Okay, so they both represent a new direction for both manufacturers, they both embrace modern concepts, materials and technologies, and they both have tiny fuel tanks but in almost every other respect they couldn't be more different.

For years, if not generations, people who have not understood the joys of a torquey power delivery have written off Harley-Davidsons as anachronistic relics of a bygone age - usually without having ridden one, and almost invariably without having lived with one for any È length of time - and those same people have responded similarly towards Buells because, after all, they use Harley engines, don't they? With these two models Harley-Davidson has answered their critics, at the expense of scaring the life out of their staunchest supporters, who have seen them as the next generation and the inevitable replacements for the traditional Harley; and Buell has taken another step towards a mainstream that is in two minds as to what to do with its models.

The mainstream press are baying for a V-Rod engine in a Buell chassis and there is some sense in that: the V-Rod generates massively more power than even its taut frame can handle because of its radical power cruiser frame geometry, while Buell have created a race frame and slotted an engine into it that is happiest between thirty and the ton and they really wanted more, but the mainstream press have missed the point. Again.

Sure the power of the V-Rod in the new generation frame would be cool, but it is reported that the additional weight of the VR lump would screw up the fine balance of the Buell even if it could physically fit into its anorexic form, and that would be a struggle. They've also chosen to ignore the main role for the Buell in the modern world, as a back-lane scratcher. Forget dull carriageways with the occasional roundabout to stop you falling asleep, and allow you to deck your spark-emitting knee sliders. Forget terminal speeds way beyond national limits, and deep inside the instant ban country that is starting to change riding styles. The Lightning is about recognising that exhilaration is not only about high speed, it can be achievable at lower speeds on more demanding roads, on specially designed machinery. If you really want to get a fix of brown adrenalin, take a Cossack outfit for a spin down country lanes at top speed ... about 65mph with a following wind, or better still sit in the sidecar while some nutter rides it: I'm not busy in May. It's about a change of focus. It's about honing skills. It's about recognising that any Charlie can thrash a Howasuha in a straight line down a dual carriageway, but unless they can get round the roundabout at the end before an XL1200S alongside them nips through on the inside, ridden by a monochromatic mutineer in wrap-round shades and a piss-pot helmet, they may as well stick to lead-footing their company Vectra and buy a Playstation 2.

Be aware that I am not rubbishing the products of the land of the rising sun: they are extremely good at what they do, but they do lots more than is necessary, and go far beyond the wit and skill of many a modern rider. I'm not suggesting that the bikes won't get round that roundabout, but that the average rider will not have the skill, confidence or ability to tackle such a device smoothly, so will use the astonishing braking potential going in, and the phenomenal acceleration as they exit. It is one style of riding but it's a waste of hardware.

So how do Harley-Davidson and Buell fit into this modern vision of motorcycling? And how do they stand up against that which has gone before?

HARLEY-DAVIDSON VRSCA V-ROD

We'll kick off with the future as alluded to by the V-Rod.

We hear a lot of mutterings about how emission laws and noise regs will kill off the traditional Harley motor and some have seen the V-Rod as Harley's admission and solution to this, but last year, the man at the top, Jeff Bleustein, went on record to say it wasn't so: the new laws coming out in the US are no stricter than those currently in force in California and while they may be draconian, it remains to be seen how motorcycles can evolve with greater emphasis in dealing with those stricter guidelines. How that holds up in Europe is another moot point, but with the independent Swiss taking a line similar to California's, it might be that the same sort of adherence to an existing system will roll out here too. Time will tell. Noise is a different matter, and there is no doubt that the water-jacket will absorb a lot of mechanical noises, but as anyone who's sat at the side of a major road will know, the noise is from primarily from tyres occasionally punctuated by a utilitarian diesel, or passing motorcycle flouting the exhaust noise regs. That doesn't mean it won't happen, but it is a way off yet.

The V-Rod is not the answer to those concerns. It is a wholly different type of motorcycle that is not designed to replace the air-cooled models, but to exist alongside them in a broader range with wider appeal and, unless you count the four-pot callipers that we can now see the source of, it is all new.

The all new motor is the darling of the motorcycle world beyond the traditional reach of the Motor Company: a short-stroke 60-degree liquid-cooled V-twin with 4 valves per cylinder, controlled by twin overhead camshafts with an integral gearbox beneath the crank and a single balance shift tucked away: it is a more compact and lighter unit than the traditional big twin, and it generates plenty of horsepower. It would be interesting to see how the world would see it if it were purely Harley-designed, but it doesn't do it any harm, in the mainstream world, that Porsche had a hand in its development.

There are a couple of magic numbers here: the Yanks spent many decades trying to drag one horsepower from every cubic inch of their engines, while in Europe we referred to 100bhp per litre as being a good measure of power. Against either measure the traditional motors don't fare well in stock form - and even now the TC88s don't generate 88hp, let alone 145hp, even with the factory stage 2 kit and 1550cc big bore, and the latter would up the ante anyway. Those numbers reflect the current obsession with horsepower over torque and only tell part of the story: it's the contribution that torque makes to the power delivery that floats the Harley rider's boat, and the engine speeds at which it is generated, and it is here that Harley-Davidson have always seen off the usurpers from the east. It is also here that the V-Rod fundamentally differs from what has gone before: the V-Rod generates 115bhp from its 1130cc capacity and therefore exceeds the European criteria and mocks the old US equivalent because 1130cc equates to 69ci.

It has disappointed traditionalists who expected all Harleys to have stump-pulling torque by default, but it has surprised the mainstream pundits because while the Orientals have consigned the 100bhp/litre panacea to history, the V-Rod put up a very good account of itself against the latest and greatest sportbike, the GSXR1000, and it shouldn't have done. Not in people's ideas, and not on paper either. It was very quick through the traps and that is in spite of carrying a significant weight penalty compared to the sportsbike of more than 100kg: yes, that is 100 bags of sugar!

Result! How can anyone fail to be impressed?

Well, in the case of traditional Harley riders, by looking more closely at those figures. Okay, so a peak figure 100NM isn't too shabby, after all the injected Twin Cams generate 105-110NM, but it's that it generates that figure at 7,000rpm compared to the Twin Cam's 3,300rpm that creates an issue, and that the VRSCA's torque really only starts to ramp up when the Twin Cam is falling off big-time, at 5,500. Even more interesting is that the TC88 generates more power than the V-Rod up to 5,000rpm although the gap is closing by that engine speed. And all of that is set against a backdrop in which the concept of a traditional Harley rider and 5,000 rpm are mutually exclusive.

So it's not all it's cracked up to be then?

Tough question. Yes and no, in equal measure. It is no traditional Harley, but it is very much a Harley-Davidson.

As soon as you climb aboard and take the weight you know it's not the same, but the feel of the steering when static, and the riding position, is very familiar. The controls are identical but for a coat of silver paint, and the ignition switch position is familiar to anyone who's ever had a Dyna: slightly awkward, with the added concern of having a hot collector box immediately below where you will inevitably drop the key-fob one day. You thumb the starter and leave it to warm up - a longer process in reality on a water boiler than an air-cooled engine - taking the opportunity to have a good look round. You realise that you didn't have the foresight to check where the fuel tank was before starting the engine, but see that a quick turn of the ignition switch in the opposite direction to "on" will release the seat and reveal the filler cap - as well as the Dzus fastener that holds the oh-so-light aluminium "tank" cover on.

The whole bike is a radical departure from what has gone before, and the tag they've used for the motor bears testament to that: no Evolution, but a Revolution. It is both beautiful and ugly depending on which side you look at it from. As ever, the attention to its styling has been lavished on the "timing" side with swooping exhausts wrapped round stylish engine covers, while what we used to refer to as the "primary" or "transmission" side has a sculpted but otherwise largely bland-looking, chrome-plated belt case that has the È appearance of someone having run out of ideas - and which, you will notice, seldom appears in publicity material. You will notice subtle vibrations coming from the motor at tick-over: not as much as a Dyna, but certainly more than an 88B, and you'd be forgiven for wondering what happened to balance shaft technology. It's simple, the V-Rod relies on a two-fold approach: a single balance shaft takes out the worst, and rubber mounts sort out the rest. Can we have the same set-up for the Softails please?

An engine so different from what has gone before would have looked daft in any of the frames currently in production so a new one was designed and built, and this too bears no similarity to previous practice. As yet unnamed, this extraordinary chassis could hardly venture further from the conventional, and takes pipe bending as an art form to new heights.

A new process was developed involving the passage of high-pressure water through the pipework - hereafter to be referred to as hydro-forming - allowed the ambitious shape to be realised, and the engine is slotted into place using those rubber mountings. To further emphasise its revolutionary shape, the use of a water-cooled motor has lead to the addition of a radiator to the front of the frame which has been integrated into the overall shape by housing it in a sculpted box, and you can't help but wonder whether the front end is raked out so far ahead to stop the front wheel hitting it on full suspension compression.

Which brings us to the crunch. Geometry. The frame itself is raked at 34-degrees, which is going some, but an additional 4-degrees in the yokes give the impression of a massive thirty-eight! There are a number of reasons behind this. I suspect that way up there was the fact that this bike would make an impression: it would be like nothing else that has ever left any factory. Secondly, by increasing the rake within the yokes, the trail would be reduced appreciably and make the bike easier to steer at low speeds - usually an issue with big rakes - at the expense of a little understeer that you will encounter at your first roundabout. Lastly I suspect it was to show people that bikes with radical geometry can deliver much more than is expected, and to encourage the new riders attracted by the V-Rod to venture deeper into Harley's more established ranges.

As far as making an impression goes, the disk wheels, laid-back headlamp, instrumentation and Badlander-inspired seat do everything they should, but in reality the bike is too light, and the front disk wheel too far ahead to make for comfortable riding in strong cross-winds, because it starts to act like a rudder; and being wholly subjective, the headlamp might make it onto drag-strip inspired customs for its streamlined appearance, but it's too much for my traditional sensitivities, and while I like the trick colour-changing needles in the fuel gauge and rev counter, I'm not struck on the War of the Worlds instrument binnacle. Less subjective on my part, but certainly on Marie's, is the pillion seat and there is no way she's repeating the experience of a hundred miles in waterproofs - the last eighty of which were begrudgingly undertaken only on the basis that there were no trains to our destination. If you are looking at a V-Rod for two-up work, look at the pillion backrest at the very least, or the full-on dual seat, or else hide the sharp objects in your house.

On the road, there is very much a Jeckyll and Hyde character about the VRSCA.

Except for the fact that you can't short-shift into second until you've got the wheels spinning properly, you can ride it like a conventional Harley. There is enough torque to allow adequate roll-on acceleration, if you are travelling in cruising mode, although the proper stump-pulling, get-me-outta-here-quick torque is missing: that demands a quick downshift and an injudicious tweak of the right wrist, but you'll be rewarded by an astonishing response. You can kick back and almost believe you're riding that most sophisticated of Softails, the Deuce, and forget all about the stories of power for those who seek it.

Then, on the other hand, you can catapult out of a corner and just keep holding the throttle open, with one eye on the diminutive tacho watching the needle sweep beyond those numbers that you've normally perceived as a ceiling. You will feel the torque bolster the horsepower as the revs rise and rise ... and rise. Long before the tacho's needle glows red, in third gear, the speedo's dial registers three figures, and before you hit the same revs in fourth you'll probably be beyond the point of comfort for your arms, shoulders and neck ... and licence.

We're back where we started though, for this is a way to pass the time on fast A-roads.

Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is dependent on how you anticipate using a modern cruiser, and while it is likely to attract some old-school riders who are looking for a little bit more excitement, I firmly believe it is aimed at those riders whose backs, knees and feelings of mortality are persuading them to hang up their "No Fear" T-shirts and slow down a little. For them the V-Rod is an easy compromise to make: they'll still be able to keep pace with their old riding buddies on the flat, and give a good account of themselves on corners, while equipping themselves with a machine that will just as happily bimble along over hill and dale at their own pace without mauling their engine or themselves in a way that you just can't do on a super sports bike.

In that regard the V-Rod is on its own. Even if the sunrise Samurai are now turning out some performance cruisers themselves, they haven't really had time to mount a proper challenge to the 'Rod. No amount of adding bits from a race replica bike will convert a conventional cruiser into something that will give the V-Rod a challenge, and they seem to be reluctant to dress up their Sports V-twins, but I suspect it will happen at some point in the future once the market is established. How about a retuned SP1-powered version of the VTX? Or a TL1000S-powered Marauder? Both retuned for torque over absolute power to reflect the fairing-less nature of the role. It will happen because they've proved they can do it with bikes like the Hornet and the Fazer, but they'll be watching how Harley get on first. If you want a laugh, Moto Guzzi have produced an "Aluminium" bike which has something of the look but not much - okay, so it's a shiny aluminium metallic finish, and it is definitely only skin deep: they've sprayed a stock model with an aluminium-based paint. Why? God only knows.

BUELL XB9S LIGHTNING

There is something quite strange in that the sportier Buell has a significantly lower top speed than the V-Rod, that its technology is of a different generation, and that it is aimed more at the performance rider. They seem to be contradictory but they're not, and it comes back to what I was saying at the very beginning.

Performance is not about speed, it's about useable power, and I would defy an average rider on just about anything else to take on an average rider on an XB-series Buell on a proper road and come away the victor. That does, or course, depend on your definition of a proper road but I am referring to a road with a tarmac surface and one carriageway in each direction with bends and hillcrests and hollows, the odd pothole and the inevitable overbanding. The sort of road that is challenging to ride, and that makes you smile when you ride it quickly, and sweat when you ride it fast. If your definition of a proper road is one in which you can redline your bike in every gear, including top, then the V-Rod will trounce the Lightning every time.

But that's not what the Lightning is about. It's about the finer things. It's about honing skills and maintaining high average speeds. In this regard it is very much on a par with the Firebolt, but in terms of comfort it is streets ahead for my gangling frame. If you've ever swung a leg across the Firebolt and found it crowded, you'll be pleasantly surprised by the Lightning's accommodation. With nothing more than footrests an inch lower, seat further forward and a pair of flat bars on top of the yokes, the riding position is modified massively and it feels every inch the streetbike that the Firebolt isn't. It's small by comparison with its X1 forebear, but its stance is every bit as aggressive, and its pillion seat as uncompromising.

In the same way as the V-Rod feels familiar when you haul it from its stand, the Buell is immediately recognisable as one of Erik's. The attention to detail is there, and the radical bits grab your attention. In its black or yellow livery it creates a very different impression from its sibling's blue or white schemes, but as a sucker for my Cyclone, I was in two minds as to whether it was an improvement or a step too far. As with the V-Rod, it is both, but in the case of the Buell it hasn't got the benefit of the older range backing it up. The short stroke XBs have completely replaced the 1200 Sportster derivatives in search of recognition of their strengths, and it is here that the Buell is still very much a bike in search of a market - having failed to meet the expectations of the thrash 'em and crash 'em hooligans that are attracted by unburstable but characterless sports bikes. It is unfortunate that a number of Harley riders came to realise what the long-stroke Buells had to offer when it was all too late. Unfortunate because once they got beyond their radical appearance they realised there was a damn good motorcycle underneath it all. I cite Rich as a prime example, and a head-to-head between the XL1200S and a Cyclone (published on-line last year) as the point of realisation.

Still, we've got the short-stroke models now, and we're going to have to make the best of it.

While the V-Rod is radical in every way, the Lightning is surprisingly normal in its engine, relying massively on the frame to do its bidding. Little more than a de-stroked Sportster motor - although sharing very few components with that venerable lump - its lighter flywheel, improved oil breathing and cooling, gas flowed heads and greater finned area all add up to a motor that will spin up to 7500rpm and generate 92hp on the US models, and 84.2hp for us Europeans - none too shabby compared to the 95hp of the old Lightning, and just 1000rpm further round the dial. Again, though, power is only part of the story, and the torque is where the changes have been made: 85.6NM or 68ft/lbs at best compared to 116NM or 86ft/lbs peaking at roughly the same engine speed. It will be a flatter curve on the XB9S compared to the X1, but the X1 will have more torque earlier in the range and while it will fall off dramatically at higher speeds, it is that early torque that gives it that sheer tractability and flexibility. Things start to get lively on the old motor at 3k and up, while the new motor launches a good thousand revs further round.

Erik Buell has been interrogated as to his future plans - by the "put a VR motor in an XB-chassis" lobby - and to date he is sticking by his guns. He's on record as having no desire to play with water-cooling because he doesn't need to: it adds weight, size and complexity, and air-cooled motors don't boil, freeze or leak. He also maintains that an air-cooled engine can exceed current emissions every bit as well as water cooled models and has proved it on the Blast - which is, near-as-dammit, half a Lightning, and which has lent more to the Firebolt / Lightning motor than the Sportster, as well as providing a good test-bed for the technology of the new twin.

We'll cover engineering according to Buell when the time and opportunity allows, but for now we'll acknowledge that he knows more about it than your brighter-than-average bar-room expert.

How that technology will stack up in noise terms is a moot point, but see above. In a heated discussion at a recent press conference Erik was forced to acknowledge that the development time has been spent more on the chassis and handling, which was interpreted - and I understand not denied - as being an admission that there might be an engine in the offing. We'll be keeping our ears to the ground on that one.

The oil-cooling tricks of the new motor can lead to some degree of confusion, when a fan kicks in as the engine heats up. Confusing in that until that point you were blissfully unaware that such a fan was there, but above the front of the primary chaincase is a cowled oil-cooler, and that has the first of two high-power, high volume fans drawing air across hot surfaces. The second massive fan is situated beneath the seat and draws air from around the rear cylinder - a known hotspot on all air-cooled V-twins. It is interesting to note that the air-cooled motor is very quiet, and indeed significantly quieter than the cooling fans.

So without a high-tech engine the new generation Lightning offers a new frame to woo hyperbike riders away from their chosen mounts, and what a frame. It has allowed Buell to fit a 1000cc 4-stroke V-twin motor into a chassis with the geometry of a 250GP race bike. It has a 21-degree rake and a three-inch trail, which compares to the Yamaha R1's 24-degrees and four inches, and the R1 is a tight handling bike in the 1000cc class. How about the razor-sharp 600cc version: the R6? Same rake as the R1 but reduced trail at 3.4-inches. Honda's CBR600RR? 24-degrees and 3.7-inches.

Why is that better, and if it is better why haven't the Japanese done it?

Steep steering heads make fast turning bikes, and fast turning bikes turn faster than slow turning bikes: no prizes for guessing that one. Why haven't the Japanese done it? Because above a certain size, weight and speed, a tight steering head will get a little too lively, the bike will shake its head and spit you off. A 250 is fine: nice and small, but a 600cc plus motor is a different ballgame, especially with radiators, four cylinders, four carburettors and a big airbox to comply with all your regulations.

Okay, so why does the Buell get away with it? Or should that be how?

Mass Centralisation: one of Buell's goals. Keep the weight low and in the right place so it works for the bike rather than against it: you are officially allowed to laugh when you see exhausts jutting into the air on a sports bike because they are heavy and are in the wrong place. I know they make them lighter than ever before these days, but they still weigh something, and they're too high and too far back - even if they're tucked under the seat - and they add to the pendulum effect. Underslung exhausts might not be pretty or fashionable, but they are in the right place for weight distribution. It used to be the same with the underslung shock absorber, but with the XB frame Buell have reverted to a triangulated swing-arm and a shock absorber in line with the upper triangulation, largely because there isn't space underneath and between the wheels on so small a bike.

They've also made the frame serve a multiple purpose: it doubles as a fuel cell, which keeps the fuel load as low as possible, although at the expense of a diminutive fuel capacity. Putting the oil in the swing arm, dispensing with the need for an oil tank and finding a place to put it, or a wet sump engine, complements that. You will have carried a tin of oil around before now, I'm sure, and I don't believe I'm the only one to have walked from fuel stop to dry bike with a recently purchased Plastican to ultimately add to my multicoloured collection. Liquids are not light, so bury them down as low as is practical. I've heard it said that holding the fuel tank in the frame makes the frame more vulnerable and potentially more liable to be written off as an early reaction to damage, but in reality any beam frame that has scrape marks on it will be written off if seen be an insurance assessor. This one can be dressed as easily to remove such scrapes if those marks are not terminal, and if they are terminal, bin the frame. Would it be any more expensive to replace? That depends on whether you believe that parts prices are based on the cost of production of said parts. Price up a top-end gasket set for a Yamaha and then do the same for a Honda, and then do the same for a Harley. Nuff said?

Matter of interest, for those who've spotted the flaw in triangulated swing-arms and belt drives, to get around issues of getting a belt on and off, there is a removable section in the drive-side triangulated member of the swing-arm to accommodate it. There have been reported issues of the belt snapping, and on at least one occasion it was down to an incorrect wheel removal procedure. Follow the instruction book to the letter and remove the belt guards when removing the wheel. It doesn't look important but it is essential as twisting the belt clear of the pulley without removing the guards requires a severe twist, and this can introduce a weak point in the belt. Belt not strong enough? It's a technology that is happy enough on my staged Cyclone, and there are more than a couple of turbocharged big twins trying to stretch them, so there's something awry somewhere.

So anyway, you've got a frame with a tight angle at the headstock and a short trail, which means the bike is going to turn quickly. It keeps its weight low and has been shown not to shake its head viciously under heavy acceleration or braking at inappropriate times, and the lack of an oil tank or a wet sump has given it a lot less to cram within the frames perimeter so it can be short too: try nearly three inches less wheelbase than Honda's CBR600RR super sports. Oh, and its light: 385lbs compared to said 600's 370lbs. What weight that is carried is where it contributes to rather than detracts from the handling. What more can you do?

Well, you can reduce the unsprung weight to the minimum. Unsprung weight is the second major pillar upon which Buell's engineering practices are based. It is the weight that moves with the bottom of your suspension units, and which are subject to the imperfections in the road - like wheels - and keeping them light means that the suspension doesn't have to work as hard to counter their reacting to those imperfections. It's not rocket science and it means that the tyres track the road more effectively, keeping the rubber on the ground more consistently, where you can do important things with them like steer, brake and lay down what power you have got more effectively. Buell have done this a lot previously with the big single disk on previous models but have gone that bit further with the XB-series. The single disk is a good idea because a disk and calliper can weigh up to 10kg so two are significantly heavier. Single disks overheat under big loads so make a bigger disk with a larger swept area that will dissipate the heat better. With the new disks, they are bigger still, and the big change is that they are bolted to the rim, not the hub. This serves two purposes: it increases rider feedback and it means that the braking forces are no longer carried through the spokes of the wheel, so allows a lighter wheel to be used. Lighter wheel: lower unsprung weight.

Stuff and nonsense? Not a bit of it. There's a bit of road between Congleton and the infamous Cat and Fiddle Pass that wends its way over the peaks from Macclesfield to Buxton. The Cat and Fiddle is generally flat, smooth and fast - when the locals haven't been pouring oil over it; the Wildboarclough road isn't. It is all over the place but with good visibility and low traffic, and the Buell tracks its uneven surface beautifully. Embarrassingly easily, in fact. You have no idea just how bad it is until you look behind you in search of people you're with and can find no trace. You wonder how much different it would be if you'd been really going for it, or hadn't got a pillion on board, but you don't mention it when they catch you up in the layby: no need to rub it in.

Performance comes in many guises, and it is Buell's current declared mission to produce machines that will provide exhilaration at real world road speeds, and with engines designed to deliver their payload within those margins. I confess I am still besotted with my staged Cyclone, which is demanding, at 100mph, of shifting up into fourth, but I wonder regularly about changing to US gearing and bringing out the wheelie monster that lurks within it. To do so would reduce the theoretical top speed way below the 165mph that the Dyno sheet showed, but I'm not going to go anywhere near that figure so why bother with the taller gearing. Lower gearing would make for a greater flexibility at lower road speeds, and it should give a good account of itself against a Lightning on the lanes, but the evolution of that particular species should allow the news Lightning's pilot to outbrake me, turn inside me and lean significantly further than I could dream of doing on my Cyclone as it currently stands.

Before taking the Lightning out for a week of lunacy, I sat smug in the knowledge that my Cyclone would always be the better distance bike, and two-up there is no question. What I hadn't accounted for is just how good the Lightning would be solo ... as long as isn't raining. It covered the miles with greater ease than its fuel tank afforded, and for all its radical geometry felt well planted and good-natured on everything from Motorways to the aforementioned A54: no wobbles, no impromptu wheelies or stoppies, and with the race kit fitted - as was the case with this model - accompanied by a sensational stereo soundtrack. Existing Buell owners will be aware how the turnout silencer exiting beneath your leftt boot means that the exhaust note is an ever-present accompaniment in your left ear, but with the factory race can on the XBs, the pipe has twin outlets and your right ear gets equal treatment, and it's glorious.

It was a shame that I picked up a couple of Police bikes as I struck out west from the M1 back to base through the Derwent Valley, past Matlock, as I'd intended to play more than I then had the opportunity to. Having passed me on a 30mph stretch, claiming legal immunity courtesy of their fluorescent stripes, they paid me no heed, regardless of the noise I was pumping out. On the other hand, it did give me the chance to ride the track-inspired bike down fast sweeping roads as though it were a BMW, and it didn't feel compromised at all, and I'm not sure that wasn't more impressive.

In fact the only area where I was less than impressed has a lot in common with the V-Rod: an element of styling. The Firebolt's bodywork is stretched out as far forward and back along the oh-so-short chassis as is possible, but the Lightning makes its flyscreen and foreshortened seat into an aggressive statement. The twin headlamps barely extend beyond the line of the forks, and the back of the seat sub-frame is almost in line with the rear wheel spindle, and would probably be the back of the bike if there wasn't a requirement to put a number plate on there somewhere. The bracket that holds said registration mark is a long way removed from the clumpy plastic device used on the X1 and, dare I say it, the V-Rod, but is an elegant piece of metalwork that has been sympathetically designed for the role ... with a kitchen utensil halfway down it. One of those serving spoons with holes drilled on it, which must have a name that I'm blissfully unaware of. A spoon with a view. It looks great but you question its ability to keep water out. I did, and I duct-taped its underside and thought myself clever until it rained. I needn't have bothered. I hadn't realised how much narrower the seat unit was compared to the rear tyre until I wondered why I had water seeping through my leather romper suit.

The Lightning is designed with dry roads in mind and, I suspect, targets a group of riders who would have no reason to use one in the wet: after all, cranking hard-over on sodden roads is not many people's idea of fun, and this bike is all about fun. I'm also prepared to accept that those who find wet-weather riding on the edge challenging will not object to a wet backside.

Aside from the frame there is another trick that the Lightning has up its sleeve, which it shares with its faired sibling: a digital element to the dashboard that has decent functionality and which I'm surprised isn't included on the V-Rod. Granted, it would need another button on the binnacle, but for that you would get twin trip meters, and low fuel indicator that counts down from its preset reserve position and gives an idea of how much fuel is left, rather than just a "Lo" message. You might wonder why you'd want twin trip meters, but it allows you to keep an eye on the length of the journey you're making on one, and the distance you've travelled since you last filled up on the other, which is very important on bikes with such small tanks, and that is a failing of both bikes. The clock's always nice too, and the Lightning also gets legible dials, which is an improvement on the Firebolt.

Like the V-Rod, the Lightning is in a class on its own. Yamaha have launched the Bulldog in an attempt to cash in on the Buell thing generally, but it's a styling exercise in reality as is readily acknowledged by anyone trying to corner quickly on one. Ducati's Monster predates it but while they share a basic shape and style, the Buell's geometry should give it the edge in the corners, and matches the air-cooled 1000cc injected model very closely in terms of power in European trim. It does lose out to the S4 liquid-cooled, 4-valve derivative, but in either case, the Buell generates its power at lower revs - significantly lower compared to the S4. There are other things in the pipeline from a variety of other sources, but there is no indication that anyone else is planning to match the Buell's dimensions, weight distribution or unique engineering solutions, and as long as there is still the endless pursuit of power over an elegant solution it could remain on its own for some time to come.

FINAL ANALYSIS

As I said at the beginning, these are two very different bikes with two very different roles and a surprising use of technology to achieve a result that is both distinctly different from anything that either factory has previously produced, but which is immediately identifiable as have come from there. I would say neither bike is specifically targeted at the traditional Harley or Buell rider - if the latter exists yet - although a number will make the change and some will be glad of the power on offer.

It is great that these bikes exist: it is a sign of things to come whether we like it or not, and that the Motor Company is not resting on its laurels. For all the "improvements" I'm glad that the air-cooled Harley models have got a few years left in them yet because they are still very much the traditional Harley-Davidson, and I'm sad that the same wasn't afforded to the long-stroke Buells.

It will be interesting to see how the VR series rolls out once the furore of the 100th Anniversary is over, and how well they can be slotted into different roles, and it will interesting to see if the XB-series can be harnessed as a more flexible Cyclone, on indeed whether they work out a way of pumping out more power.

If the end of the air-cooled machines eventually does arrive, at least we can be sure that the next generation will still be uniquely Harley-Davidsons, and we'll be a little more used to the idea of it by then.

I'm sure there was concern when OHV technology was first put forward to replace side-valves, and I'm reliably informed that side-valve engines were actually considered to be a retrograde step after the F-heads - not least because it was a technology used by their major rival, Indian - but we all got used to that, as we have every successive evolutionary step.

Meanwhile the Buell is potentially heralding a new dawn of sports motorcycling because whether we like it or not, our nanny society is slowly winning the war on speed to protect us from ourselves, as well as giving everyone protection from other less able, or less considerate road-users. High speed will become the domain of track days - assuming riders can get the insurance, or are prepared to waive the protection it affords - and the likes of the Buell will provide the feedback craved by competitive riders at lower speeds, on roads better suited to testing the skills of riders and machines.

Whatever happens, it would seem that the Harley-Davidson Motor Company and its Buell subsidiary are looking to the future from a position of strength. With one eye on the tougher legislation tabled in the US, and a certain knowledge that they can pass and exceed its requirements on the existing air-cooled models, and another on how they can further develop the new ranges, they can be sure to keep the old customer base happy while building up new converts to their cause. The future might be a little scary, but it's so bright that we might just need those wrap-rounds.

Second Opinion
Words: Rich King

HARLEY-DAVIDSON VRSCA V-ROD

You won't need me to describe what a V-Rod looks like - you've all seen them by now and there's a picture over there - but I've been lucky enough to ride three of them so far and this particular one I had for a couple of weeks. I rode at least a hundred miles per day on it so, I suspect, it would be more useful to let you know what I thought they are like to live with.

The absolutely first impression I had as I gingerly let out the clutch on my first ever, ever, go on one was 'Jeez! Is that it? Gutless beast.'. That was because, even though I had been forewarned, I still expected torque. But there isn't any. Instead, I ambled off up the street, going up through the gears like normal, 'Well, s'alright s'pose, sounds terrible, everybody's looking at me, I feel like a bit of a prat on this thing.'

Strangely though I did know I was riding a Harley, okay the engine was different, (and okay, the instrument console and being able to see the front wheel) but everything else seemed familiar: the seating position, the controls and their position were all were very much Harley-Davidson, I settled down, I settled in, I needed to overtake that bloody car ...

I very soon found out that I was on was the world's fastest twist and go - with some other gears to make it twist and go even more madly. Okay, it sounds ridiculously elemental, but twist the V-Rod's throttle slowly and you accelerate slowly, twist it quickly and you accelerate quickly. No lag, no waiting for revs to build up - it just goes. Faultless fuel injection, stay in one gear and the surge of steadily building power seems endless, change up and it does it again. The end result is a phenomenally quick motorcycle with absolute, one hundred percent velocity controllability. Admittedly that characteristic doesn't sound much like a Harley, particularly to the die-hards, but then again it doesn't sound much like any other motorcycle on the road either. So I would be inclined to say that power characteristic doesn't sound much like a Harley YET. Give it a while and when other manufacturers produce a motorcycle that does what the V-Rod does, I bet people will start saying 'That bike feels just like one of those Harleys.'

The V-Rod does handle, as other reviewers have mentioned, but it ain't lightning sharp (or should that be Lightning sharp?), as you would expect with such a rake on it, the steering is stable, slow and sure. This is absolutely great for cruising, it means that on the motorway or weaving A roads you can hold the V-Rod at a constant speed and you are pretty damn sure where it is going to go ... even if that constant speed is fairly high! But the V-Rod is inclined to over-steer, again as you might expect. Take a roundabout with some gusto, bank the V-Rod over and twist that go handle to exit left onto the dual carriage-way in some real style and ... whahey! Watch that armco on the right get uncomfortably close - caught me out a couple of times that! Still, all part of getting used to a bike. Obviously we would be more careful exiting onto a È two lane carriageway wouldn't we ... wouldn't want to accelerate impressively into the path of an oncoming Scania Turbo. At very low speed too, like stuck in heavy traffic, the bike feels a tad sloppy at the front, a bit weavey, heavy steering-ish - oh, bugger, you know what I mean.

The brakes are great, they do a fine job of pulling up the 1131cc V-Rod, which, low slung as it is, doesn't feel like a very heavy bike but is only about 35 kilos lighter at 270 kg than say a Softail Standard. 'You wouldn't want 35 kilos thrown at you though would you King?' you may well retort. Well no, but the point is that the V-Rod is very near 100kilos heavier than the Buell Lightning at 175 kg - that is a light litre bike! Do not believe those who say the solid wheels front and back don't catch the wind, whether you argue the V-Rod is light or heavy, it will get caught by cross winds much more noticeably than your mate's Fat Boy ... which also are susceptible. As long as you are prepared, there isn't a problem unless it is really is blowing a hooligan out there.

Comfort wise the V-Rod is okay for the rider, it's not terrific, it's not terrible. The bars are well positioned as are the forward sets, but the low slung riders seat isn't quite as comfy as it appears. On the other hand, the pillion position is exactly as crap as it appears.

And as low as the seat was, I always felt on the machine, not really in it. It all felt sort of, down there, not up here, with me ... like I was a rather obese and ugly cherry on a pretty bun ... er ... actually, no, I can't put that any better. Live with it.

At first I wasn't really impressed with the V-Rod as a motorcycle. God, it looked impressive enough and as a machine to really get you noticed it worked extremely well: everyone looked, but I didn't enjoy it as a motorcycle. After using it properly, however, putting plenty of miles on it I began to appreciate just how good it was and began to get the most out of it as I learnt to ride it.

Quick, efficient, fun and sometimes quite breath-takingly exhilarating - not bad for a first attempt.

BUELL XB9S LIGHTNING

Don't lie, you know damn well that one of the reasons you chose to ride a motorcycle in the first place was because you knew you would look cool on it. A chief reason why you wanted a bigger bike, or this bike or that bike afterwards was because you knew you would look cooler - wasn't it!

Fibber!

But just suppose someone invented a demented one litre four stroke V-twin and put it in a road machine that shares the same dimensions and much of the technological know-how as a Grand Prix 250 racing motorcycle. And then deliberately made it look even more bananas. Wouldn't be caught dead on it would you? You'd look ridiculous.

But you know and I know that image is not the only reason why we ride motorcycles. In fact it became less and less important over the years. Now we mainly ride motorcycles because it is brilliant, unadulterated fun.

Oh, I knew full well when I first cocked a leg over the high seat of the XB9S Buell Lightning, my 33 inch legs stretching to touch the floor on either side, one wheel up my bum the other under my crotch, that I was going to look like a right pillock. But I'd already ridden the FireBolt and I didn't care. I just knew that I was in for some big joy.

Just starting the bike I sensed I was in for a good time, the much modified 984cc Sportster-derived vee growls menacingly through the twin ceramic silencers under the frame, breathing easily and quickly through a 45mm downdraft fuel injector. Pretty soon, the engine is warming, it's snapping, barking ... time to let it off the leash.

Just a few revs and I was underway, the Lightning betraying its H-D heritage with plenty of usable torque and easy low speed manners. This is no highly strung animal, coughing and lurching through traffic, it's well behaved, smooth even, but I could hear from the engine note it was dying to get ridden harder.

The Lightning inspires confidence, the engine and gearbox at low speed so sweet and balanced as is the rest of the machine. Though I felt up in the air, the wheels underneath me, it didn't take me long before I appreciated the incredibly quick steering and awesome brakes. Soon I was weaving gently, purring politely, nipping and tucking the brakes to line up an opportunity then suddenly squirting through the holes in the traffic in rapid snarling bursts right from the throttle, no gear change necessary. Almost balletic, a dance, so poised did the machine feel.

The reward: open road. Winding up a Buell È motor is an almost indescribable joy, you accelerate very, very rapidly into an area of revs only dreamed of by Sportsters, where rather than losing power and feeling like you are destroying the motor, it surges faster, pulls even stronger. To make the sensation even more perfect this acceleration is accompanied by an exquisite blare from the pipes. Road gets eaten alive, there's never enough of it and just about everywhere is closer than you thought.

The frame geometry and suspension is nothing short of perfect, under power I felt that I could push the Lightning further and faster into turns than just about any other bike I'd ever ridden other than the FireBolt. Because the Lightning is more sit up and beg, higher bars, lower foot rests, I didn't feel quite so confident laying the machine right over as the FireBolt, but it's swings and roundabouts. In town or riding with less, er, commitment let's say, the Lightning was bags more comfortable and easier to ride.

And yes I did say comfortable. Surprisingly so - and that included the pillion I was ferrying about every day: not perfectly comfortable, but comfortable enough at least to sit there 25 miles at a time twice a day without complaint. Which is pretty bizarre when you take a look at the seat again. Certainly, given the choice of the Lightning or the V-Rod pillion, Mandie would have absolutely no hesitation in opting for the Lightning.

While the Lightning certainly is a rapid machine, it's no ICBM and breaking the national speed limit really isn't what it's for. It will definitely roar past 70mph without you noticing, so secure does it feel, and is more than capable of going well past 100mph should the rider wish. But my guess is that the rider won't wish, they will be having fun on a windy road somewhere.

I was massively impressed by the Buell XB9S Lightning, not only was it incredibly rewarding for an old lag like me to tool about on, but the machine's road manners were so impeccable I would have no hesitation in recommending that a learner choose one for their direct access exam.

CONCLUSION

V-Rod and Lightning head to head eh? At first glance, at least to me, it seemed a very strange pair of motorcycles to compare. It would be easy to point out the differences for sure, the machines are poles apart in so many ways, yet the more I thought on I could also see some similarities:

Forward thinking, revolutionary, uncompromising, radical.

Yeah, but also:

Rideable, safe, comfortable, clever, fast, fun.

Then re-read all those words and add another three:

American built motorcycles.

Blinking 'eck! Not too long ago very, very few of those words would have been all that applicable to describe American production motorcycles. All that is changed now. The business partnership of Harley-Davidson and Buell seems to have energised both manufacturers, they seemed to have learned well from each other and are utilising the best properties of their respective companies. Both are now willing to take risks in an attempt to attract new, perhaps younger, owners with a very different perspective on motorcycling and indeed, possibly begin to prepare existing owners for a quite probable future. Many of those existing owners are extremely suspicious of and indeed hostile to these new machines, yet the motorcycling environment is on the change, like it or not.

To survive the environmental changes, as any natural historian will tell you, we must begin to adapt, evolve and take advantage of them ... or else eventually become extinct. Which could all sound pretty bleak if it weren't for the fact that, all in all, the Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod and the XB9S Buell Lightning are bloody good fun.

Specifications        

Make and Model:	Harley-Davidson VRSCA V-Rod	Buell XB9S Lightning
Engine:	DOHC Revolution. Liquid-cooled 60° V-twin.	OHV air-cooled 45-degree V-Twin
Displacement:	1130cc	984cc
Compression Ratio:	11.3:1	10:1
Bore & Stroke:	100 x 72mm	88.9 x 79.375mm
Torque:	105NM @ 6600rpm	92Nm @ 5500
Power:	115hp @ 8500rpm	92hp @ 6500rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic fuel injection	Dynamic Digital Fuel Injection (DDFI) with Ram Air intake
Exhaust System:	2-into-1-into-2	Free-breathing 2-into-1 collector
Oil Capacity:	4.3 litres	2.3litres
Fuel Capacity:	14 litres (includes reserve)	14 litres
Primary Drive:	High contact ratio spur gear	Triple row (triplex) chain
Final Drive:	Kevlar belt	Kevlar belt
Overall Length:	2435mm	1924mm
Seat Height:	659.9mm	775mm
Ground clearance:	140mm	127mm
Rake/Trail:	34 degrees / 99.1mm	21 degree / 83mm
Brakes:	2 x 292 x 5.08mm front 1 x 292 x 5.84mm rear	375mm ZTL (Zero Torsion Load) floating disk, 6-piston calliper 230mm disk, single piston calliper
Wheels:	19 x 3-inch cast disc front. 18 x .5-inch cast disc rear	3.50 x 17 6-spoke 5.50 x 17 6-spoke
Tyres:	120/70 x 19 Dunlop D207 radial front 180/55 x 18 Dunlop D207 radial rear	Dunlop D 207 FY Sportmax 120/70 ZR17 Dunlop D 207 Y Sportmax 180/55 ZR17
Wheelbase:	1713mm	1320mm
Dry Weight:	270kg	175kg
Instruments:	Electronic Speedo with odometer, re-settable trip meter and diagnostic capabilities and solid-state tell-tale indicator module. Tacho. Fuel Gauge.	Electronic speedometer and tacho with LED odometer and multi-function tripmeter. Built-in LED indicator lamps for low oil pressure, high beam, turn signals, and neutral.
Colour:	Anodized aluminium body, 2-tone Sterling Silver / Vivid Black	Arctic white / blue graphics Arctic white / orange graphics Battle blue / orange graphics
Price:	£14,095 Aluminium £14,795 2-tone Prices include usual otr inc. PDI, full tank of fuel, 12-months tax, first service, 12 months membership of Harley Owners Group (HOG) including their European roadside recovery	£6,995