This performance-oriented V-Rod variant was introduced for the 2007 model year as the Night Rod Special, bringing a darker, more aggressive look to Harley-Davidson’s Revolution-powered street cruiser family. It was positioned as the most drag-style member of the VRSC lineup, with an emphasis on low-slung stance, blacked-out finishes, and a custom-inspired street machine character rather than traditional cruiser chrome. The Night Rod Special built on the original V-Rod concept, which had already marked a major technical shift for Harley-Davidson with liquid cooling and a high-revving, modern powertrain architecture.
Across its run, the model evolved through a series of detail changes while keeping the same basic identity: a performance cruiser with a stretched, muscular profile and a distinctly contemporary Harley look. Harley-Davidson refreshed the Night Rod Special over the years with styling updates and chassis tweaks, but it remained closely associated with the broader V-Rod lineup and its emphasis on straight-line presence and power cruiser image.
The nameplate appears to have ended with the 2017 model year, making it one of the last surviving V-Rod derivatives. Enthusiasts tend to remember it as one of Harley-Davidson’s most unconventional factory cruisers of the modern era, combining the brand’s V-twin heritage with a more industrial, high-performance aesthetic that stood apart from the company’s more traditional models.