Today's Nice Price or No Dice Harley V-ROD looks so pugnacious that it feels like it's trying to pick a fight just sitting on its kickstand. Let's decide what we think such a scrapper might be worth.
A thirty-year model run is praiseworthy in anyone's books, and for Ford's Bronco, that run was good enough to call for an encore starring two and four-door Broncos, with the smaller Escape-based Bronco Sport thrown in for good measure. Perhaps it was the plethora of modern Broncos (Branchia?) that dulled interest in the 1993 Bronco Eddie Bauer edition we looked at yesterday. Or maybe its $19,500 asking price proved too onerous, despite its low-mileage motor and transmission. Whatever the reason, our Bronco came out on the losing end, ultimately earning a 78% 'No Dice' loss in the voting.
In spite of that failure, Ford's Bronco nameplate remains an icon of the American automotive market. Today, we're going to look at another flag-waving, rockets-red-glaring American icon, albeit one with just two wheels.
Released in 1953, the László Benedek-directed film "The Wild One" stars Marlon Brando as the leader of the Black Rebels Motorcycle Club. The biker gang blows into a small California town with the intent of getting into mischief and making girls swoon. After the arrival of a rival gang, all hell breaks loose in the town, leading to a melee of literal fighting in the streets.
The bike that Brando rode in The Wild One was the actor's own Triumph Thunderbird 6T. As a result of the movie's popularity, the allure of the outlaw biker, as well as Triumph's status as the bike for rebels and wannabe rebels, was cemented in popular culture.
Today's 2004 Harley-Davidson V-ROD would not have looked wholly out of place as a member of Brando's posse, although its water-cooled, overhead-cam, fuel-injected engine would have likely raised a few eyebrows back in 1953. Perhaps even more shocking to post-war sensibilities is who helped Harley design this bike's V-twin engine.
Harley leaned on a number of partners in the creation of the Revolution engine, which the company introduced in the VRCS line in 2001. Based on a racing motor, which had been developed with input from Erik Buell, and Roush Industries, the production mill saw influence from Porsche engineers in its design. A 1,131cc 60° V-twin, the Revolution motor breathes through four-valve heads with two cams each atop a water-cooled block and cylinders. Harley claimed 115 horsepower and a redline of 9,000 rpm. All of these specs seem completely foreign for a Harley, which for decades cemented its name on air-cooled, carbureted, slow-turning pushrod twins.
The V-ROD bike this engine powers offers a number of other quirky features, too. That teardrop atop the V-twin isn't the gas tank as one might expect. Instead, that's where the air intake is housed, as well as the instrument cluster. The gas tank actually resides under the saddle, which needs to be popped up to access the fill pipe.
This bike has a number of custom bits added after it left Harley's factory, as well. Those include the dropped bars, forward pegs, and the mummy-wrapped SuperTrapp-style exhaust, likely designed to wake the neighbors from the next town over. According to the ad, this Streetfighter-style bike has 23,557 miles on the clock and is in "like new" condition. This is a bike for cruising, not for canyon carving. These are fairly heavy bikes, weighing in at around 670 pounds, and are so low-slung that turns should be thought through well in advance of their execution.
That being said, holy cow, it looks amazing for a naked bike. The orange-on-black paint scheme pays homage to the Harley legacy, as does the old-school decal on the intake. This is an early-generation V-ROD, which has its frame called out by silver paint, rather than hidden by a black coat like on later editions. The tires look to have life left in them, and the Brembo brakes (twin discs in front) appear to be in good condition.
As noted, this is not a bike for the masses. It's more for the individual who breezes into town looking for a good time but finds trouble. You know, a rebel. However, that rebel should probably have a steady source of income, as this V-ROD would set them back $9,500 if they go with the seller's asking price for its purchase.
What's your take on this Porsche-fied Harley streetfighter at that $9,500 asking? Does that feel like a good deal on a cool, customized classic bike? Or, for that kind of money, is that price tag just itching for a fight?
You decide!
Nice Price or No Dice:
Miami, Florida, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to Danny Farroni for the hookup!
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