Harley-Davidson Street Rod Video Review

Harley-Davidson Street Rod Video Review

Not too long ago I got a chance to throw a leg over the Harley-Davidson Street Rod, a bike that represents an exciting new direction for the 114-year-old company. If you're a regular reader of RideApart, you'll know that particular test ride didn't end well for me.

Seemingly gluttons for punishment, a few weeks after my initial test ride Harley got in touch and asked if I'd be interested in riding the Street Rod again, this time on one of the most famously (and infamously) twisty roads in Spain: the so-called Ronda Road, running from the seaside town of Marbella to scenic Ronda. Damn right I'd be interested. The Street Rod's generous amount lean angle (37.3 degrees on the right, 40.2 degrees on the left) means it was made for twisty roads – something I hadn't had a chance to experience when first testing the bike in Florida.

So, I grabbed my GoPro and hopped on a plane as quickly as I could. I'll admit my video skills are still developing (it'll probably be a while before I get poached by Common Tread), but I hope I've managed to capture a sense of just how much fun this bike really can be. As I say in the video: It's a Harley that corners, y'all.

I don't want to sound too butt-kissy here, but I'm really thankful to the folks at Harley-Davidson for the opportunity to spend more time with the Street Rod, especially in this environment. Whereas I came away from Florida with generally positive impressions, my time with the bike in Spain convinced me Harley is really on to a winner here. To echo Lemmy from Common Tread, I will be disappointed if this bike doesn't turn out to be a hit.

Yeah, there are certain elements of the bike that reflect its affordable price – areas where you may want to seek some aftermarket assistance – but I am increasingly of the opinion that if someone tells you the Street Rod isn't a good bike he or she hasn't actually ridden it.

Anyway, check out the video for some great slow-mo shots set to copyright-free music, footage of me riding as fast as I can tolerate (British moto-journalists are so damned fast!), and audio of a Spanish photographer complaining that I ride too slowly.