There were many different models in Harley-Davidson’s line of V-Twin Racing Street Custom (VRSC) muscle bikes, and depending on what they had to offer, each meant something different to different people. But there is one thing they all had in common: they’re still incredibly appreciated even to this day, roughly four years after production of the family ceased.
The American bike maker introduced the V-Rods, as they’re also called, back in 2001 as a means for it to take on the greats of the muscle bike segment. For about 16 years, the breed successfully did so, and then, as part of a questionable business decision, it was dropped from production in 2017.
During its time on the market, the V-Rod family managed to leave a lasting impression not only on riders, but also on the custom motorcycle industry, which embraced the range with unexpected enthusiasm. The shops outside America are the ones who found V-Rods to be particularly to their liking, and we could spend probably years talking about the customized Milwaukee muscle bikes that came out their doors.
And we’re kind of doing that, with our daily coverage of customized Harleys from all over the world. And today’s special treat is a conversion of the VRSCDX Night Rod Special, handled by an Estonian named Fredy Jaates.
Born back in 2008, one year after this version of the V-Rod came into existence, the bike was converted in the guy’s usual, at times extreme fashion, being gifted with enough hardware to make it look and feel particularly aggressive, and then wrapped in a deep black perfectly suited to its factory name.
The bike rides on a couple of equally-sized, 18-inch wheels wrapped in white letter tires. Both are supported by Öhlins suspension and housed underneath custom-made fenders. Everything on the bike that was worthy of a cover received one, of course also in black.
The bike is presumably animated by the engine it had on when it rolled off the assembly lines, only this time, as is the case with most of Jaates builds, got beefed up a bit. The guy slapped a Sprintex supercharger in there, just like he did with the V-Rod we talked about last week, but also a CFR exhaust to suit the design and provide better exhaling punch for the motorcycle. Sadly, we are not being told how the performances of the V-Rod modified with the addition of this gear.
Because Europeans seem to be generally very discreet when it comes to such things, we also don’t know how much this particular motorcycle cost to put together. It’s clear though the modifications alone are probably worth more than the $15,000 a used Night Rod Special (and stock) goes for these days.
During its time on the market, the V-Rod family managed to leave a lasting impression not only on riders, but also on the custom motorcycle industry, which embraced the range with unexpected enthusiasm. The shops outside America are the ones who found V-Rods to be particularly to their liking, and we could spend probably years talking about the customized Milwaukee muscle bikes that came out their doors.
And we’re kind of doing that, with our daily coverage of customized Harleys from all over the world. And today’s special treat is a conversion of the VRSCDX Night Rod Special, handled by an Estonian named Fredy Jaates.
Born back in 2008, one year after this version of the V-Rod came into existence, the bike was converted in the guy’s usual, at times extreme fashion, being gifted with enough hardware to make it look and feel particularly aggressive, and then wrapped in a deep black perfectly suited to its factory name.
The bike rides on a couple of equally-sized, 18-inch wheels wrapped in white letter tires. Both are supported by Öhlins suspension and housed underneath custom-made fenders. Everything on the bike that was worthy of a cover received one, of course also in black.
The bike is presumably animated by the engine it had on when it rolled off the assembly lines, only this time, as is the case with most of Jaates builds, got beefed up a bit. The guy slapped a Sprintex supercharger in there, just like he did with the V-Rod we talked about last week, but also a CFR exhaust to suit the design and provide better exhaling punch for the motorcycle. Sadly, we are not being told how the performances of the V-Rod modified with the addition of this gear.
Because Europeans seem to be generally very discreet when it comes to such things, we also don’t know how much this particular motorcycle cost to put together. It’s clear though the modifications alone are probably worth more than the $15,000 a used Night Rod Special (and stock) goes for these days.