Harley-Davidson Night Rod Special reviews

It's my second VRod,(still own a 2005 VRSCA). Both are great machines - performance, quality, value. The 2011 Nightrod Special: I love the new color, 240 rear wheel, additional cubic inches, low seat, weight in bottom-not top heavy-perfect balance and five gallon fuel tank. It's a different sitting position compared to 2005, more sport bike type-excellent handling and power. It makes you smile with each mile. Corbin bags coming soon for extended rides. Too bad Harley has no idea how to market their best machine and options for it. Show less

This bike has been great so far. Modifications I had done prior to picking it up. I had reduced reach handlebars put on, led light in the rear, and I had the pipes bored out. All three I'm very happy with. The reduced reach bars make it more like a cruiser which is nice. The pipes are great. Everyone loves them. So many people comment about them. The best part it only cost $175.00 dollars to do. First, looks; same as everyone else, the bike turns more heads than any other. Everywhere I go people are coming up to me asking me about the bike. The best part is I'll be out riding with my friends and we'll stop for a break and when we're sitting there more than one one of them have said; You know I really love my bike, but your bike is just so mean looking, I love it. I think this is the best comment you can get. Enough about looks. Riding: The bike handles like a charm. The 240 rear tire does make it harder to turn. The easiest remedy for this is to just start your turn earlier. After I got the bike I spent a few hours riding side streets at low speed working on the turns. Once you get that down turns are not issues. Reliability: I had the bike for about a week and had a tire weight fall off, fuel gauge quit, and the clutch line came loose. In a week this is a lot to go wrong but none of it was major. The tire weight and clutch cable easy to fix, the fuel gauge had a loose wire that got fixed when I took the bike up for its thousand mile service. Minus those issues reliability is fine. that's why I give it a 3 for reliability. Performance: Great and that's and understatement. The bike is a beast especially when around 4000 RPM and above. Perfect example: I was going up a pretty steep hill behind someone going about 50; I was in 5th downshifted to 4th and gunned it, the thing took off like a raped ape, shot past the two cars in front and was back in my lane in less the 8 seconds. I looked down and I was encroaching on 100 mph. She is just a beast, turns you have to be careful due to the bike sitting 4.5 inches above the ground. If you lean it over to much the pegs drag, but then again if you want to corner like an animal, get a different bike. I have nothing negative on the performance. One little thing, it would be nice if she was a 6 speed, but they fixed this with the 08 version. Comfort: The seat the bike came with is not the best. To be honest me arse hurts when I ride it for over 2 hours. I bought a sundowner seat and couldn't be happier. The pillion seat my girl loves. I offered to get her the seat that comes with the sundowner but she declined so I kept the factory one. Comfort 4. Quality, well it's a Harley; the quality appears great to me, this one I will have to get back to you on in lets say 5 years. Then I can give you a better opinion of quality. Overall though it's a great bike, I wouldn't have another bike minus the issues with the 3 things that went wrong when I got it. When I get on it and go, it's great. The bike handles like a dream when you figure out how to handle her. Looks; well everyone has been there. They speak for themselves. If you're going to purchase one; good luck. I hope you love yours as much as I love mine. Show less

Ok, well after nine months and almost 6000 miles later, I decided to write a follow up and I have to say that I love this bike. It is awesome!!! It is the coolest bike out there, and I own one. I don't know how I did it, but I got one and it's all mine. It's still got some issues as far as practicality, but hey, so does the Dodge Viper. It has also developed a problem with the fuel guage being very inaccurate, but it's apparently a known issue and is being resolved for free as per the warranty. It's a pretty straight forward bike, what you see is what you get. It maneuvers very well, looks good, and is fairly comfortable. I've heard people say the handlebars are hard to reach, but it's just perfect for me. I had to give it 4 stars total due to the less than perfect suspension and the fuel guage problem. If you are looking for the coolest bike on the road, this is it! Show less

This is a versatile bike that does all things very well. It needs to be viewed and reviewed as a unique bike rather than comparing it to sport bikes or heavy cruisers. It cruises around town with ease and can get beastly above 6000rpm yet remains very smooth. It's not the fastest but sure as hell ain't slow, it'll propel that 600 some pounds in an instant and at 120hp it's very respectable. It handles and corners very well for a big bike and long wheelbase. No not like a Buell or an Agusta but make a few adjustments to your mindset and it will do all most riders need it to do and then some. After 3000 miles one thing is certain, a weekend or short ride can not give a rider the feel for this bike. I kept learning about it for 1000 miles or so. The versatility that comes from 10,000 rpms and a very sweet 5 speed tranny, the long wheelbase and stability, the low slung frame, and raked front end all have their attributes. It's an awesome combination and a perfect street bike. Speed - Smoothness - Comfort - Handling. Show less

I have ridden all types of machines in my day and this thing is just amazing. Yes, it does take a little getting used to i.e.: controls, turning and low end powerband but without a doubt one of the nicest bikes I have ever rode. I first logged a few hundered miles and when I got off I felt as good or even better than when I got on, almost therapuedic in nature on my back and arms. I did experience one thing - a huge grin on my face for the next several days that did not go away.... Show less

Very nice ride. I will have to agree though that its sound is fairly lame and the shifting noice is ridiculously loud. Other than that, I absolutely love this bike. Show less

I'm loving this bike. I came from a 2000 GSXR-750. I miss the speed of the Gixxer but this Harley owns my old bike in style and looks. If I would dare complain about one thing, it would be the sound. I think a lot of people will agree that it sounds pretty tame compared to how it looks. And while I'm at it, the exhaust not only lacks in sound, it also lacks in style. A shorter exahust that sticks to the matte black theme would be much appreciated in place of the stocker. Maybe one that would dump downward. Needless to say, I can't wait for the aftermarket to catch up. Show less

I went from a 2004 Vulcan 2000 to the 2007 Night Rod Special and didn't even bat an eye. This is without a doubt the Baddddest V-Twin Cruiser ever. This is not a crotch rocket. Just a rocket. And don't be fooled. If you're not used to forward controls, don't waste your time. This cruiser is not for the faint of heart. It's got the power and looks. One more thing. Nobody has passed me yet, on any road. Show less

Before buying this bike I spent a bunch of hours online trying to find owner reviews. This site is one of the few that I found and I thought the reviews were helpful to me, so wanted to post my own now that I own the bike. I literally just picked up the bike this morning and froze my ass off riding it home, but I've been riding for 15 years and this is my 7th bike. Other bikes I've owned are a Honda Ascot, 2 Yamaha Maxim's, 2 Buell's and my last was a Hayabusa. In regard to build quality, the VRSCDX appears to be excellent. Although it doesn't have the same powerband as the Hayabusa, the engine is perfectly capable of putting a big fat smile on your face. It reminds me of my Buell's, it's a pretty torky (sp?) engine except the Buell engines redline at 4500 or so and this redlines at 9000. I had read that the fat rear tire caused the bike to require extra effort when turning. But honestly, if you know how to ride a motorcyle, you get used to it in about 10 minutes. This doesn't handle like a sportbike, it's longer and heavier, but it's a great handling bike. I had also read a lot of people complaining about the sound produced by the stock exhaust. I wouldn't say it's overly quiet, but I agree... the bike looks meaner than it sounds. There are plenty of aftermarket pipes available for the V-Rod and I may or may not install pipes. It really doesn't sound bad stock, but we'll see. The riding position is different than anything else I've owned but it's pretty comfortable. I'm only 5-7 and the forward controls are ok for me. I'd suggest than anyone shorter than me would want to get the controls moved back and maybe get the optional reach seat. Harley offers both. I will say, it's great to get completely flat foot on this bike at stops. I've never been able to do that before on previous bikes. Once I got comfortable on the bike I rode it to one of the local beaches. I wasn't there for more than 5 minutes when a State Trooper pulled up, rolled down his window and asked me what kind of bike I had. The guy wanted to be my best friend when he found out it was a Harley and spent the next 15 minutes complimenting the bike. So, the cool factor is DEFINITELY there and I'm assuming this will be a re-occuring event. I own a retail business and right now the bike is parked outside our showroom windows. I've got a good view of it and I'm surprised at the amount of attention it's getting. Great bike, great engine, great handling and killer looks. Buy one! Show less

This is not a bike to pass judgment on unless you put real time in. It impresses initially but the fun just keeps comin'. Most reviewers spend a day or 2 & make their call such as mild complaints for it's cornering. I too was a bit overwhelmed with the long chassis and drag-bike rake. I was always a fan of shorter wheel base and less rake, However, once I learned what the bike wanted from ME, once I started to let the bike do ITS thing it became very agile in the corners, crack it in a lean and she'll straighten up in a heartbeat. As for the power, it is seamless, instant and more than most of the cruiser types will ever learn how to use. The power plant incorporates state of the art technology and most of the bike world has no clue. A 9000 rpm Harley? The harder you ride it, the bigger your stones, the more it will impress. It can cruise around town under 4000 rpm with ease and comfort, get into the 6000 - 7000 rpm range and it simply turns into a different bike. The V-Rod with is more than respectable in all phases. Show less