The clutch and gearbox are standard V-Rod equipment, both firm and positive. The rear-set gear linkage is, however, a distinct improvement; the shift action is short and crisp, making clutchless upshifts easy, even on a brand new transmission.

The typical Harley "clonk" in the lower gears is still there, as is the complete lack of snatch in the final drive thanks to the shock-absorbing properties of the Kevlar drive belt.

The Street Rod is in many ways a logical progression from the V-Rod but it's a big step for the company that made its name building motorcycles that were out of date before they left the drawing board, machines on which looking good was a lot more important than power, handling or even decent brakes

It's still a Harley, long low and rangy, but it's set up to be ridden hard, designed to dive into corners on the brakes and come out with the power turned on hard, leaned well over with both wheels in the same plane and nothing touching down.

Starting at the front, the steering head angle has been steepened from 34 to 30 degrees for quicker steering and the front wheel is guided by a pair of 43mm upside-downies by Japanese suspension specialists Showa.

The handlebars are almost flat, set on much lower risers than those of the V-Rod, bringing the rider's hands (and shoulders) significantly further forward. The twin rear shocks are longer for extra ground clearance and the saddle is higher (it's also as hard as a plank but more about that later).

The result is a bike you sit on, not in; the footpegs are right under the nose of the saddle as on classic European street machinery and the rider's weight is evenly balanced between handlebars, footpegs and saddle.

That makes the steering more accurate and turning in a lot easier. The bike has a 1700mm wheelbase and there's some resistance to quick changes in direction but it goes exactly where you point it with admirable precision.

Rear suspension travel is short, as on all cruiser style motorcycles, and its action is harsh and choppy, but the sturdy cast alloy swing-arm keeps the big 180/55 gumball in line.

Brembo brakes

The brakes are a revelation; Harleys are heavy bikes (this one scales an intimidating 280kg) and take a lot of stopping. Most Milwaukee bikes have poor brakes – although this has improved somewhat over the last two model years with the adoption of four-piston callipers across the range.

The Street Rod, however, is fitted with big Brembo vented callipers on 300mm discs and stops with a vengeance, with a minimum of dive from the superb Showas. You can brake deep into corners and the bike stays perfectly controllable, surprisingly so considering its long wheelbase.

The back brake, a simple twin-piston unit, is even sharper than the dual front set-up; this is a hangover from the days when all motorcycles were designed with a strong rearward weight bias and strong front brakes would simply push the front wheel into understeer on slow corners.

It has no place on a modern bike but the Street Rod is so well balanced that you soon get used to it, although you have to be very careful with the foot lever on wet roads.

On good surfaces the set-up is near ideal; you sit well forward, leading into the corners with your inside shoulder. Loading the front wheel simply makes it feel more planted and you find yourself carrying unexpectedly high mid-corner speeds.

The rear suspension suffers on bumpy roads, occasionally leading to some rear wheel patter, but as long as you keep a steady hand on the throttle the bike will hold its line.

It shook its head once over a very bad bump – but I was adjusting my visor at the time and had only one hand on the handlebars.

Ergonomics

The V-Rod handles the transition from cruiser to streetbike remarkably well; the mid-mounted footpegs place the rider's thighs uncomfortably in line with the upper frame members – although by the end of the day I didn't notice that any more.

The clamshell instrument pod is unchanged while the higher saddle moves the rider's head both forward and upwards, rendering the upper quadrant of the speedometer (between 80 and 140km/h) invisible under its rim.

The seat is very stiff with well-defined edges that cut into the riders thighs at a stand-still. It's wide and flat enough to be reasonably comfortable on short rides but after a whole afternoon in the saddle – made possible by the bigger, 18.9-litre fuel tank – I could feel every stitch in the upholstery.

That said, every time I came to a set of tight corners I blessed the hard saddle for locating me securely on the bike while making it easier to move around when necessary - this is the first Harley I've ridden that encourages leaning off in corners!

Fit and finish, as always on Milwaukee products, are world class, in this case with more polished aluminium than chrome, and deep, glossy paint on the sheetmetal parts.

Much though Harley traditionalists hate admitting it, this is the future of Harley-Davidson; the air-cooled 45-degree twins will not survive the onslaught of the Pollution Police much longer. If the Street Rod is anything to go by it will be a bright and interesting future.