September 26, 2007
A backyard, a dimly lit cave. Wood wool and iron parts protrude from boxes, tools lie around in the dim light, it needs sweeping. On the wall is the October page of the 1994 Pirelli calendar (Kate Moss on the beach), curled and slightly torn, but too good to throw away. Empty bottles of Flens beer stand on the windowsill with its blind panes. Sometimes tattooed men with deep voices come in and speak in short sentences to the boss, who is also his only employee. His long, thinning hair could use an oil change, his face is pale, but his hands have the skills of a gifted mechanic who knows how to fool vehicle registration authorities.
This is how one imagines the origins of this motorcycle. It has the aura of an illegal conversion, a charisma that despises everything bourgeois as weak, and its declared goal is to look evil. Strictly speaking, it doesn't look evil, but rather how talented designers imagine evil to look. A little too perfect for really nasty tattooed people. But it's enough to make all of us, who are actually quite normal and nice, feel pretty daring on it. It's remarkable that something like this is available to buy as standard.
The black flatbed truck
For €18,345 at Harley-Davidson. That's expensive, true, but you have to consider how much rubber is needed just for the monumental 240-millimeter-wide rear wheel, for example. You should still have a little money left over for appropriate (black) clothing. If you don't look as stylish as the machine, you're open to ridicule. You're right in the spotlight and feel like you're on a stage that places high demands on the actor. Black is the dominant color of the VRSCDX Night Rod Special. Matte black with gloss black here, gloss black with matte black there. The speedometer dial is in a unique light gray-black. The few parts that aren't black are silver. Or orange: the subtle brand lettering and the decorative stripes on the black, slotted disc wheels (19 inches at the front, 18 inches at the rear), the rear of which is fitted with the widest tire the Motor Company has ever installed.
The rest of the Night Rod Special is slim, long, and low. A full 640 millimeters above sea level, your rear end hovers in a hollow. With a wheelbase of 1.72 meters (around 20 centimeters more than a Harley Sportster), a total length of 2.46 meters, a fork angle of 36 degrees, and an unladen weight of 307 kilograms, this bike is particularly good at driving in a straight line. Before entering a curve, you negotiate with the Harley, it grumbles, asking if you have to do that again, then you jerk it around over its rear wheel, which has the impressive size of 240, in case we hadn't mentioned that yet. The Night Rod sighs, hammers along the curve like Kirk dodging a meteor shower, and gets back on the straight and narrow as soon as possible. Even slight waves in the asphalt cause everything to wobble. Braking, shifting, staying on course – finally a challenge. The Harley night edition rides like a flatbed truck, at least compared to a normal Japanese sports bike – and that's precisely why it's one of the most fascinating motorcycles you can buy off the shelf.
Weight training is recommended!
When a speed demon whizzes past you on his fully enclosed 600cc circular saw in the Black Forest, it leaves you cold. Everything rolls off this pitch-black elevator. You shift into fifth gear after breakfast in the morning and rumble toward the evening at 90 to 100 km/h with a good 3,000 crankshaft revolutions per minute. If you shift down two or three gears in between and open the throttle, something incredible happens. Then the rev-happy, water-cooled, 89 kW (121 hp at 8250 rpm) „Revolution“ engine kicks in, dislocating your fingers on the handlebars with a coarse roar and sharp bark from the intake tract that gets under your skin. Then it's time for the rear tire, which, incidentally, is very wide at 240 millimeters, to show its tread. The seating position—upper body leaning forward in a sporty manner, arms stretched toward the handlebars, boots on the forward footrests—corresponds to the posture of a two-handed shooting gangster who jumps into cover feet first.
With the Night Rod Special, you can experience the full skill of the marketing and lifestyle strategists from Milwaukee every day. It is striking how much curiosity and unabashed admiration this dark beast attracts everywhere it goes. Such a machine defies sober consideration. But let's not forget: the load change behavior of the 60-degree V-engine in combination with the toothed belt is one of the most pleasant in motorcycle construction. The 1131 cc two-cylinder engine with electronic fuel injection, two overhead camshafts, and four-valve technology unfolds its power with silky smoothness. At 7,000 rpm, it delivers a torque of 108 Nm. The top speed is stated as 225 km/h. 120 to 130 is a good highway speed, anything more is reserved for exceptional cases, but only after prior weight training. Our average fuel consumption hovered around six liters of premium gasoline per 100 kilometers.
Not so easy to control
When shifting gears, there is a heavy metal clunk in the first two stages of the five-speed transmission, which is how it should be. The horn can be heard beyond the horizon. The disc brakes are powerful, and the power cruiser can be brought to a sudden halt when necessary. ABS can be ordered for an additional charge for the 2008 season. Automatic turn signal cancellation and keyless immobilizer are already standard features. It's unfortunate that you can accidentally drive off with the side stand down, but this is set to be changed in the 2008 model update. The V-twin will be enlarged to 1246 cubic centimeters, increased to a rated output of 92 kW (125 hp), and equipped with a slipper clutch.
The payload of 157 kilograms is meager; some Harley riders need that much for themselves alone. However, the tank capacity of just under 19 liters is sufficient. When maneuvering, it is best to plan ahead and proceed with caution. The turning circle is huge, and the lean angle is small. The Night Rod Special hits hard with its footrest system and radiator housing if you tilt it too vigorously to the side, which left us with burn marks on our pants and unsightly scratches on the mirror, clutch lever, and footrest. Let's quickly change the subject.
The legendary rear tire! Unfortunately, the space for the article is almost full. Something must be said about this tire—it is a whopping 240 millimeters...
