Harley Street Rod

Harley Street Rod

Harley-Davidson's Street Rod is definitely not your average sport bike, or even your average bike for that matter. I guess it falls into the vague category of naked exotica, along the lines of MV Agusta and some of the high-end Ducatis, but it definitely has the company's own twist on the plot which goes close to placing it in a category of one.

The V1000 engine (now a 1030) has been around in various development forms since the 1980s, but wasn't actually released in a volume production motorcycle until close to 15 years after word leaked out that the company was working on it.

If you haven't sat behind one, you should. It's smooth, lively and has a nice spread of power. US reports say it produces 120 horses at 8250rpm (a little more than the base V-Rod, thanks to different exhausts), while the company claims a healthy 109Nm of torque at 7000. That's matched to a nicely sorted five-speed box and belt final drive.

Some of the other changes are obvious: the bike has been raised significantly, while the rake of the front fork has been reduced. Less obvious is the significant bump in fuel capacity to a more reasonable 18.9 litres and a slight lift in weight to a hefty 297 kilos (claimed) in running order. Brakes (four-spotters) are by Brembo, while the tyres on our demo were Dunlop Sportmax radials.

And as a package? It's a hell of a lot of fun to ride. The overall unit is well-developed, with crisp fuel injection and a nice turn of speed. Braking is strong with decent feel, while the thing handles very acceptably, There is a tendency to push the front end a little when you're really getting stuck in, but nothing to worry over.

Suspension response is quite firm - it handles the odd ripple well enough, but the combo of that and minimal seat padding means that it's never going to be a great long-distance mount.

There's no adjustment on the front upside-down forks, and preload only on the rear twin shocks.

Steering is slow by sport bike standards and needs a reasonably assertive set of hands at the bars to tip it in quickly. That said, it's very stable at speed and is still fun through a set of twisties.

The considerable weight of the bike becomes apparent when manouvering at very low speed, but disappears in most other situations. The turning circle is very wide, thanks to the combination of a long wheelbase and limited steering lock.

The styling is distinctive and drew a lot of positive response - I'm a big fan of it. However the low and lean look means that the instruments (two main analogue dials) are below your normal field of vision, and the mirrors on their short stalks require you to move your arms to get a decent view.

Fuel consumption hovers around the mid to high teens, depending on use. The engine has developed a solid reputation for reliability and there's a fair bit of tuning potential left in it.

A really good move is the fact that the bike has two decent locks - one for ignition and another for steering - plus an automatic theft alarm system. It's a good set-up that should help in reducing theft.

Finish is to a good standard, with lots of nice detail touches around the machine that help to make it distinctive.

Which might go some way towards easing the considerable pain you'll inflict on your wallet - a hefty $27,995 plus ORC.