first off i want to say that this is really good site with a lot of usefull info. But I'm currently in a pickle to decide which bike to get im looking into the 2003-2006 v rod, I immidiately fell in love with this bike the sec. i saw it and it feels right for me when i sit on it also. I recently came across the new victory jackpot and the hammer which also have killer looks. So my question is which bike would you recommend i am around 5'8 145 lbs and i just went through my weekend long safety course any help would be much appreciated, thanks.  

I must admit I know next to nothing about the Victory's, except they look tight and what little I've heard has been positive........BUT, I own an '07 H-D VRSCD Night Rod and I couldn't be more thrilled with the looks (sleek and menacing), the power (120 horses) and the functionality (liquid cooled, fuel injection, 4 valve heads, mid-mount foot controls. NOTE: '06's gas tank was increased from 3.7 gal to 5 gal for all V-Rods, and '08' all went up from 1130 cc's to 1250 cc's -- HUGE difference in performance and range.....Perhaps the best way to describe it is that if it were a woman, I'd MARRY it! -- eapecially when dusting 'sport bikes'.....Think about it: you'd have the "ledged" and all that 'real deal' stuff of a Harley AND a state-of-the-art POWEER cruiser that looks HOT (not a bad combo).....Hey, how bad could it be with Porsche teaming up with H-D for the engine.....After putting 93K miles on my then-new '91 Sportster, getting the Rod is like moving up to a space ship (after a little over a year, I have 23K miles on it)....Bottom line: what with all the federal regs and all, it's the wave of the future.....Get the real deal, you won't regret it!  

I suspect the V-rod is going to do a little better in full throttle tests  (water cooled).
The Victory's are probably the best air cooled engined bikes to ever be produced, especially when mated with the 6 speed.

The 2 have different power curves, different sounds, different souls. You need to listen to which one echos with you.
Sorry, this ain't rocket science. That's thrust/velocity/ trajectory. This is a lot tougher.
Specs are a start, but they sometimes mislead.
Specs told me I should love the Royal Star Tour Deluxe. Actual ride told me othewise. Nice bike, but not me.  

i'm not gonna chime in here with my preference cuz i ride a Victory Vegas so i would be very one sided. but i will tell you test drive both first. i rented a V-rod last year and being 5"8" as you, the exhaust from the V-rod was placed so that my right leg layed right on it and was given a pretty nasty burn. when i returned the bike the dealer said it was a thing with short riders. i'm not sure if aftermarket pipes would fix the problem but i wanted you to be aware of it.  

reapr29,i would recommend a starter bike before you spend $10000-$13000 on a motorcycle.since you just completed a motorcycle safety course why not spend a couple grand on a beginners bike.got any friends who ride who can point you to a 500cc-800cc bike so you can get afew months experience?