IMAGINE, for a moment, that the devil himself rides a motorcycle. Because if he does, he almost certainly rides one of these. The Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special. The longest, lowest, blackest Harley yet. It’s beautiful and brutal in equal measures.

The Night Rod is a natural extension of the ever-expanding, high-revving V-Rod range, which for this year sees a bigger engine with even more grunt. Harley purists may or may not have gotten used to the fact that this motor is new territory for them, but the fact remains it delivers unholy levels of power. For the 60 degree Revolution V-twin breaks with long-running tradition by being liquid-cooled. Add to this the fact that legendary car manufacturer Porsche played no small part its development and you end up with a Harley-Davidson that offers some serious performance. And I mean serious.

Given that most Harleys have peaked by 3,000 rpm, the Night Rod’s fuel-injected motor hasn’t even woken up by then. It’s still a gentle, purring, posing machine. But give the throttle a little tweak and you enter another dimension. Between 4,000 and 7,000 rpm huge levels of rumbling torque help you slingshot past other vehicles in a way you never thought possible on a Harley. But the motor’s still not done. Explosive top-end power takes over from torque and peaks at 8,250rpm for truly electrifying performance way into the three figures.

But the problem is that, rapid as it may be, it’s still a cruiser by design -- the raked forks, low seat and forward pegs provide insurmountable evidence to support that fact. Yet the Night Rod will hit 60mph in a fraction over three seconds before clawing its way up to 140mph. Four-pot Brembo brakes and a slipper clutch help you slow down in a hurry too. So what we’re talking here is a "sports cruiser". And while it may not be as good in either category as the single-purpose machines in question, it’s a neat trick to be quite so able in both.

Cruiser-wise, it’s still a pretty comfortable proposition. The low seat is as padded as the cell you’ll end up in if you addle your brain too often with the Night Rod’s intoxicating torque. The pegs are in a natural position as though you’re sitting on a sofa, although the bars are a bit of a reach. For obvious reasons, there’s not much in the way of damping. Minimal suspension travel means lumps and bumps are felt quite strongly, but you could look at it as increasing your "connection" with the road. Although try telling that to my back after a 70mph pothole earlier in the week…

If you live on a road with speed humps, you can probably discount this model already, it really does sit that low. The seat is a mere 64cms off the floor, while ground clearance is a virtually non-existent 10cms, although it still takes a surprising effort to get the pegs down. Front to back, the Night Rod is the best part of two and a half metres long, but of course, one of its outstanding features is its ’steamroller’ 240-section rear tyre.

Despite its paltry clearance, the Night Rod doesn’t have too much trouble in the cornering department. You’ll be a good 15 to 20 mph off the pace of sports bikes through windier sections of road, but tip it in and give it a little counter steer and it’s a pleasure to feel you’re making such a beast sit perfectly on line. Out of corners, it’s a case of half throttle until you’re completely happy where you‘re pointing, then crack it open and barrel down the straights, laughing like a madman.

The Night Rod really is no ordinary motorcycle, and nor should it be at upwards of £12,000. But what that money buys is a fair degree of exclusivity and arguably the best-looking bike Harley-Davidson has ever made. Go on, be a devil.

Article written: Apr 10, 2008

The Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special was kindly loaned through Riders of Stockwood Road, Brislington.

OUR STEER ON THE NIGHT ROD SPECIAL

Price: £ 12,325 (@ Jan 2009)

Engine: 1,250cc liquid-cooled V-twin

Power: 125 bhp @ 8,250 rpm

Torque: 85 lb ft @ 7,000 rpm

Transmission: Five-speed, belt drive

Weight: 292 kg

Fuel capacity: 19 litres

Top speed: 140 mph (est)

Seat height: 640 mm

by Jon Bennett