Harley-Davidson VRSCF 1250 V-Rod Muscle 2016 — Specifications

Impossible to miss this beast in a parking lot. We’re talking about the V-Rod Muscle, the most determined version of the VRSC saga. In 2016, it has nothing in common with the original, somewhat refined model. Here, everything is about volume and sharp angles. The fairing is roughly hewn, the intake vents seem to suck in the surrounding air and light, and that 240-millimeter-wide rear tire gives the impression that the entire road belongs to it. It’s an aesthetic declaration of war, a machine that fully embraces its post-apocalyptic rough rider side, far from the gleaming chrome of Milwaukee.

Beneath this apparent muscle lies a radically different heart for the brand. Forget the large, pushrod V-Twins. Here, it’s a 60-degree V-twin engine, the result of a collaboration with Porsche, delivering 122 horsepower at 8000 rpm. A figure that makes purists grind their teeth, but which places the beast in a modern power curve. Torque is massive at 114.7 Nm, available fairly high in the rev range, however. This engine is an exquisite anomaly at Harley: it likes to be revved, it responds with linear vehemence, and its sound is a deep rumble rather than a characteristic hiccup. This is what makes it a potential dragster motorcycle, despite a wet weight approaching 307 kilograms.

Justly, this weight is the first adversary to conquer. In the city, the Muscle is a test of strength, requiring commitment at every slowdown. But once launched on the open road, the magic happens. The chassis, a solid steel double cradle, absorbs the torque with reassuring rigidity. The 43 mm inverted fork and the twin rear shocks offer a much more serious handling feel than one might imagine, capable of managing the enormous rear tire without drama. The braking, with 300 mm discs and four-piston calipers at the front, is up to the available power. It’s far from a touring motorcycle; it’s a muscular GT that demands a rider.

Who is it for then? Certainly not a beginner, intimidated by its size and a price tag approaching 19,000 euros. It’s the mount of the iconoclast, the globetrotter who refuses conventions and wants an American capable of holding its own against a sportbike on a good course. It makes custom enthusiasts envious, while leaving traditional Harley riders skeptical. Its weakness? Its autonomy, with a less than 19-liter tank quickly depleted by its appetite, and an ergonomics that, despite a low seat at 705 mm, becomes restrictive on very long distances.

The V-Rod Muscle is not a compromise. It’s a bold gamble by Harley-Davidson, a motorcycle that has chosen its side: raw performance and radical style. It doesn’t seek to please everyone, and that’s precisely what makes its charm and legitimacy. A final touch of madness before the electric era prevails, a particular mechanical roar in the history of motorcycling.