let's imagine..
your uncle in America leaves you $20,000, but in his last will and testament, he specifies that the entire sum is to be used to buy you a Milwaukee beauty!
So you're faced with a catalog full of long names, incomprehensible letter sequences and "classic", "special" or "street" models.
Fortunately, Oli the Belgian is here to help you, dear readers. A comparo is better than a long speech.
A.B.S. in the U.S.A.
the forces at work:
on my left, the historic FLHRC Road King Classic powered by the latest evolution of the 1,584 cc V-twin developing a secret power of +70 to 80 hp/din. This twin-cylinder is still air-cooled, but has recently been fitted with fuel injection. Torque of 129 nm at 3,500 rpm.
On my right, the aggressive VRSCDX Night Rod Special powered by the new 1,250 cc liquid-cooled V-twin (developed by Porsche) developing a whopping 123 hp/din at 8,000 rpm. Torque of 115 nm at an incredibly high rpm for a Harley of... 7,000 rpm!
Both powered since 2008 with the A.B.S. option.
And given the upright position of the rear brake pedals, it's quickly put to good use during emergency braking. These two models have a number of features in common, the main one being their V-twin engine!
The Road King tourer is well equipped to make life easier for the traveler: a large 22-liter fuel tank, a protective windshield, a 6-speed gearbox equipped with practical cruise control, good-capacity hard cases and a very comfortable seat and footrests (spring-mounted!). So, all in all, if we forget the substantial weight (332kg), this bike is an everyday companion with a range of action and services that many custom bikes would envy.
The aggressive Night Rod, on the other hand, plays the bad boy card to the hilt. With its 240mm rear tire, it's a crowd-pleaser, and its matte black paintwork reinforces its dark side. On this very low-slung bike (640mm), the riding position is rather unusual: feet and arms far forward. We ride with our backs bent, our hindquarters back and wedged into the deep saddle, a sort of flag position.
off you go!
as you've already guessed, the riding positions are very different:
The fork's rake (34°) and the difference in cross-section between the front (120mm) and rear (240mm) tires give the Night Rod a wobbly feel at low speeds.
The Road King, on the other hand, proves to be very well-balanced, after having had to give it a good tug to get it off its stand.
The power available is also very different (double, after all!). The Road King's original twin, bursting with torque at low revs, invites you to climb into 6th gear as quickly as possible and engage cruise-control, freeing up your right hand. It's always fun to wave to another biker with that hand on the way up ... astonishment guaranteed!
As for the Night Rod's engine, it overflows with power, unfortunately at the expense of torque. In fact, it's not uncommon to have to shift back into 1st gear in slow bends, so much so that the engine thumps at low revs.
Perhaps it was the transition from one to the other that made me feel this lack of torque?
On the other hand, as soon as you pass 3,000 rpm, the engine and the wide rear tire propel you, like a dragster, to speeds that are largely prohibited. Even in second gear!
It's possible to reach a good 200km/h without worrying about the bike. But in this case, remember to lock your feet between the selector and the footrest on the left, and under the brake pedal (safety, hum, hum...) on the right.
conclusion :
at the outset of this comparison, and especially as this was the first time I'd ridden a Harley of the V Rod lineage, I was already tempering my future enthusiasm for only riding the old-fashioned Harley. I have to admit that this test ride turned my preconceptions upside down..
I don't think my top-of-the-range looks have yet supplanted my riding side, and as a result, the Night Rod's highly aggressive lines didn't allow it to overshadow its cousin's rideability. Of course, riding the Road King forces you to adopt a cooler pace. Once you've outgrown the low-end torque, don't expect to find any power at higher revs.
But the balance, manoeuvrability and astonishing angle grip (the mega footrests are the first to warn you when you're going over an angle) 
quickly make you forget this lack of power.
The Night Rod, on the other hand, likes to emphasize its spectacular aspects: 240 mm tires, 123 hp/din, full black engine and ultra-aggressive face certainly help to make up for its price of 19,795 Euro with A.B.S.
The Road King will cost you 1,700 Euros more, but will allow you to do more than just move from terrace to terrace.
it's up to you... ;-)
a+
Oli the Belgian - manufacturer's photos
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| Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008 | Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998 | ||||
Chassis |
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| Nombre de places | |||||
| Two-seater saddle | |||||
| Frame | |||||
| Double berceau en acier | double berceau tubulaire en acier | ||||
| Fuel capacity | |||||
| 18.90 liters (4.99 US gallons) | 19.70 liters (5.20 US gallons) | ||||
| Oil capacity | |||||
| Seat height | |||||
| Seat height : 767 mm (30.20 in) | Seat height : 640 mm (25.20 in) | ||||
| Length | |||||
| Length : 2,299 mm (90.51 in) | Length : 2,130 mm (83.86 in) | ||||
| Width | |||||
| Height | |||||
| Ground clearance | |||||
| Wheelbase | |||||
| 1,630 mm (64.17 in) | 1,700 mm (66.93 in) | ||||
| Dry weight | |||||
| 318 kg | 292 kg | ||||
| Curb mass | |||||
| Weight when fully loaded | |||||
| 333 kg | 323 kg | ||||
| Brake assist | |||||
Front axle |
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| Suspension | |||||
| Parallelogram fork | Telehydraulic fork Ø 41 mm | ||||
| Wheel travel | |||||
| 129 mm (5.08 in) | |||||
| Angle de chasse | |||||
| Setting | |||||
| Brake | |||||
| Braking 1 disc, single-piston caliper | Braking 1 disc Ø 292 mm (11.5 in), 2-piston caliper | ||||
| Wheel | |||||
| Front tire : MT90-B16 - 16 | Front tire : 90 / 80 - 21 | ||||
| Pressure | |||||
| 2.48 bar | 2.07 bar | ||||
| Handlebars | |||||
Transmission |
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| Gearbox | |||||
| 6 stage gearbox | 5 stage gearbox | ||||
| Transmission | |||||
| Secondary belt drive | Secondary belt drive | ||||
Rear axle |
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| Suspension | |||||
| Mono-damper | 2 lateral shock absorbers | ||||
| Wheel travel | |||||
| 103 mm (4.06 in) | |||||
| Setting | |||||
| Brake | |||||
| Braking 1 disc, 2-piston caliper | Braking 1 disc Ø 292 mm (11.5 in), 2-piston caliper | ||||
| Wheel | |||||
| Rear tire : 200 / 55 - 17 | Rear tire : 130 / 90 - 16 | ||||
| Pressure | |||||
| 2.62 bar | 2.62 bar | ||||
Motor |
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| Motor type | |||||
| two-cylinder 45° V-shaped , 4 strokes | two-cylinder 45° V-shaped , 4 strokes | ||||
| Cooling system | |||||
| by air | by air | ||||
| Fuel system | |||||
| Injection | 1 Ø 40 mm carburettor | ||||
| Fuel | |||||
| Starting system | |||||
| electric | |||||
| Timing | |||||
| 2 ACT, culbuté | tumbled | ||||
| Number of valves | |||||
| 2 valves per cylinder | 2 valves per cylinder | ||||
| Displacement | |||||
| 1584 cc, Bore x stroke: 95.3 x 111.1 mm | 1338 cc, Bore x stroke: 88.8 x 108 mm | ||||
| Power | |||||
| 70 ch to 5,300 rpm | 57.2 ch to 5,000 rpm | ||||
| With compressed air | |||||
| - | - | ||||
| Compression | |||||
| 9.2:1 | 8.9:1 | ||||
| Torque | |||||
| 12 mkg to 3,300 rpm | 9.90 mkg to 2,350 rpm | ||||
| With compressed air | |||||
| - | - | ||||
| Émission sonore | |||||
| - | - | ||||
| Motorcycle can be restricted to 34ch (A MTT1 Permit) | |||||
| No | No | ||||
| Motorcycle can be restricted to 48ch (French A2 Permit) | |||||
| No | No | ||||
Options/Equipment |
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Practical information |
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| The advantages | |||||
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| The disadvantages | |||||
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| Performance | |||||
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| Price | |||||
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| Country of manufacture | |||||
Compare |
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Acceleration
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
Undisclosed
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 6.9 s
Fuel consumption
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
Undisclosed
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 7 liters/100km (0.34 mpg)
Range
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
Undisclosed
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 281 km (175 miles)
Torque
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
: 12 mkg
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 9.9 mkg
Power
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
: 71 ch (70 hp)
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 58 ch (57.20 hp)
Power-to-Weight ratio
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
: 4.54 kg/ch
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 5.1 kg/ch
Torque-to-Weight ratio
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
: 26.5 kg/mkg
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: 29.49 kg/mkg
Speed
Harley-Davidson FLSTSB 1584 SOFTAIL CROSS BONES 2008
: approximately 180 km/h (111.80 mph)
Harley-Davidson 1340 NIGHT TRAIN FXSTB 1998
: approximately 160 km/h (99.40 mph)
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2008
2009
2010
2011
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1998
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Competitors |
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France
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