2009 Harley-Davidson VRSC Night Rod Special
User Reviews
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What a pity
By (I am an Enthusiast) on Sep 30, 2011The Final Harley.
Fell in love with the Night Rod Special,
awsome looking ,powerful in a straight line. Sadley mechanical problems and even worse paintwork issues.Bought from new 18mths old paint required attention,under warrenty no issues. 34 month serious problems appearing, paint ... flaking almost every where. Harley advised out of warrenty sorry. I had purchased 3 Harleys prior to my Night Rod and would have purchase another model if the company had accepted some responsibility for the failling paint work.Unfortunatly no joy there! so no more Harley Davidson for me.Triumph Thunderbird for me .sorry tale i know and yes I still like Harleys,However they cost a lot and PAINT SHOULD NOT PEEL OFF A 36MT OLD MOTOR CYCLE.
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No more "sport bikes" for me!
By (I am an Owner) on Dec 05, 2010I rode into the local Harley dealership looking to buy my dad a shirt for Christmas. I ended up leaving my 2009 Ducati Monster there, and driving home on a 2009 Nightrod! Man, there is no comparison! Do you want the speed of a sport bike, but the comfort of a cruiser? This bike's for you! If you ... are reading this you have probably already seen this sexy beast! I got the matte black version w/ glossy black stripes. I wasn't even planning on trading my beloved Ducati, but I instantly fell in love!
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Runs hot
By (I am an Owner) on Jul 30, 2010This is the 2nd night rod I've owned I had an o8 then I traded it in on the 09. I was able to set in traffic for a half hour or so in the 08 and laughed at buddies as they would have to shut there bikes off because they where so hot. Now there laughing at me because I have to shut the 09 off if I'm ... in traffic more ten 10mins or so. I dont' know what Harley changed from the 08 to the 09 but whatever they did I wish they would fix it. I've had it to the shop a few times they told me everything falls into specs and there is nothing they can do. I love this bike and would like to know if anyone out there has the same problem.
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ALL looks, OK bark, terrible reliance
By (I am an Owner) on Jun 28, 2010traded up from my Sportster to this in March 2010, wish I hadn't.
Im not even at 5,000 miles yet and the stock exhaust is on its 2nd problem so far.
I've already had half of it replaced and now I'm goin back to have a loud thumping sound coming out of my read twin. ...
This bike is great ot look at but it's as reliable as the old school Harley's
By the way, Im on 24 years old and this is my mode of transportation in South Florida.
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Get Ready!!!
By (I am an Owner) on Apr 10, 2010This bike had me the first time I saw it...I've ridden metric bikes for most of the years. The cruisers I had owned I always traded after 1 season.
This is the first cruiser I have ever owned that gives me the confidence and excitement of seemingly limitless smooth power.
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Guys that ride sport bikes understand, you have plently of RPM's to play within. The range gives you options which allow you to decide the type of ride you want to have. The 9000 rpm redline allows me to have an aggressive, sinful >5000 day or an easy
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Stunningly Stunned!!!
By (I am an Owner) on Mar 09, 2010At 16 I had my first road bike and now 46 I have owned Ducati, Suzuki, KTM, Yamaha, Kawasaki, and Honda's but never wanted a Harley, honestly I actually never liked them...X-Mas 08 I saw a picture of a Night Rod Special in a magazine and 3 days later I was ordering one. A agoniseing 5 months later ... it arrived and the smile is still on my face. I have never known a bike to attract so much attention from the very wide eyed young to the "I used a ride a HOG but they never looked like that" mature generation. I don't get into the specs or reviews, I judge a bike by how I feel riding it and nothing has ever felt so good. She is beautiful, evil and erotic...... hence her name VRODICA.
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Get Some
By (I am an Owner) on Feb 15, 2010The best part about this bike is how fast it is no it wont beat a 1000cc Jap bike or a 1098 but It will beat the crap out of any big twin 110-131 ETC ETC. and I have surprised a few 600cc bikes and a Ducati 748 to name a few the look on there face is so priceless They cant get over it The only thing ... i wish HD would have done is kept the street rod the set up of that frame and this motor . Why you could go monster hunting. So for any one who thinking about one pull the trigger
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IT COULD BE MORE
By (I am an Owner) on Dec 21, 2009I have recently traded my yamaha vstar 650 classic for night rod special and found the fit and finish not in the same leaque as the japanese. I enjoy it for what it is although at this price the bike should be way above what the japanese are putting together. There is an annoying issue I find that ... the headlight covers rattle while accelerating which I found an 07 also did.
Any suggestions to solving this annoyance.
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ONCE U GO BLACK U CAN NEVER GO BACK :-}
By (I am an Owner) on Jul 21, 2009WOW, was my initial reaction when i test rode this beast.Going from a kwaka 250,onto a 09 1200 sporty custom,bought only 9 months ago then to the night rod was unexpected.I loved my sporty with only 7000k on it until i jumped onto the demon bike.From the first twist of the wrist i was hooked,i couldnt ... sleep at night,tossing and turning whether i should trade in my still new sporty.It had to be done and so i did the next day.What a bike,AWESOME motor co- designed by porche,WICKED looks,GREAT brembo brakes with ABS,FAT 240 rear tyre and its a HARLEY!!!Gloss black with pewter pearl racing stripes demands and gets plenty of attention.This is a perfect bike for me,and i suggest you all take one for a ride,highly recommended.I think i might be in love ,oh ,my wife is coming i have to go now,she is the jealous type.........;-)
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Smooth.
By (I am an Owner) on May 01, 2009Im not much of a harley kind of guy my father in law has a road king and its ok but just not my thing to much vibration and it seamed more of a bragging rights thing and heratage. But i figured since harley had the current test ride program going i would try a night Rod. Man this this IS sweet It ... has minimal vibration and has massive power. I have been riding for more than 20 yrs and i have riden and owned a hayabusa gold wing honda shadow and nothing compares to this bike for a cruser it is the best. First sitting on it with the foward controls is a little awkward but after about a min or so its extremly comfortable. so nice i bought one and now my brother is looking at buying one also. A++++++++++++
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Love this Engine...love this bike
By (I am an Owner) on Mar 18, 2009As has been stated in other reviews this is a very unique motorcycle. I have owned many bikes and quite a few H-Ds, but this Night Rod Special is so different. The first thing one must do is find a suitable exhaust to bring out the tremendous sound of this remarkable engine. I selected Supertrapp ... 'Fat Shots' slip-ons. The nice thing about these slip-ons is that you can fine tune the exhaust by changing how many rings you use on the tips. There are others companies who make suitable slip-ons like V&H and Tab, but I prefer the sound of the Supertrapps. The ABS breaks are great as is the slipper clutch. It is a nice, smooth shifting transmission. Agree that it is very stable while accelerating and at speed. Certainly it does get attention because it is beautiful in vivid black or matt black. Highly recommend this very special Harley-Davidson.
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The Night Rod Special was made just for me!
By (I am an Owner) on Dec 15, 2008This is my first bike and I could not have made a better choice! This bike was made for me. In less than a year I managed to put on almost 10k miles before being re-deployed to Iraq. Though the bike isn't designed for carving up the canyons (knee drag turnes), it is still fun to ride the twist ... and turnes. On the other hand, this bike will try to to rip you off of it in fast linear accelerations if you are not careful! From my experience, this bike doesn't like going slower than 75-80. It's as if the bike is urging you to go faster. My bike seems to like to cruise at 85mph. With that said, if you are overly concerned about gas milage, this bike gets about 130 (riden like you stole it) to 170 (very conservative) miles per tank (give or take 20 miles).
My only grip with the bike is that the exhaust sounds like a moped. In other words, all BITE, no bark. I wear a half helmet and at 80mph, I can hardly tell that my engine in running. Some might like that aspect, but I'd rather have the bike sound like it looks, MEAN!
The forward controls, perfect for me being that I'm 6'0", may be too far out there for shorter riders. Though with a HD Reach Seat, you can get about 2" closer. Even though some call it a sport cruiser (75% sport - 25% cruise), the seat is very comfortable. My butt doesn't get sore or numb after long rides. I actually will be riding round trip from CA to VA (approx 450 miles a day) and back, and I don't see the seat or the riding position (pretty agressive) being a problem. Though there is a rear seat and pegs, this bike looks and feels like a one person only type bike.
Without a doubt, this is the fastest mass production bike Harley makes (HD discontinued the Screamin' Eagle VROD a few years ago). I'm way over 30, so I didn't buy the bike to race around like a 20 something idiot on a crotch rocket, but this bike really moves. This bike will move your soul as well as your body down the highway with a quickness!
The last thing I have to say about the Night Rod Special (NRS) is that this bike looks like no other. Choppers look the same, crotch rockets looks the same, even other Harley's look the same, but the NRS is in a class all it's own. It goes without saying, but Black is Beautiful! And the NRS is oh so beautiful.
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It's a Porsche.................It's a Harley
By (I am an Owner) on Oct 24, 2008Coming from Honda to HD has been a big decision. And this Bike surely turned the tide. Fast, Low, Sleek, Agressive Looking, Very Smooth, MAde for Fast Linear Roads. Quite a Crowd Pleaser. Wan't to get noticed, Buy One...!!!! Very stable a high speeds. Dangerous in unexperienced hands. 240mm rear ... tire is one of the nicest behinds i've ever seen on a bike. Riding position for me is not tiring at all. I'm 5.7 So i had to do some mods tobetter my reaching the pedals. Reach seat en Reach pedals. This bike is thruly the Best Toy I've had ( men are little kids with expensive toys ).3.2 seconds to 100km, is permanent endorphins release = TOTAL JOY.!!!
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