Harley-Davidson VRSCF 1250 V-Rod Muscle 2015 — Specifications

Do you remember the first time you saw a V-Rod? It was as if Harley had decided to send a tank to a bodybuilding competition. With the 2015 Muscle, they downright gave steroids to the concept. This is far from the soft curves of the Softail models; everything here is prominent, angular, ready to fight. It’s no longer a motorcycle; it's a sculpted statement in aluminum and bad intentions.

The heart of the beast remains the 60-degree V-twin, but increased to 1246 cm3. The figures speak for themselves: 123 horsepower at 8000 rpm, a war cry in the Harley range. The torque, meanwhile, is a real workhorse at 114.7 Nm, available fairly high in the rev range for a Milwaukee motorcycle. You have to accept to let it rev, but when it bites, the thrust is linear and brutal. Next to it, a Fat Bob seems almost lazy. The braking, with its dual four-piston calipers, is up to the mass it has to stop, because it must be said, the 307 kg when fully fueled is felt when stopped.

And it’s just there that the shoe pinches. This mass, combined with a riding position that sticks you to the tank and advanced controls, doesn’t make it a city companion. The low seat at 705 mm is a lure; the bike is wide, imposing. It is made for straight lines and the looks it attracts. The enormous 240 mm wide rear tire announces the color: agility in curves is not its credo. It holds its line, certainly, but with the grace of an aircraft carrier. The 18.9-liter tank is almost a joke given the engine's appetite; you will become familiar with gas stations.

So, who rides this freak of a machine? Clearly not the beginner, who would drown in its weight and power delivered with a well-tempered character. This is the motorcycle for the radical design enthusiast, for those who want a Harley without the usual folklore, capable of holding its own against a Japanese inline in a straight line. At nearly 18,500 euros new, it was a bold gamble. A UFO in the Harley catalog, too extreme for some, an icon for others. It didn’t have a true successor, and perhaps that’s its greatest strength: the V-Rod Muscle remains the ultimate eccentric, proof that Harley dared, once, to shake its own DNA.