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What exactly is a VRSCR Street Rod? When confronted with that question, Harley-Davidson spokesman Paul James starts his answer with a clear statement: “It's not a sportbike.”
And, no, the Street Rod doesn't look like a sportbike. It shares its frame, twin-shock suspension design (if not components), speed-look headlight, airbox cover, 19/18-inch front/rear tire combination and many other components with Harley's VRSC V-Rod power-cruiser. But, still, there are plenty of sportbike cues.
The fork is a new 43mm inverted Showa carrying twin four-piston Brembo calipers—though they have a Harley-Davidson bar-and-shield logo cast in. The handlebar is low and narrow, and the footpegs are aft. The seat rises 4 inches higher than that of the V-Rod, and in sideview you can actually see the top of the rear tire below the bottom of the rear fender—one of style-keeper Willie G. Davidson's pet peeves about other people's motorcycles, as he clearly prefers the slammed look.
Still confused? According to James, the Street Rod is a “roadster.” He goes on to explain the category as including naked musclebikes such as Yamaha's XJR1300 and Honda's CB1300—note that these are not sold in the American market. But they have proved popular in Europe, and that's the key to the Street Rod's existence. As James described the reasoning behind the Street Rod, it rapidly became clear that its features were specified by Harley's European managers.
“It's fair to say that this bike was driven by European needs,” concludes James. Its target customer, he indicates, is “an aging sportbike rider who wants something more comfortable, perhaps another bike for his stable of motorcycles.”
Mechanically, the transition from “V” to “Street” involved fairly extensive chassis changes. The steering head sits at a new angle, 30 instead of 34 degrees. New triple-clamps mimic the speed lines of the headlight, and still carry the fork tubes at an angle greater than the steering axis—32 degrees instead of the 38 degrees of the dragster-like V-Rod. Trail of 4.3 inches is the result, greater than the 3.9 inches of the older machine. It also means the front tire is carried a little closer to the engine, shortening the wheelbase from a grossly long 67.5 inches to a grossly long 66.7 inches. At the rear, a new subframe carries the seat higher, straightens the shock angle and makes room for a larger, 5.0-gallon fuel cell under the seat. With the ignition switch relocated away from the seat, the seat no longer locks, leaving one CW test rider frantically looking for a seat release at his first gas stop, finally yanking on the seat in desperation—and finding out that's how you're supposed to open it. Harley might want to include a locking gas cap in the future, as there's nothing to prevent tampering.
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Suspension travel has been increased at both ends, and a new exhaust system allows increased lean angle, the best of any Harley. The VRSCR can lean 40 degrees by the SAE standard, 8 degrees more than the V-Rod. That's still short of serious sportbikes; in comparison, the Buell XBs can lean 55 degrees.
When you first sit on the VRSCR, you find the transformation from the V-Rod complete. The riding position is gentle sportbike, with relatively narrow and not-too-low bars leaning you forward slightly, and pegs under you, if a couple of inches forward of a true sportbike position. “Close your eyes,” says Road Test Editor Don Canet, “and you might believe you were on a Sixties Bonneville.” Which, as he points out, is not at all a bad thing. The Street Rod feels fatter than a V-Rod because the rearset pegs place your knees alongside the frame and airbox cover, rather than under it as with forward-mounted pegs.
To start, reach down under the right front of the “gas tank” and turn the repositioned ignition switch on. The Revolution engine spins quickly to life with a thumb push, and idles just above 1000 rpm with an unexpected lope. The clutch requires a fairly heavy pull, but the transmission clicks into gear with a new easiness, the result of numerous detail improvements.
According to Harley, internal engine tune is exactly the same as a standard V-Rod, while peak power is improved by 5 horsepower because of the new, freer-flowing exhaust system. In any case, the engine remains the best part of the experience, and the Street Rod moves smoothly and quickly through its broad powerband, pulling harder and happier the higher you rev it.
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