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Modded V-Rods 

Do Catch the Eye

By BUD WILKINSON

     “When I first started riding the bike I heard a lot of comments: ‘It’s not a Harley. It doesn’t sound like one. It’s more of a Jap bike,’” recalled Keith Tracy of Winsted, who has owned a 2003 VRSCA model V-Rod for nearly four years. He bought it new from a dealer in Massachusetts.

     “I’ve always been a fan of new technology. I always liked Harley-Davidsons but I wanted a little more spunk and something that was liquid-cooled. And when they came out with that bike, I fell in love with it. I didn’t even look at the other bikes at the time,” the 42-year-old Tracy recalled.

     As far as the interim stages of grief – anger, bargaining and depression – they’ve also been evident to a lesser degree in airheads whose stock Harleys can’t match the V-Rod for performance and dependability, at least from the perspective of V-Rod owners.

     “I wanted a Harley for a while and I used to have air-cooled ones, but they didn’t have much power. I wanted something newer, liquid-cooled, something more reliable and that’s why I picked a V-Rod,’’ echoed 43-year-old John Baltera of Wolcott, who bought his 2003 VRSCA used from an owner in Ohio.

      Slowly, though, there has been acceptance of the V-Rod by the traditionalists.

     “People are starting to accept them,” said Tracy. “There are more of them (V-Rods) out there. They obviously have to recognize the advancement in technology on the bike and what it can actually do. I think they’re starting to have to swallow that air-head pride and look into more of the liquid stuff.”

     Tracy and Baltera aren’t typical V-Rod owners, who simply buy them and ride them. They’ve both invested tens of thousands of dollars into customizing their V-Rods, modifying both the looks and the motors.

     “Not many people do anything with them. They mostly leave them stock,” said Baltera, who has upwards of $45,000 into his ride. Among the upgrades are a one-off paint job – silver with orange stripes – that he and partner Rob Miller of Alchemy Color Works did, a custom leather and sting ray seat that Dave’s Auto Upholstery of Oakville fashioned, Hogpro wheels, and custom foot pegs made by Tommy Ryan of Waterbury.

     Baltera also added a turbocharger and fuel injection/ignition timing system that boosted his V-Rod’s horsepower from less than 110 horsepower to 167, installed an air-ride suspension that allows him to raise and lower the rear end, and traded out the stock 180mm rear tire for 240mm rubber.

     “On the back fender, it says ‘New Skool’ because I always hear ‘old school’ (to refer to air-cooled Harleys). It’s the new generation of the Harley,” he said. “Once you start going, it snowballs.”

     Tracy’s total outlay for his V-Rod is about $36,000, much of it for chrome bolt-on accessories. “I did the major stuff right when I bought it – just pounded the hell out of it with chrome and all the extra 100^th anniversary emblems,” he said.

     He sent his tins (fenders and airbox cover) to Gunpoint Graphics in South Carolina to be painted. His V-Rod has a silver base as well but with red, blue and gray flames and white stars. “It’s a three-flame overlay – obviously a U.S. flag. I am extremely patriotic. I’m a big-time supporter of the troops. That’s just what popped to me. I’ve had thousands of comments on it,” Tracey said.

     Engine enhancements on Tracy’s V-Rod have boosted the horsepower to 121. He’s also added Vance & Hines exhaust pipes and has both Badlander and Sundowner seats from Harley that can be easily switched out depending on the purpose and distance of a ride.

     “I love the way it rides. I take 200- to 300-mile rides every weekend,” he said, adding that the upgrades continue on his V-Rod. “It’s not done yet.”

     Baltera likewise doesn’t hold his V-Rod back from street use. “It’s streetable and I have no problems with it. I can ride it anywhere. Having that much work done to it, you’d think it basically sits in a garage or goes on a trailer, but I don’t have any problems with it.”

     What’s also nice these days when V-Rod owners go out riding is the fact that the airheads don’t have problems with V-Rod like they once did. The jibes now are much more good-natured. At least they seem to be.  

(Originally published July 7, 2007 in The Republican-American)

For more information on V-Rods, visit 1130cc.com.

No respect

     V-Rods and V-Rod owners still don't get any respect from some riders. TV producer and author Jay Barbieri in his "Biker's Handbook - Becoming Part of the Motorcycle Culture" opines:

     "I don't really think the V-Rod fits in the Harley family. In my opinion, it's not part of the American biker culture because it looks and performs too much like a Japanese import. "

(Posted on November 13, 2007) 

Keith Tracy of Winsted, left, and John Baltera of Wolcott with their modded V-Rods.

Keith Tracy's V-Rod is a 2003 VRSCA.

John Baltera rides 2003 VRSCA, too.

Keith Tracy completes a charity ride.

(Photos by Bud Wilkinson)