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Harley goes high-tech after decades of just updating their lovable antiques. The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod was the first of Harley’s VRSC ‘Rod’ family. The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod's water cooling, loads of power, handling that could embarrass a badly ridden sportsbike and brakes that stop fast were totally novel on a Harley. Diehards refuse to accept them but the Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod's a tempting package.

More power than a Ducati 916 or early Fireblade and far smoother than Harleys of old. The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod's injected V-twin is just chuggy enough but pleasingly torquey at low revs. But as the needle sweeps into the top third of the tacho the exhaust note changes and it lays down some serious power. Tuned Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rods are competitive on the drag strip – and the long, low styling echoes that.

The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod's modern tyres and modern suspension allied to a modern chassis give … wait for it… modern handling. Which is great on left hand bends. Take a right hander at any pace and the exhaust decks out disappointingly soon. It’s a real shame. The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod's brakes are very capable and the suspension manages to balance sport and comfort nicely.

Few frills on the standard Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod and a small fuel tank. The riding position’s not like any other bike: The seat’s low, as are the bars, and the pegs extremely far forward. It’s not a comfy position for most people but at least you can dip into the enormous range of accessories, get the Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod's ergonomics closer to what you need.

Lots of time’s gone into designing the Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod and there’s no serious glitches in terms of reliability. The finish on the Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod is better than the air cooled Harleys but if you do let it corrode, it’ll not do the second hand value any favours at all – but most Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rods are sunny weekend toys not winter sluggers anyway.

The Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod is savagely pricey when new compared to similar Japanese capacity cruises – but none of them offer the same experience or such power. Running costs aren’t cheap either but few owners do enormous mileages. Depreciation is low.