The 10 Best Harley Davidson V Rod Models of All-Time

The Harley Davidson V-Rod was unquestionably one of the most special motorcycles ever produced. The company manufactured them from 1999 all the way up until 2017. During that time, they did what no one else had ever even considered doing, such as using a double overhead camshaft and liquid cooling. You might think of the Harley-Davidson V-Rod as a bigger, badder version of your typical street motorcycle. It’s similar to the muscle cars of the 1960s, only this time you’re talking about a motorcycle. Below are 10 of the best versions they ever created. All you have to do is keep reading to find out why these bikes are so memorable.

10. VRXSE V-Rod Destroyer

This is probably one of the most impressive motorcycles ever made, regardless of the manufacturer in question. In its purest form, it was a drag bike, made only for racing. It was definitely fast, so fast that it was capable of generating almost two G’s when you hit the throttle. As a matter of fact, that speed eventually got the bike banned from a lot of race tracks because many people deemed it too unsafe to ride.

9. VRSCX V-Rod

In 2007, Harley-Davidson built 1,400 of these motorcycles. Meant to be a tribute bike to another Harley-Davidson V-Rod, the Screaming Eagle, this one featured a 240 mm rear tire and a five gallon gas tank. It clearly wasn’t designed to go very far, but it was made to go fast.

8. VRSCR Street Rod

With the manufacture of this particular model beginning in 2006, it was the first time that Harley-Davidson utilized the ever-popular Brembo brakes or inverted forks for better control. Surprisingly, they only manufactured the bike through the 2006 and 2007 model years. Despite that fact, it is a motorcycle that is still highly sought-after and much-loved.

7. VRSCSE Screamin’ Eagle CVO V-Rod

This particular bike was manufactured specifically for the 2005 model year. It was much like most of the other Harley Davidson V-Rod motorcycles, with a few notable exceptions. However, it incorporated a lot more chrome, along with custom paint. It was an almost instant success, one that motorcycle riders came to love as soon as they saw it.

6. VRSCF V-Rod Muscle

This model had a long-run with Harley Davidson, beginning in 2009 and lasting all the way until production ended in 2017. This marks the first time that Harley-Davidson had integrated turn signals into the side mirrors. However, the thing that really endeared it to motorcycle riders was the fact that it was capable of generating an enormous amount of power. In fact, they claimed that at 6,500 RPM, the engine could generate as much as 86 foot-pounds of torque. That allowed the bike to reach a top speed of about 122 miles per hour, more than fast enough to get the adrenaline flowing.

5. VRSCDX Night Rod Special

This bike is very much like another bike made by Harley-Davidson, the Night Rod, with one very important exception. In every way possible, the bike was completely blacked out. That is precisely why it was referred to as the Night Rod Special. As it turns out, Harley-Davidson also made another V-Rod referred to as the Night Rod, and then they turned around and kicked things up a notch by making this little gem that was completely different in its appearance from anything available at the time. It hasn’t been manufactured since 2017, but it did enjoy a 10-year run with Harley Davidson and it’s still one of the most sought-after motorcycles that they have made thus far.

4. VRSCD Night Rod

Unfortunately, this bike only enjoyed a production run of two years, between 2006 and 2008. During that time, it generated a lot of buzz because it was essentially built around one of the most unique motorcycle engines to come along in some time, the Revolution engine. As opposed to building the bike and then fitting the engine into it, this bike was essentially reverse-engineered by focusing on the engine first and then making everything else fit around it.

3. VRCSB V-Rod

This bike is virtually exactly the same as another V-Rod made by the company, the VRCSA. However, there were some things about it that set it apart. Examples include a black powder coat for the paint scheme, different handlebars and a black frame. The bike also had highly polished aluminum features which stood out against its otherwise entirely black color, making it something to behold from an aesthetic point of view.

2. VRSCAW V-Rod

Manufactured from 2007 to 2010, this motorcycle is also closely related to the VRCSA. In fact, that particular bike was the predecessor to this example. It incorporated the same type of aluminum body work that Harley-Davidson had first tried to use on the VRCSA. However, they eventually made the decision to drop that body style. This was a decision that not everyone was happy with. As a result, many were glad to see it come back on this particular bike.

1. VRSCA V-Rod

This was the bike that so many of the other V-Rods were essentially based off of. It was manufactured from 2002 until 2006 and was very much considered one of the earlier versions of the Harley-Davidson muscle motorcycles. With 155 horsepower and a good set of Brembo brakes, this is a bike that can go fast and stop almost as quickly. It definitely set the bar high when it came to all of the other Harley-Davidson V-Rods that would come after it. Luckily, the company seemed up to the challenge and managed to set that bar a little higher each and every time.