take the company. The average age of riders for their products is increasing, with the HD name not resonating well among today's youth. At least, not the $15K pricetag for a bike when imports offer a similar riding experience for $8K less. The porsche water-cooled engine is an awesome engineering feat, something to be proud of by HD to have in one of their bikes. It offers a lot more than the VMax does, but it opens up a lot of different concerns. Since HD broke their traditional marketing formula and pushed the company in another direction, it needed the VRod to be a huge success that it could build off of. As it stands, and I dont know the numbers for sure, I haven't seen too many of them on the road. In fact, don't think I've seen one for a few years. The marketing and hype has died down a lot, too. I don't think anyone will be forcing a Vrod on you anytime soon. HD is HD...

Answer 2

There was a special on the VRod on one of the educational cable channels a while back. That would give you the best information.

Porsche did get involved with the design, but it was specifically for engine design aspects. Whoever said it was for handling obviously does not know that porsche is not a leader in motorcycle design. The need from harley had to do with the motor.

In the simplest sense, the V-Rod isn't a copy of the VMax. Although similar in power output, and both being cruiser types, they differ greatly in the market they compete in. If anything, Yamaha came out with the Warrior which was intended to compete with the V-Rod (power and styling, Big powerful twin). The VMax is really just an old design that has a hardcore fan base.

Answer 3

The name and stylings are similar, and its no secret the V-Rod was developed to compete with "performance" motorcycles (read as: those bikes not carrying an antiquated water pump in the frame). Surprisingly, the V-Rod, which makes 115 hp and is actually a decent bike, has not been entirely well received by the public. Its ability to actually lean into corners and go fast (unlike other Harleys) could be whats turned off potential Harley customers. The engine in the V-Rod is based on an old Harley drag motor (well, 10 years old, which is really "new" for Harley since they haven't improved on any of their designs since the early 1980s) that has been improved upon by the good people at Porsche. The extent of the work done by Porsche is unclear, but HD isn't taking credit for its relatively decent stats, which leads one to believe that Porsche pretty much completely re-engineered the motor.

Answer 4

I say no, the engine was developed as a ROAD racing in an attempt to compete with the japanese and ducati, but it never did become competitive.

Obviously they had an engine architecture they spent a lot of money on, but didn't quite get it sorted out. So they hired Porsche to do that and make a street engine from the race engine design.

I give Harley credit for creating it with some non-stereotypical Harley appearance. The hydoformed frame was an invovative feature as well. It's just a shame when it came out it was a lot of money, which the dealers at least initially were gouging on. I think if they were actually trying to copy japanese styling, it would have had one of those ugly CAN mufflers, but instead it has some nice looking dual megaphone styled mufflers. (coming from a guy with a bike that came with an UGLY can muffler, and no aftermarket other than MORE cans) lol

Answer 5

Not precisely copying, more emulating.
HD designed their first really NEW machine in 40 years, and then did a (some would say typical) bollocks of the job by giving the thing a pitifully undersized fuel tank.
Range aside, the V-Rod is a pretty good bike ... reasonably dependable for a Harley, and with pretty good performance, and still retaining that Harley sound.
Pity they are not regarded as "real" Harleys by the knuckleheads out there.

Answer 6

Buy something used and inexpensive for a starter bike. Look for something old but not too old. You don't want something so old that it is a junker, but not something so new that you'll feel bad if you lay it down. Look for something in the 500 - 800 CC engine size. This will be powerful enough so you don't get bored too soon, but not so fast that you will be afraid of it. Look for a standard or cruiser bike for your first bike. They are more forgiving. Stay away from the sport bikes for your first bike as they require more skill. Also used sport bikes tend to be more abused. Watch the classified section of your local news paper. Some locations have shopper magazines with used motorcycles in your area. Reasonable used bikes are out there. Be patient. Don't buy too quickly, but if you find one you like, buy it right away. Unfortunately, with the price of gas, the price of used bikes has also risen. If you find a good starter bike, don't hesitate as they can sell quickly. Don't get hung up on any particular brand. They are all about the same. Pay more attention to the bike's condition. If any one brand were really superior to all other brands, this would be the only brand bike on the road. In addition, if any brand bike was really inferior to the other brands, nobody would buy them and the company would be out of business. Learn on this bike. Make your mistakes on it. You will make mistakes. Would you rather make your mistakes on an older bike or your nice shiny expensive new bike? The most important thing you should do when getting your first bike is to take a motorcycle safety course. After you have been riding a while and gain some experience, you can sell your starter bike and get the one you want. If maintained properly and not abused, you won't lose too much money on your starter bike. Put the money from the sale towards the bike you really want. By this time, you will have figured out what style bike best suits your riding style and needs. I know I used this answer before. However I feel this is good advice. Have fun - Ride safe

Answer 7

No, the real deal is that Harley went in with Porsche of all companies to build the V-Rod and it shows evidence of both companies dedication to performance. Harley, in the grand American style of power and presence, and Porsche with precision and handling. A V-Rod is not as much about looks as other Harleys, but it is about being the best American performance bike.

I used to want a Fatboy, but pencil me in for a V-Rod if I ever hit the lottery. (I am a teacher and can't even come close to affording such a nice 'toy')

Answer 8

V-Rod is not patch on Yamaha's V Max. The V Max eats Harleys for breakfast!
The new V Max even hotter 210hp street missle!

Answer 9

I wouldn't have pinpointed the VMax....personally, I don't see a similarity. The VMax IMHO is a beeeyoootiful bike. The vrod is nice looking, but the shapes are quite different, in my eyes.

However, that design was quite a departure for them. Now that I think of it, I remember thinking it looked quite a bit like a BMW.....

Answer 10

No. but you already got your question answered quite well. Actually the Japanese are the copy cats. When they first came out who do you think they copied ---Harley