2009 Harley-Davidson VRSCF V-Rod Muscle Review

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2009 Harley-Davidson VRSCF V-Rod Muscle Review

Written by admin on June 26, 2009 – 4:44 am -

Harley gets some muscle
By Pete Brissette, Aug. 05, 2008, Photography by Tom Riles, Kevin Wing

Like the new, robust chassis on Harley-Davidson’s touring machines, news about a brand new V-Rod is only weeks old, but like the touring bikes, our time at the recent ‘09 H-D model launch presented an opportunity to cop a ride on the new V-Rod Muscle.
The long, low and clean look of this latest VRSC family member strikes a familiar pose to that of the other two V-Rods, the intimidating blacked-out (and now Dark Custom member) Night Rod Special and the more simple but classic-looking V-Rod.
Flexing some new muscle

2009 Harley-Davidson V-Rod Muscle

The LED stop/turn/tail-light integrated into the rear fender is a brilliant design feature. Also note here, and in other photos, the slightly more angular shapes of some of the bodywork.

The Muscle is primarily a styling exercise. Rather than the more rounded shapes of the other ‘Rods, this new guy adopts slightly more angular shapes, especially in the faux fuel tank/air-box cover, wide side air-intake covers and squared-off low and cushy saddle with a rear support designed to hold the rider in place during powerful bursts of acceleration on tap from the same super-smooth 60-degree liquid-cooled DOHC, eight-valve, Revolution 1250cc V-Twin that powers all ’Rods. The Muscle comes in a 121 hp/85 ft-lbs flavor.

Also new is the radiator shroud and minimalist rear fender with incredibly tasteful and smartly-integrated stop/turn/taillight. The further one gets from the rear of this bike, the thinner the fender looks, yet safety isn’t impacted thanks to the powerfully-bright LED lighting. In another stroke of design genius, front LED turn indicators are blended to near invisibleness in the mirror stalks.
The front fender also deserves styling kudos with its rear half wearing a matte-black finish in order to disappear visually, leaving the first impression that only a simple, chopped fender covers the 5-spoke cast-aluminum 19-inch front wheel.
The mirrors themselves, along with the meaty angular bars, internally-wired cast bar riser and simple triple gauges with sportbike-gauge-inspired looks all add to the block o’ billet appearance of the bike.

Finally, the most distinct item setting the Muscle apart from its mates is the wide, long and low dual-exhaust. A muscle-car look was the goal with a single exhaust pipe per side instead of the dual over-under set up on both the Night Rod Special and V-Rod. The satiny finish of the exhaust works especially well on the Brilliant Silver color scheme.

The rider triangle may get a bit stretched for those standing less than 5-feet 10-inches, but once the new V-Rod is in the curvy parts of the road the reach to the bars seems to disappear as does the heavy steering the bike exhibits at slower speeds.
The 60-degree liquid-cooled Revolution 1250cc looks like a solid piece of billet, appearing jewel-like in the newest V-Rod.

The Muscle flexes its strength on the street or the strip.
Looks are one thing, a cooked inner calf, melted boot rubber or fried leather are another. I can’t deny the designer’s success at harkening to the muscle-car appeal with the Muscle’s exhaust, but the exhaust shape and placement forces a wide stance when putting a foot down at a light and when straddling the bike.

We had the opportunity to hammer the Muscle down the dragstrip (look for more on that in an upcoming story) at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma County, CA, which revealed the obtrusiveness of the exhaust system. The area just past the point where the head pipes meet the mufflers became darkened and sticky with the melted plastic of roadrace boots, as the smell of hot leather was present and color transfer from leather suits or pants was clearly evident on the exhaust.

They look good, these pipes, but they get hot. More than once during our street ride did I get that sharp jolt of hot flesh as my jeans-covered leg got too close to the exhaust during a stop or paddle maneuver. Pillions may be in jeopardy too of burning some leg hair. Hot stuff, meng!

'I was genuinely surprised at how nimble the bike felt and how easily it transitioned left to right, back and forth, despite the big 240mm rear tire...'

With a 67-inch wheelbase, slow-speed steering requires effort at the bars and the bike feels generally cumbersome. But that effort melts from your mind once up to speed, and the good leverage from the aggressive bend in the moderately wide handlebars is your friend when hustling this long boy through the tighter and narrower roads on your travels.

It wasn’t until the last 30 miles of the day when an opportunity allowed me to wind up the quick-revving Twin and start flicking the Muscle through the tight stuff. I was genuinely surprised at how nimble the bike felt and how easily it transitioned left to right, back and forth, despite the big 240mm rear tire, now standard on all VRSC models.

This impromptu route gave the bike a chance to reveal a quick handling, stable and very fun characteristic that I didn’t think existed in the machine prior to this point on my ride. The effort required to initiate and then complete a tight radius turn was gone and in its place was a willing participant in my peg-grinding silliness.

Ride quality from the 43mm inverted fork is very good, offering the sensation of a very taut package all around. Only the sharpest angled bumps are a pain, literally, in the rear.

Indeed, the V-Rod is still a cruiser at heart, and has the forward controls to prove it. If there’s another inherent flaw on this ’Rod, aside from the blistering exhausts, it’s the limited lean angle. But, if you’re willing to carry the bike higher, or farther out, in the turn in order to limit the amount of lean needed to complete the turn, you can reduce a good portion of the metal-on-asphalt sound.
Whatever your turning prowess, one thing we can all enjoy is the mill. Acceleration is ferocious from roughly 6,000 rpm all the way to redline; generally, the engine pulls in a very confident and linear manner in any gear and almost any engine speed. Reeling in this silver bullet is cake with the potent dual Brembos made all the more effective when coupled with the optional ABS.

The V-Rod Muscle easily flexes its might with the incredibly smooth and powerful engine and tranny, good ride quality and excellent brakes. If you’re tall enough or content enough to look beyond the stretched ergos to enjoy the bike on the flat, you’ll be doubly rewarded for your endurance when you get this new tuff kid in the corners, or on the ’strip.
The new V-Rod Muscle has a starting suggested MSRP of $17,199 and comes in Vivid Black, Brilliant Silver, Dark Blue Denim and Red Hot Sunglo.