I saw the following on a Yamaha forum 3-4 years ago. I was surprised that the Night Rod Special wasn't a lot faster thru the 1/4 mile than the Rocker. With a pipe, cams, and fuel controller, I bet the 110 CVO Softails, Dynas, and Road Kings would beat a stock Vrod. But you're paying $5-10k more for the CVO...
In another magazine comparison (I don't remember where), a '12 or '13 CVO Ultra was tested against a Gold Wing. They said the GW was faster, but not by much. Again, pipes, cams, and ECM on a CVO Ultra would probably end up leaving a GW in it's dust. Again, that's another $10-15K more for the CVO than the GW.
I just wish Harley's stock power and price were a little more competitive with everyone else's.
Performance is effected by so many variables. HP and Torque alone don't tell the whole story. The 1/4 mile is where the truth is distilled.
Bike 1/4 mile E.T.
Yahama Star Raider 12.09*
Suzuki M109R 12.08**
HD Rocker 13.30*
HD Night Rod Special 12.47**
Honda VTX1800F 12.90**
Kawasaki Vulcan 2000 Classic 13.30**
Victory Hammer S 13.17**
Yamaha Star Warrior 13.01**
*CycleWorld, March 2008
**Popular Mechanics, May 2007