Cycle Visions

by Wendell Perry
photos by Bart-at-Large

I rode the Cycle Visions Road-Rod the other day and my life hasn't been the same since. I haven't had such an immediate visceral reaction to a bike since I first set eyes on the 1988 Springer Softail on the cover of a motorcycle magazine. Since then I've owned two Springers and haven't been tempted by anything else, really.

Well, there's temptation and then there is reality. I sat on a very lowered Road Glide at a bike show a couple of years ago and felt comfortable flat footed on the bike. That experience planted the seedling of a thought that one day maybe I could be comfortable on long road trips like most of my friends.

Then the V-Rod was introduced to the Harley world and I admit that it got my attention. For one reason or another I was unable to get a ride on one, but was very attracted to the bike, as impractical as it seemed. I daydreamed myself on it with a large leather backpack because the bags that Harley offers are butt ugly.

The day I turned to page 18 of Thunder Press and came face to face with a picture of the Road-Rod I knew I had found my next motorcycle. And to think it was right here in my own Southern California backyard. Cycle Visions owner Randy Aron graciously offered the bike for the day and I was off in a flash.

What we're talking about here is a 140 mph bagger - not that I would actually go that fast, or recommend anyone else do so, but the possibility is interesting. I do recall, however, riding a Buell X1 Lightning at an accelerated rate of speed and my earring backs pressing painfully into my neck from the pressure of my full-face helmet. (Note to self: no earrings.)

Randy actually conceptualized the Road-Rod on his way to Sturgis last year, riding a Road Glide through Idaho one chilly morning. He had acquired a V-Rod and felt the need to do something with it. Randy is famous for his bike fabrication and can't leave anything stock. Letting his fertile imagination wander in the zone that the mind will enter on long-distance rides, he visualized the fairing and bags of the Road Glide on the V-Rod; the Road-Rod. He didn't wait until he returned to his San Diego shop to get started, but pulled to the side and started giving orders to his able crew.

My ride that warm March day just served to galvanize my resolve to own a Road-Rod. It offers all the advantages of the Road Glide without having to be lowered to accommodate my petite stature. It was stable at high speeds on the freeway and in the twisties. The seating position was comfortable and it only took me a couple of turns to get used to the stationary fairing.

Randy was aware that the addition of the standard Road Glide fairing with the low-profile windscreen would tend to accentuate the effects of the wind on the front end, so he changed out the solid front wheel for a three-spoke aluminum wheel that would cut down on wind resistance.

I found that I enjoyed the forward position of the floorboards. I had never appreciated them on the Heritage Softail and Road King because they were positioned right under the rider, causing them to be right in my way when I put my feet down or when I was stretching to put the kickstand up. I still had to stretch for the kickstand, but worked out a method that didn't involve any animal noises. (It's that "short" thing again.) Also, the bike still had just the standard toe shifter, a relief to me, as I have never gotten used to heel-toe style of shifter.

So how is this all accomplished? Really pretty simply. There is the basic kit that is said to be do-it-yourselfable. This consists of the mounting brackets for the fairing, floorboards, saddlebags and passenger pegs and a fender extension and bag filler, for that smooth, custom look. There is no welding necessary. The actual fairing, bags, floorboards, etc. are available through Harley-Davidson. The prototype Road-Rod sports the Cycle Visions Bag Lites LED lights mounted in the bags.

A complete list of the Road-Rod products offered by Cycle Visions, as well as a list of the necessary H-D parts, are available on the Cycle Visions website,www.cyclevisions.com.

When it gets down to it, however, there are some other considerations to the finished product. The prototype that I rode had a Corbin solo seat with a slight backrest. It made for a comfortable ride for me, but I could have used a little more forward position. I would have to have some custom work done. Hello, Saddlemen?

Randy's creation had two custom wheels, but the rear wheel is so cloistered behind the bags that it really doesn't seem necessary to change it out. You could get by with only the front wheel change. The prototype had an 18-by3-inch rim with a 140/70.18 tire. There was no modification necessary to the brakes or the fender. The V-Rod gauges stay unchanged, so the spaces available in the fairing can be filled creatively with a radio, additional speakers, an outside temperature gauge, and/or compass. Those will be an added expense, but the bike owner can do his/her own customizing in that department.

The pipes need to be changed out to accommodate the saddlebags, again an opportunity to customize. The possibilities are limited at this time, and the prototype sports a set of Sampson pipes, but more manufacturers will be jumping on the bandwagon as the V-Rod becomes more accepted in the Harley world.

Another detail that needed to be considered was the addition of a Techlusion fuel system monitor, installed on the prototype because Cycle Visions found it necessary to add special baffles to the Sampson pipes. The Techlusion system runs about $189. The alternative would be a different electronic control module chip at a cost of approximately $150. Either one will be an extra expense.

So, what have you got after all this action? You've got a bagger with speed and agility or a more practical and enjoyable V-Rod. The only drawback may be a more limited fuel capacity, but the bladder capacity of a woman my age is no match for the fuel capacity of a full dresser, either. It's important to know your limitations. Right now, however, there is no limit to my imagination as I pursue the possibilities and plan my Road-Rod future with no backpack.