Harley-Davidson VRSCF 1250 V-Rod Muscle 2010 — Specifications

Do you remember the aesthetic shock caused by the first V-Rod in 2001? The Milwaukee firm had then pulled from its hat a radical machine, silencing for the first time a liquid-cooled engine from competition. Nine years later, the V-Rod Muscle, in its 2010 version, pushes the concept even further into the register of raw aggression. We are far from the rumbling Softails; here, everything is designed to impress at first glance. The 60-degree V-twin, boosted to 1246 cm3, is no longer a decorative element but the main attraction, flanked by monstrous intake vents and overlooking a 240 mm wide rear tire. It is a stylistic declaration of war, a cruiser that fully embraces its dragster origins.

Under the hood, or rather under this large exposed metal block, the figures announce the color: 123 horsepower at 8000 rpm and a torque of 112.8 Nm. Values that, on paper, place the Muscle in a category of its own, well above most Japanese or American cruisers of the time, often more concerned with low-end Newton-meters than with pure power. Harley has chosen sport here, even provocation. This engine, developed with Porsche, loves to rev and delivers its power with a rare vehemence in the range. The five-speed gearbox and belt transmission transmit this energy smoothly, but the beast's soul remains wild. On acceleration, the thrust is violent, linear, and the torque slams you against the low seat (640 mm) without any delicacy. It is physical, direct, almost primitive.

Yet, with its 307 kg fully fueled, the Muscle is not a lightweight athlete. It imposes its mass, and this is felt from the first few meters. The riding position, with the footpegs very far forward, is typical of the cruiser genre but becomes uncomfortable over long distances, transforming each tight turn into a test of strength. The 43 mm inverted fork and the twin shocks do a good job of containing the weight, but we are at the opposite of the suppleness of a touring bike or the precision of a sportbike. It swallows the straight with the stability of a liner and brakes hard thanks to its quadruple piston calipers, but asking it to dance in curves is asking the impossible of it. Its element is the boulevard, the long coastal roads where its bad girl look can fully express itself.

Who is it aimed at then? Certainly not the novice, who will be overwhelmed by its weight and demanding character. Nor the touring rider seeking comfort over hundreds of kilometers. The V-Rod Muscle clearly targets the jaded aesthete, the rider who already owns a "normal" motorcycle and is looking for a unique mechanical object, a rolling sculpture with a feline temperament. At a price of around 19,000 euros at the time, it was a bold gamble. Faced with a yet more bestial Yamaha V-Max or a more recent and agile Ducati Diavel, the Muscle played its card on pure identity, Harley heritage revisited by science fiction. It did not seek to please everyone, and that was precisely what made its charm. A counter-current motorcycle, demanding, but which left an indelible mark, both on the landscape and on the back of its rider.