2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide and Road Glide 121 Review

[Hugh Janus]

Although the fairings are all new, you know immediately you are looking at Harley’s CVO Road and Street Glide. (Jeff Allen/)

In terms of volume and type, Harley-Davidson’s biggest competitor is itself—in the used market. Since 2000, Harley-Davidson has sold well more than 2 million touring models. That’s your Street Glide, Road Glide, Ultra, and similar bikes, not cruisers like the Softail Fat Boy or old Dynas, which also have sold in similar numbers over the same time period. The now-discontinued air-cooled Sportster sold nearly 1.2 million during that period. Harley-Davidson motorcycle shipments from 2000 through 2022, as published by Harley-Davidson, total 5,808,881 units.

That, folks, is a lotta potatoes.

So keeping the Grand American Touring line (Harley’s official name for the platform) attractive—more attractive than last year’s Road Glide and the rest—is exceedingly important.

Which is why Harley-Davidson introduced the 2023 CVO Road Glide and CVO Street Glide with significant changes to the traditional 45-degree V-twin, upgraded suspension, new infotainment, and heavily reworked styling.

Every crease, contour, and edge of the redone fairings is new, and yet the world knows exactly what two bikes it is looking at.

CVO 121 VVT Engine

When the new engine fires up, the world also knows exactly what it’s hearing. Well, you’ll recognize the potato-potato sound as a 45-degree V-twin, but please notice the “VVT” on the side of this 121ci Milwaukee-Eight engine. At long last, a Big Twin finally has variable valve timing.

A new 121ci (1,977cc) Milwaukee-Eight with VVT powers both the 2023 CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide. (Jeff Allen/)

The VVT moves the single higher-lift and longer-duration cam through 40 degrees of adjustment (relative to the crankshaft), smoothing and increasing power across the rev range. VVT can be more effective working on separate intake and exhaust cams to control overlap (reducing it at low rpm smooths idle and reduces emissions, increasing it boosts high-rpm output), but because Harley-Davidson’s cams are generally turned for torque and use less overlap than your average Ducati, working on a single cam where the relative position of the intake and exhaust valves is fixed isn’t a big deal.

VVT works with a larger 4-liter airbox that feeds a 58mm (up from 55mm) throttle body and straighter, freer-flowing ports for the four-valve heads. Valve seats and combustion chamber are reshaped, the former providing better flow and the latter giving more squish and improved combustion. Combustion chamber changes and revised strategic liquid-cooling allowed a significant bump in compression from 10.2:1 to 11.4:1 versus the 117.

Piston diameter is the same as the 117ci Big Twin at 4.075 inches, but a very long 4.625-inch stroke helps this 1,977cc engine produce a claimed 139 lb.-ft. of torque at 3,000 rpm, and 115 hp at 4,500 rpm. This compares favorably to the non-VVT 117′s claimed numbers of 103 hp at 4,750 and 126 lb.-ft. at 3,500. For reference, the recent Breakout 117 we ran on the dyno made 118 lb.-ft. and 94 hp at the rear wheel (measured rwhp is usually about 7–15 percent lower than any factory’s claimed numbers). Claimed peak output increases for both horsepower and torque tracks with the roughly 4 percent increase in displacement between the 117 and 121, but the bigger engine feels like it has more area under these curves, meaning a broader spread of power. We will dyno the 121 VVT and get rear-wheel numbers as soon as a testbike is available. Harley-Davidson claims a potential 3–5 percent increase in fuel economy as well.

Harley’s new VVT system moves the higher-lift and longer-duration cam through 40 degrees of adjustment relative to the crankshaft. (Jeff Allen/)

On the road, these engine changes add up to significantly increased performance and livelier response. The Milwaukee-Eight 121 VVT is smoother down low, pulling cleaner from just over 1,000 rpm, where the non-VVT engine would sometimes jerk back and forth against the torque compensator and bounce off either side of the driveline lash, so to speak. The 121 is freer revving, as well, zinging through midrange in a way no factory engine has before. This is followed by strong top-end for what is clearly broader, smoother, and more abundant power than any factory Big Twin we’ve tested. The engine runs to about 6,300 rpm before the rev limiter cuts in.

As we rode on California Highway 1 from Monterey south through Big Sur and to Lucia on our early first ride of the CVO Road Glide and Street Glide, we got an excellent mix of slow corners and 80-plus-mph straightaways, and it makes you think you’d like to see a 121 VVT in all the Big Twin bikes.

There are few roads better than California Highway 1 for testing touring cruisers. (Jeff Allen/)

Chassis and Suspension

I’ve ridden many thousands of miles on various Glides over the years and my familiarity was updated with a 500-mile day on a current Street Glide ST prior to jumping on the CVOs, riding from our Southern California headquarters to Monterey for the MotoAmerica round at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, including the Mission King of the Baggers races.

While the main frame with rubber-mounted engine is largely unchanged from the significantly upgraded 2009 Touring line, the CVO Road Glide and Street Glide have a new inverted 47mm Showa fork with 4.6 inches of travel, larger 320mm Brembo front floating disc brakes (up from 300), and Brembo-branded radial-mount calipers.

Brembo radial-mount calipers and 320mm discs increase the CVO Glides’ braking performance. (Jeff Allen/)

At the rear, a new Showa shock with spring preload and rebound damping adjustment offers a 50 percent increase in travel. Now, 3.0 inches of rear wheel travel is still not a lot, but it’s a lot more than 2.0 inches. The old bike did pretty well with that limited rear travel, but it always felt “trapped,” so to speak, as the damping/springing tuning tried to keep you in a useful range of travel out back so there was something left for the next bump. Damping is tuned to suit, and the rear ride quality and control is better.

Notably absent, however, is any fork damping or spring-preload adjustment, and the major rear spring preload (a threaded collar) and rebound damping adjustments are only accomplished with the bags removed. There is an easily accessible hydraulic rear spring-preload adjustment knob on the left side of the bike to fine-tune within the range you select with the threaded collar.

Rear suspension travel has increased 50 percent—from 2 inches to 3. (Jeff Allen/)

On a range-topping touring bike at this price, the market, at least in other segments, is expecting electronic suspension adjustment, including especially rear-spring preload. What if, like on the Pan America adventure bike, rear spring preload and adaptive ride height just took care of itself? What if when you parked, the bike could lower itself for that killer slammed stance, but add suspension travel/ride height as you fired up and traveled down the road? This had to have been discussed during development, and we’d like to see this kind of useful tech employed on the touring range.

If you want to make large adjustments to the shock-spring preload, one of the reshaped bags must be removed. (Jeff Allen/)

Front braking is lower effort and with better feel, these qualities combining with the stiffer fork to make for improved turn-in response, particularly when trail-braking into corners.

The CVO Glides lean a claimed 32 degrees left and right, where the previous version only gave you 31 degrees in left turns. Party in the engineering house! Kidding aside, the Softail Fat Bob offers 32 right/31 left, so the CVO Glides are officially the lean kings of the traditional Harley-Davidson models. For reference, LiveWire has 45 and Pan America has 42 degrees of stated lean angle.

Available lean angle is essentially the same as on previous touring models. (Jeff Allen/)

Also of note is a 31 (SG) and 35 (RG) pound weight reduction for the CVOs, highlighted by a 7-pound-lighter lower triple clamp. It’s nice to see the weight conversation finally entering the room for these models. Sure, we bought pizza for the Harley-Davidson Product Development Center staff when they beat the challenge we laid out for the Pan America to come in under 550 pounds in an early story on the adventure bike, but the touring models haven’t been subject to quite the same scrutiny.

So the weight loss on the CVOs is great news, but the Road Glide is still a claimed 862 pounds “in running order,” and the Street Glide is 838. The Road Glide comes off the sidestand easier than the previous model, certainly, but, hey, how about another round of pizza and beer if you guys hit 750 for Road Glides and Street Glides?

Claimed wet weight for the CVO Road Glide is 862 pounds and 838 for the CVO Street Glide. (Jeff Allen/)

These are still big, long, heavy touring bikes but they are more poised and capable than before and riding in your mental “sport mode” is rewarded with a quick pace.

Although the Road Glide “rides bigger” thanks to the physical presence of that large dash and fixed fairing, its steering is lighter and more precise because that fairing is not attached to the fork. You are therefore steering only the mass of the fork and front wheel. Its riding position is also more open thanks to the sort of mini-ape handlebar.

Although the CVO Road Glide weighs more and has a more spacious cockpit, it steers lighter and is more planted in corners than the Street Glide. (Jeff Allen/)

You just can’t get around the fact that the Street Glide’s fairing is attached to the fork. At higher speeds, it leads to feedback from wind that is always there and can affect steering. This generally means the Street Glide has a slightly less planted feeling at the front versus the Road Glide. And that fairing’s extra mass attached to the fork influences steering feel and effort, as well because you have to move it along with the fork and front wheel every time you turn in.

All up, though, there is increased comfort and composure from the CVOs versus previous touring models.

At high speeds, the CVO Street Glide’s fork-mounted batwing fairing affects steering and effort as well as front-end feel, making it less planted and slightly heavier-steering than the Road Glide. (Jeff Allen/)

Styling and Ergonomics

The Street Glide’s batwing fairing and the Road Glide’s fixed fairing are heavily reworked yet also instantly recognizable. Same goes for the reshaped 6.0-gallon fuel tank (expect 240-mile range based on our early fuel economy number) and slightly larger saddlebags. The 500-mile day on the previous Street Glide I mentioned reminded me that the fairing works pretty well up to about 60–65 mph, but buffeting and wind noise increase dramatically at speeds above this. Especially in the presence of trucks and/or under the influence of crosswinds.

The new Street Glide fairing is a big improvement in all regards, providing more still air at helmet level with reduced buffeting and lower wind noise.

Being behind the CVO Street Glide’s new batwing fairing is a nicer place to be than that of the previous generation. (Jeff Allen/)

Same for the Road Glide. The fairing appears closer to the rider, which with changes in shape and windscreen design have resulted in smoother air. New taller flatter bars are surprisingly comfortable and I found them an improvement over the buckhorn design of the older Road Glide design.

Both bikes benefit from movable wind deflectors. The Street Glide’s are on the fork lowers and can be folded flat to let more air flow into the rider cockpit. The Street Glide gets adjustable “Willie Wings” that function similarly, and are particularly effective.

Just like the CVO Street Glide, the Road Glide’s new frame-mounted fairing provides improved air management. (Jeff Allen/)

I did not think of the reshaped seat once during our long day in the saddle. Harley says the new contour results in a more “neutral” back position, and not thinking of the seat is an indication of success.

A good seat is one you don’t think about, and this was the case for the reshaped piece on both the CVO Road and Street Glide. (Jeff Allen/)

There is a remarkable difference in rider triangle just from the relative handlebar positions. The Street Glide’s is far more compact with its much lower handlebar, feeling even a little tight for this 6-foot-2 tester. It’s a matter of stance and attitude for the two bikes.

The lighting is LED, including now-integrated turn signals front and rear—there are no stalks, just smooth lighting with distinct visual signatures to complement the redesigns.

Electronic Rider Aids

Harley-Davidson was not on the leading edge of introducing rider aids, only adding TC and other assists to its two-wheelers in 2020 (TC was on trikes before this). The company has finally gone deep. Here’s a list of rider aids on the 2023 CVO Road Glide and Street Glide, including acronyms:

• Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
• Electronic Linked Braking (ELB)
• Traction Control System (TCS)
• Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS)
• Vehicle Hold Control (VHC)
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Cornering Enhanced Anti-Lock Brake System (C-ABS)
• Cornering Enhanced Electronic Linked Braking (C-ELB)
• Cornering Enhanced Traction Control System (C-TCS)
• Cornering Drag-Torque Slip Control System (C-DSCS)

Both CVO Glides have cruise control, but lack the adaptive feature that is finding its way to more high-end motorcycles every year. (Jeff Allen/)

Preset ride modes—Road, Sport, and Rain—vary the degree of intervention of many of these features, as well as how the throttle responds and how much power is on tap. There are two user-customized modes that allow you to set the parameters. You can make the throttle, for example, very aggressive or quite soft in its response. Settings are easy to use and access. I preferred Sport mode’s crisp throttle response and higher engine-braking. Like on previous modes, TC can easily be disabled using a switch on one of the pods. So if you need to lay a smoky burnout or get that hard drag launch, have at it.

Not mentioned above is cruise control, which the CVOs have, but it is non-adaptive cruise. Other manufacturers are adding adaptive cruise to their higher-end motorcycles and it feels like an omission on a motorcycle with a $42,999 base price.

Base price for Harley’s 2023 CVO Glides is $42,999, but the hand-laid-out and sprayed Whiskey Neat with Raven Metallic paint adds $6,000. (Jeff Allen/)

Infotainment

Ride modes and nearly everything else on the 2023 CVO Road Glide and Street Glide is accessed using the very wide 12.8-inch diagonal TFT touchscreen.

A 12.8-inch TFT touchscreen is the command center of the new CVO Glides’ electronics and infotainment. (Jeff Allen/)

Functionality during our one-day ride was good, and gloved hands worked just fine for poking through (many) options. There are also screen-navigation buttons on both of the new switch-gear pods that allow for most functions to be controlled by the rider without removing hands from grips. I found using the nav buttons a bit more challenging than just straight up poking things on the screen with my finger, but it was just a day ride, so we’ll revisit this when we get more seat time.

It will take some time to commit all of the switch gear on the 2023 CVO Road Glide and Street Glide to memory. This is roughly half of them. (Jeff Allen/)
And here’s the other half. (Jeff Allen/)

It was clear Harley-Davidson was still working out a few coding quirks in this complex system as we would sometimes lose one of the widgets (tire pressure/engine temp block and the like) in one of the three display modes: Cruise, Sport, and Tour. Each display mode organizes the gauges, apps, and widgets differently to suit the intended riding. There are no mechanical gauges—tachometer, speedometer, and the rest is all fully digital on the screen.

Apple CarPlay is integrated here, and requires the use of a headset because they’d like you to use voice commands. Harley-Davidson says Android Auto no longer supports motorcycles; streaming music and taking calls are your only Android options. A USB-C cable is in the (enlarged) right-hand cubby on the Road Glide and there is now a drawer below the TFT that slides out to accept your device (and more—it’s generously sized).

A massive slide-out drawer in the CVO Street Glide’s fairing has room for all the phones. (Jeff Allen/)

Powering all this electronica is a new, higher-output alternator that produces 58 amp. Charging systems are the unsung heroes of touring bikes, and this 20-plus-percent improvement helps power multiple outlets awaiting all the heated gear and chargers you can throw at them.

Conclusion

The 2023 CVO Road Glide and Street Glide appear to represent a new era for Harley-Davidson’s Grand American Touring line. We said “appear” because these are currently the only two motorcycles to have these changes. Will other touring models get some of or all of these changes in the 2024 model year or beyond? As ever, Harley-Davidons says, “We do not discuss future product.” But I will eat my hat if most of these updates don’t go across the touring line. And that’s a pretty big deal because my hat is usually fiberglass.

VVT is long overdue on Big Twins and absolutely belongs on these engines and in this application because it improves refinement, response, and efficiency so much. We wish we’d seen these chassis changes years earlier, in fact, because the inverted fork, floating front brake discs, and new shock with more travel have truly improved already good-handling traditional tourers. It’s just that if Harley-Davidson had done this part of the job sooner, it might be time now to have added electronic damping and spring-preload adjustment, for example.

But previous company leadership during the “More Roads to Harley-Davidson” were actually de-emphasizing touring model development. That’s clearly changed now as the company focuses on the models that have built the brand and are popular with its massive customer base. Imagine.

These CVO baggers are most likely an early look at some or all of the features coming for Harley’s non-CVO Grand American Touring line. Good things are to come if that’s the case. (Jeff Allen/)

We’d like to see a few more features, yes, but the CVO Road Glide and Street Glide are genuinely improved. And perhaps Harley-Davidson knows something about its customer and what they value given the roughly 2 million touring bikes it’s sold in the last 22 years.

If you have the budget, the CVO Road Glide and Street Glide are an easy choice versus any of those 2 million used touring bikes in the market and even other 2023 models without the updates. It appears the outsized impact of the Harley-Davidson bagger on American motorcycling is set to continue.

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide/CVO Road Glide Specs

MSRP:	$42,999 (base)
Engine:	Liquid-cooled, 45-degree V-twin; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	1,977cc
Bore x Stroke:	103.5 x 117.5mm
Compression Ratio:	11.4:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	6-speed/belt
Claimed Horsepower:	115 hp (86kW) @ 4,500 rpm
Claimed Torque:	139 lb.-ft. (189 Nm) @ 3,000 rpm
Fuel System:	Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection
Clutch:	Wet, multiplate slipper/assist
Frame:	Steel tube w/ two-piece backbone and bolt-on rear subframe
Front Suspension:	47mm inverted Showa fork; 4.6 in. travel
Rear Suspension:	Dual emulsion shocks, spring preload, rebound damping adjustable, 3.0 in. travel
Front Brake:	4-piston radial-mount calipers, floating 320mm discs w/ ABS
Rear Brake:	2-piston caliper, 300mm disc w/ ABS
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cast laced; 19 x 3.5 in. / 18 x 5 in.
Tires, Front/Rear:	Dunlop H-D Series bias blackwall; 130/60B-19 / 180/55B-18
Rake/Trail:	26.0°/6.7 in.
Wheelbase:	64.0 in.
Ground Clearance:	5.5 in. / 5.7 in.
Seat Height:	28.0 in. / 28.1 in.
Fuel Capacity:	6.0 gal.
Claimed Wet Weight:	838 lb. / 862 lb
Contact:	harley-davidson.com

Source

[XTreme]

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

Looks like they copied and pasted indian challenger ...

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

Can't wait to hear from are resident harley expert on what he think of the copie...

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

His silence says it all...Twat!

[XTreme]

6 minutes ago, Marcel said:

His silence says it all...Twat!

I think he's still trying to fix his POS!

[Marcel le Moose Fondler]

I remember just a few years ago everyone...mostly the Harleys fanatics were saying the challenger was a cheap copy of a road glide and now they pretty well copied everything off from the challenger and introduced it has a game changer for their cvo line up ..still missing is the adjustable windscreen and the smooth riding mono shock rear suspension...and all of that for 15 g more than a indian challenger..