SO black it could get lost in the dark, the Harley-Davidson V-Rod is back for its fifth model year in an eighth incarnation. The Night Rod Special is its name, and it's darker than ever -- with a blacked-out powertrain, exhaust shield and wheels.
A spinoff of the 2006 Night Rod, the new version is picking up on a big trend in southern Europe and Scandinavia that's just beginning to emerge here. In Europe, bikers aren't interested in playing dress up with their bikes so much as stripping them down to their skivvies, with less chrome and more black surfaces.
Now, you may be wondering: Why is the famously flag-waving Harley-Davidson taking its cues from across the pond? It's because the 69-cubic-inch V-Rod, with its liquid-cooled, fuel-injected, 60-degree V-twin Revolution engine, has been at least as big a hit over there as it's been in the U.S.
And not with the usual, card-carrying members of the HOG. The market for the V-Rod isn't the unwashed rider of yore. And it isn't that dentist in the Palisades who's taken up riding to show he's still got some edge. The V-Rod rider is young, multiethnic and surprisingly gender neutral.
Feminine isn't the first word that comes to mind in describing the bike's riding position, but it's more comfortable than it looks. Harley calls it the clamshell. I call it pre-hominid. On the Night Rod Special, the controls are forward, not mid like they were on the 2006 Night Rod. So if you're a fan of low-rise jeans, you'll want to pick out your nicest pair of undies because they're probably gonna show.
Or a nice long shirt, because you'd rather have other motorists drooling over that bodacious 240 tire out back. A 60 millimeter increase over previous model years, it makes the bike look even more sinister without sacrificing the creamy-dreamy handling.
Even with the fat rear tire, the Night Rod Special can hold a line like nobody's business. It's surprisingly nimble for a bike so long and low. The wheel base is 67.2 inches. The seat height is just 26.3 inches. The shocks are an inch lower than in 2006 and the five gallons of gas are under the seat. What appears to be the gas tank is just a mirage. It's a shell to hide the air box cover, which is positioned to allow more direct intake into the cylinders to maximize performance.
The V-Rod's Revolution engine was, after all, a joint development with Porsche. That's obvious from the power band. It doesn't have a sweet spot. It's all yummy fun, from the moment you roll on the throttle till you kick it into the next gear.
