The dark recesses of the Sportster® soul are still intact. Check out the old school fork gaiters. The drilled metal pieces. The rear fender is chopped and clean, thanks to new stop-turn tail lights and a side-mount license plate. A low suspension puts the seat at just over 25 inches, hard as the muscle behind it, the Nightster™ gets the 1,200-cubic-centimeters Evolution V-Twin engine. Rubber-mounted in the narrow, nimble Sportster® frame and finished with shades of dark. In other words, it’ll put the edge back on a blade.

What those riders and their torches stumbled onto was a look that hasn’t lost a thing. Sit in the solo seat, reach up to the high handlebar, and the feeling is unmistakable. There’s plenty to enjoy when it’s not in motion, too. Like the sculpted emblems on the Fat Bob® tank. Black powder-coat and polished covers on the engine. Purists will recognize its no-holds-barred attitude. The neighbors will recognize its V-twin rumble. Let’s be straight about this. It’s what the road calls for.

Stripped-off parts. Drilled metal. Primer. A bike that gets down to the bare bones of what motorcycling is all about. The old-school chopped front fender and retro air cleaner cover. The smooth lowered suspension, closer to the road than any other Softail®. An air-cooled, rigid mounted, 1,584 cubic-centimeter Twin Cam 96B™ balanced engine, with a blacked-out finish that's pure badass. Strip down a bike to what really matters. You'll feel it in your bones.

Race-inspired detailing meets shades of black metal that would make night herself jealous. Orange pinstripes around the slotted disc wheels; 240-millimeters worth of rubber in the rear. Mesh screen covers foreshadow the kind of performance that keeps the faint of heart behind locked doors. The liquid-cooled Revolution® engine gets an upgrade to 1,250-cubic-centimeters for 2008. That's 125 horses beneath your seat, harnessed via a new slipper clutch. Also new this year on all VRSC™ models: optional ABS brakes to supplement the standard Brembo® brake setup. You've got a five-gallon fuel tank and a perimeter frame like nothing else on two wheels. The only thing outpacing the RPM’s is your heartbeat.

The top of the line, all wrapped up in stunning new Anniversary style. Like every Touring model, the Ultra Classic® gets the most out of a new longer-ranging six-gallon tank, with added miles of comfort in the seat plus new Brembo® brakes and our optional anti-lock (ABS) technology. Choose the Anniversary Ultra Classic® and ABS comes standard. The Touring ride is smoother than ever for 2008, thanks to a new rear Isolated Drive System (IDS). It improves ride quality by reducing drive line noise. Ultra Classic® riders get even more comfort with a full fairing and vented lowers, plus new fairing-mounted adjustable wind deflectors. There is a King Tour Pak® and GTX-nylon saddlebags. Cruise control. Harman/Kardon® Advanced Audio System and CB/Intercom. And making its own sweet music, a chromed six-speed Twin Cam 96™ engine, proudly exposed for all the world to admire.