#CVOStreetGlide

Harley-Davidson revealed full details about its next-generation CVO models, and the new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 engine. The 2023 CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide offer a dramatically new (and already polarizing) fairing design, updated suspension, selectable ride modes, and a giant 12.3" TFT display.

Harley-Davidson officially announced it will reveal new CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide models for 2023, confirming many of the details we've previously uncovered. These include a new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 engine, new suspension, a new infotainment system, and dramatically redesigned fairings that have already drawn strong reactions from the Harley faithful. While we will have to wait until June 7 for more information, here's what we know for certain.

Official images appear in Australian certification filings

Harley-Davidson released the bulk of its 2023 lineup about two months ago, but we’re still waiting to here about more models, such as the Custom Vehicle Operations models that will be joining the CVO Road Glide Limited Anniversary. We may not have much longer to wait, as videos of a new CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide have popped up on line, revealing some big changes to the CVO models, and perhaps a sign of what to expect for the 2024 lineup.

Blogger Dr. Dan Morel sent us a video that a source sent him over WhatsApp, and similar videos have been uploaded to YouTube and TikTok. The earliest version we found as uploaded to The Fast Life Garage LLC’s Instagram account.

When you show up on a CVO, you know you’ve arrived and so do all the peons on lesser machines. “Exclusive and hand-crafted paint and designs are executed to a level of intricate quality that is unmatched in the motorcycle and automotive categories,” says H-D, to “represent the pinnacle of style and design.” For 2022, a new CVO Road Glide Limited replaces the CVO Limited, with CVO Street and CVO Road Glides returning, along with the CVO Tri Glide. 

Each CVO gets a burly Milwaukee-Eight 117 powertrain, H-D’s biggest and most powerful factory-installed motor. 

Harley-Davidson is expected to announce more 2022 models on Jan. 26, including its top-of-the-line Custom Vehicle Operations models. While the full list of 2022 CVO models remains to be determined, we expect a new Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide Limited will be part of the announcement.

The confirmation comes to us after we got our hands on the installation manual for a secondary amplifier kit, required by Harley-Davidson’s Rockford Fosgate-powered audio systems that use six to eight speakers. The installation manual, dated Jan. 26, 2022, makes multiple references to a 2022 FLTRKSE.

The Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations lineup returns four models for 2021, offering the most exclusive components and styling the company has to offer. The four CVO models are the same as last year, consisting of the CVO Limited, CVO Street Glide, CVO Road Glide, and the CVO Tri Glide threewheeler.

For 2021, the CVO lineup receives a new audio system powered by Rockford Fosgate. Specific features vary depending on the model, but they all incorporate Harley-Davidson’s Boom! Box GTS infotainment system. Each CVO model also comes with a Boom! Audio 30K Bluetooth helmet set.

All four CVO models come equipped with the Milwaukee-Eight V-Twin engine, displacing 117 ci (1923cc) and claiming a peak output of 125 lb-ft. of torque.

All CVO models come standard with the RDRS Safety Enhancements electronics as standard equipment. This includes cornering linked braking, cornering ABS, cornering traction control, drag-torque slip control, vehicle hold control and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The CVO Limited and CVO Street Glide also come standard with the Daymaker adaptive LED headlight that provides additional lighting while leaning into corners.

You really do need a program to keep track of all the players at Harley-Davidson. I’m still in a constant state of bewilderment even after all these years trying to keep track of the Glides and Ultras and FXRs and things as they come and go. After passing summary judgment on the new Low Rider S last week, it’s time to move on to the new Touring models, all of which at least still carry the prefix “FL.” (As do some Softails, possibly a Dyna or two – now retired – and possibly a trike. Let’s move on.)

The cool new touring bike for 2020 would be the Road Glide Limited. From the H-D horse’s mouth: The new Road Glide Limited model replaces the Road Glide Ultra model for 2020 and offers new premium luxury-touring features, including painted pin striping, a gloss-finish inner fairing, heated rider hand grips, Slicer II Contrast Bright wheels and new tank, front and rear fender medallions. The Road Glide Limited model is a long-haul, two-up touring specialist featuring the distinctive aerodynamic Road Glide shark-nose fairing with triple split stream vents that limit rider head buffeting. The standard Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine delivers smooth, powerful touring performance while dual Daymaker LED headlamps offer outstanding night visibility.

We convened in Minneapolis, MN (interesting choice) as Harley-Davidson introduced its 2019 touring line. I had the chance to spend two days swapping between models as we po-ta-toe, po-ta-toed our way from that other cruiser brand’s hometown to Harley-Davidson’s 115th-anniversary celebration in Milwaukee, joining thousands of die-hard H-D enthusiasts from all over the globe.

Harley-Davidson’s 2019 Touring line didn’t get an absolute overhaul like the Softail line in 2018, but it did receive some choice upgrades in terms of revised tech and user interface and, most importantly for some, the Milwaukee-Eight 114 cubic inch (1868cc) engine is now factory-fitted into most of the touring lineup.

The Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations line continues to showcase the most exclusive and advanced motorcycles the Motor Company can offer, with higher end finishes, paint and technology. Getting the CVO treatment for 2019 are the Limited, Street Glide and Road Glide.

For 2019, the CVO models come powered by the Milwaukee-Eight 117 engine, featuring a high-performance camshaft and intake, and a higher 10.2:1 compression ratio to claim 125 lb-ft. of torque at 3500 rpm.

All three CVO models come with a premium Boom! Box GTS infotainment system. The CVO Street Glide comes with six bi-amp speakers (two each in the fairing, lowers and saddlebag lids), with 300 watts per channel and three 300 watt amplifiers for a total of 900 watts. The CVO Road Glide comes with four bi-amped speakers (two in the fairing and two in the saddlebag lids) offering 150 watts per channel from two separate 300 watt amplifiers. The CVO Limited comes with a four-speaker system, with two in the fairing and two in the Tour-Pak carrier, with a single amplifier and 75 watts per channel.

The infotainment system is compatible with Harley-Davidson’s wireless Bluetooth headsets. The headsets can communicate with up to eight other compatible headsets within a range of up to one mile. The CVO Limited comes with two headsets while the CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide each come with a single headset.

In all the hoorah over the new Softail line, many riders may have missed the announcement of the Harley-Davidson touring lineup for 2018. Although there weren’t many changes to the standard touring models which had a major revamp last year, the CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) models, which always have to stay a couple steps ahead of the lesser machinery, did receive a few alterations for the upcoming model year. Fortunately, we got our hands on a 2018 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide to see how those changes – though largely cosmetic (with two notable exceptions) – shake out.

Harley-Davidson’s Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) touring models are the top-shelf factory customs of the Glide family (Street Glide, Road Glide, and Limited) offered by Motor Company to what they call their “alpha” customers. Alphas are the customers who want to attract attention to themselves. They want to have the very best and frequently use the CVO models as their leaping off point for their own accessorizing/customizing efforts. Given the top dog status of the CVO models, Harley’s designers always give the next model year’s offerings something to make them different from any previous Harley. Let’s take a tour of what makes the 2018 Harley-Davidson CVO line special.

Change comes slowly in the world of Harley-Davidson. The faithful will say that is a feature, not a bug. Still, change does come, and when any manufacturer introduces a new engine line, it’s a big deal. When Harley introduces a new engine and summarily whisks away the old engine in an entire category of its motorcycle models, it’s a sea change. You can almost feel the earth shifting on its axis. While we’d like to think that the performance of the new engine – which is impressive – could be the cause, the gravitational adjustment is most likely from the sheer number of motojournalists the Motor Company flew from locations around the globe to northwestern Washington state for the Milwaukee-Eight’s riding introduction.

Since the Eight is so important, let’s touch on a couple of changes here. The basic Milwaukee-Eight displacement grew 4%from the Twin Cam’s 103 c.i. to 107 cubes. The former 110 c.i. models bumped their capacity to 114 c.i. The cylinder heads were redesigned to accommodate four valves each. Did you feel it? There was that rumbling again. Additionally, the oil-cooled heads and the Twin Cooled heads were made to run cooler than the previous generation’s. Oh, and the engine vibration at idle was lessened by 74% in an effort to attract fence sitters to the Harley fold.

Last year, we published an April Fools post about a new Harley-Davidson engine called the “Milwaukee-Eight.” The post was total BS, of course, except for the name; Harley-Davidson does, in fact, own the trademark for that Milwaukee-Eight. (UPDATE: Harley-Davidson has now officially announced the Milwaukee-Eight engine.)

Thanks to new 2017 motorcycle certification data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we now have details about Harley’s newest engine which will replace the Twin Cam engine.

According to the EPA’s data, Harley-Davidson will introduce a new 1746cc (107ci) engine with a larger 1868cc (114ci) engine for CVO models. The new engine will be used on the: CVO Street Glide, CVO Ultra Limited, Electra Glide Ultra Limited Low, Road Glide Ultra, Ultra Limited, Ultra Limited Shrine Edition and the Tri Glide Ultra and Free Wheeler trikes.