- 1 of 50 Built
- Sold on Bill of Sale
- Not for Highway or Public road use
- 1000 CC engine
- This rare VR1000 was owned and displayed by a prominent Japanese collector who purchased it directly from the Harley-Davidson distributor in Japan
- Later displayed in a private collection in Chicago.
- Never been raced but ridden twice for exhibition laps
- This bike is still in like new condition
The year 1994 was a banner year for Harley-Davidson, a company that was about to break the 100,000 units annual barrier for the first time. That meant profit for shareholders and money for racing. For the first time ever, you could buy a V-twin Harley-Davidson road bike that was liquid-cooled, had a V-twin engine that wasn’t 45 degrees, did not have pushrods, and could break the 55 MPH speed limit in second gear. The fastest street-legal production motorcycle ever made in America could have been yours for just $49,490 in 1994 dollars. Of course, you had to promise you’d never ride it on the streets of America. Poland was OK, because that’s where the street version of the bike that brought Harley-Davidson back to road racing was homologated for everyday use. The AMA Superbike rules didn’t say where a bike had to be approved for street use, only that the company had to build at least 50 bikes with lights that were legal somewhere. It would not have any base in production Harley-Davidsons, as it would be developed from the ground-up as a racing machine, aimed at competing in AMA Superbike where 1000cc twins competed against 750cc fours. Despite the presence of lights and an electric starter, the production VR was far from a street bike. The box-stock bike weighed 451 pounds and produced 116 HP at the wheel, which was pretty impressive for a V-twin sport bike in the mid-1990s. This wasn’t a highly polished mass-produced machine with a warranty; it was a privateer race bike in semi-street guise. Look at a VR up close and you’ll note rough edges that reveal its true nature—the weave of the carbon-fiber bodywork is apparent through the paint, and the engine components are sandcast. This motorcycle is an excellent example of a very exclusive Harley-Davidson. Yvon Duhamel called it the best handling bike he had ever ridden.