2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Overview - Motorcycle.com

Standard among all CVO models is the Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 engine (110B on the Breakout) and the new Assist & Slip Clutch Pack said to reduce driveline loading during downshifts. The clutch lever has been reshaped to optimize control while clutch action is reduced by 10 percent and clutch lever hold-in force is 17 percent lower. Twenty-thirteen CVOs also come with cruise control, ABS and H-D’s Smart Security System as standard equipment.

Extra benefits when purchasing a 2013 CVO come in the form of a CVO embroidered indoor/outdoor storage cover and a one-year membership to the H-D museum including all kinds of special CVO privileges and discounts.

Let’s now get on to the specifics of each new 2013 CVO model.

Polished chrome Turbine wheels rolling on a fat 240/40-18 rear tire and equally wide 130/60-21 front with fenders chopped to the legal limit to show off as much rubber as possible, the new Breakout strikes an imposing profile without trying. Weighing 724 pounds wet and producing a claimed 112 ft.-lb. of torque at 3500 rpm, the Breakout boasts the best power-to-weight ratio of any 2013 Harley-Davidson model.

Powering the CVO Softail is a Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110B engine with a Heavy Breather intake. The Electronic Sequential Port Fuel-Injected (ESPFI) motor is manipulated via Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) and the power is delivered to the rear wheel by way of hydraulic clutch operation, an Assist & Slip Clutch Pack, and a 6-speed Cruise Drive transmission.

Of the three paint schemes two feature hand-polished steel sections on the fuel tank and fenders while the third incorporates hand-laid lace stenciling. While the two hand-polished Breakouts sport black leather seats, the Crimson Red model flaunts brown leather seats. The CVO Breakout also boasts a polished and chromed single-rib cast aluminum oil tank.

For a full review of the 2013 CVO Breakout click here.

2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Road King
Price: $29,999/$30,999 anniversary model
Worldwide Production: 3,620 units including 900 anniversary models
Performance: 118 ft. lbs. @ 3750rpm
Colors:
• Burgundy Blaze with Hot Fusion Graphics
• Crushed Sapphire with Cold Fusion Graphics
• 110th Anniversary Edition Diamond Dust/Obsidian with Palladium Graphics

The Road King isn’t new to the CVO scene, having received the customized treatment on four other occasions, but at $29,999 next year’s CVO Road King is priced nearly the same as its last iteration in 2008, but with 2013 model-year amenities. The new CVO Road King is the first Road King to receive a factory-installed audio system with a 200-watt amplifier. The system features handlebar controls for operating the included 8GB iPod or your personal iPod/iPhone. Sound is pumped through two 5.25-inch speakers mounted in the fairing lowers and two 5x7-inch speakers located in the saddlebag lids. A handy carrying pouch in the saddlebag keeps the iPod/iPhone safe and dry when riding.

The 2013 CVO Road King is distinctive by way of its vented Wind Splitter windshield. The detachable windshield was developed in the Wichita State University’s wind tunnel. Using computational fluid dynamics, the H-D team was better able to determine the flow of air over and around objects thus significantly reducing wind buffeting to the rider. The vane within the vent is adjustable to match air flow to a rider’s preference. Not a breakthrough technology, the vented windscreen does, however, work as described while its swoopy design distinguishes it from lesser aftermarket options.

Other 2013 refinements include a new, ergonomically designed, 1.25-inch, chromed handlebar and a solo touring seat (via a removable passenger pillion) with a lower seat height. A low-profile console includes both a speedometer and a tachometer, and features programmable background colors. A new painting process features hand-finished graphics created with textures and solvents in a multistep process resulting in unique detailing on each motorcycle.

2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide Custom
Price: $32,999/$33,999 anniversary model
Worldwide Production: 3,150 units including 900 anniversary models
Performance: 122 ft. lbs. @ 3750rpm
Colors:
• Atomic Orange/Galaxy Grey with Edge Graphics
• Roman Gold/Burnt Emerald with Edge Graphics
• 110th Anniversary Edition Diamond Dust/Obsidian with Palladium Graphics

While not exactly a Dark Custom, the blacked-out CVO Road Glide Custom introduced last year returns for 2013 with one magnificently bright trait — the Daymaker LED headlight. A first for any production Harley, the LED headlamp, compared to a halogen bulb, increases low-beam lighting distance (punch) by 30 feet (345 ft. vs 315 ft.), and the spread of light by 55 feet (120 ft. vs 65 ft.). High-beam effectiveness is even more impressive, increasing the headlight’s punch from 610 feet to an amazing 740 feet (an increase of 130 feet.), and the spread from 110 feet to 120 feet.

Viewed side-by-side at night with last year’s halogen-equipped Road Glide, the increased viewable field is obvious, and while the LED low-beam and high-beam lights are 37 and 31 percent brighter, respectively, power consumption is reduced by 50 percent.

Like the Road King, the 2013 CVO Road Glide gets the new 200-watt amplifier to feed its six speakers: two 5x7-inch fairing-mounted speakers, two 2-inch dash-mounted tweeters, and new for 2013, two 5x7-inch saddlebag lid speakers with bridged tweeters. Gone is last year’s unsightly radio antenna, now hidden within the fairing. The Harman/Kardon stereo features CD/AM/FM/WB and comes standard with an 8GP iPod in the right saddlebag.

2013 Harley-Davidson CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide
Price: $37,599/$38,599 anniversary model
Worldwide Production: 3,900 units including 1,100 anniversary models
Performance: 118 ft. lbs. @ 3750rpm
Colors:
• Stardust Silver/Dark Slate/Titanium Dust with Thunderblade Graphics
• Tribal Orange/Dark Slate/Inferno Orange with Thunderblade Graphics
• Typhoon Maroon/Black Diamond/Burgundy Blaze with Thunderblade Graphics
• 110th Anniversary Edition Diamond Dust/Obsidian with Palladium Graphics

At $38,599 the 2013 CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide Anniversary Edition earns the honor of most expensive production Harley-Davidson, but the standard model at $37,599 is only $350 more expensive than the 2012 model it’s replacing.

One of the most comfortable full-dress touring cruisers available today, the Ultra Classic Electra Glide is also an impressive performer in its own right. Having the pleasure to be aboard the CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide on a spirited ride through the coastal mountains North of Monterey, California, during the CVO’s recent press introduction, I later parked the bike with a newfound appreciation for its handling mannerisms. Along a particularly bumpy stretch of asphalt, the FLHTCUSE bottomed its suspension a couple times and scraped its floorboards now and again, but it never once lost composure, which, for a bike weighing 927 pounds wet, is quite an accomplishment.

And all this backroad scratching is taking place with music streaming from my iPhone safely secured in the saddlebag and blaring through the Harman/Kardon stereo system with high-performance BOOM! speakers (four 5.25-inch speakers with 40W per channel) and bass booster ports. A high fidelity, high performance experience on a luxo-touring motorcycle representing 110 years of American perseverance.

For 2013 the CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide returns with only one model-specific change, perforated leather inserts on the seats and backrest, but it also enjoys the upgrades of the other CVO models including the Assist & Slip Clutch Pack, Slipstream Collection of grips, floorboards, pedals, pegs, etc., the indoor/outdoor CVO embroidered cover and new paint schemes.

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