Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide.

The Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide is Perfect For Touring. 

The Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations section creates the ultimate American motorcycles; the latest CVO Street Glide epitomises this. It comes within the brand's Grand American Touring range, an excellent description of the bike's capability, but the CVO Street Glide is far more than a Tourer.

Imagine riding in the sun along Highway 1 in California, the Pacific Ocean on one side of you and beautiful hills on the other. You are sitting on a Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide, a Grand American Tourer, and your music is playing through the infotainment system via your smartphone, with the incredible sound omitted from the quad speakers. Life is sweet; you are California Dreaming.

You can have this type of experience on the CVO Street Glide, and it doesn't have to be in the USA; it could be on the famous NC 500 in Scotland or riding the North East coast of England; the fact is you are riding a Harley, and that is all that matters. 

The Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide is also much more than a Tourer; it is as versatile as you want it to be and is equally at home commuting daily through traffic as it is on motorways or Autobahns. Yes, the bike looks gigantic, but the weight has been stripped off of it, and once underway, you will find it easy to manoeuvre, and the power is a pure delight. Riding along in sixth gear is a pleasure, and you can get a genuine dose of horsepower when you twist it wide open; the plodding suddenly turns into maximum national speed limits.  

The new engine has increased capacity up to 121ci, which is 1977cc and the largest Harley-Davidson has produced. The bike is now liquid-cooled with a radiator between the frame's front tubes. The new heads have higher compression than the old engine, and with a larger airbox, new inlet tracts and more significant diameter exhaust gas flow and performance are improved. The engine also has variable valve timing, improving high and low-end performance. Harley-Davidson states 115bhp at 4500rpm and peak torque of 139lft at 3000rpm.

As mentioned, the CVO Street Glide has lost substantial weight using lighter gauge steel for the new fuel tank and lightweight triple clamps, saving 7 lbs. The machine is 30 lbs lighter than the stock model. The increase in performance and loss of weight makes for exciting riding, and it tears apart the old thinking that Harleys are sluggish.

The Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide and Road Glide are the brand's first Tourers to have switchable riding modes, with five available. Two custom modes allow you to choose power curves, suspension and traction control. The other modes are Rain, which reduces power to the rear wheel; Road, which is for day-to-day riding; and Sport, which is for riding more aggressively. 

The CVO Street Glide has improved suspension to cope with the increase in power output, with the 47mm Showa front units and twin shocks at the rear providing more travel to soak up the increasing amount of potholes on British roads—the Handling benefits from these improvements and the weight loss. The model is more manageable, with better braking and handling, superb technology, and a joyous riding experience than the previous Street Glide. The CVO Street Glide is agile for a big bike and allows you to throw it around confidently.

The MPG is extremely impressive for a big bike, and over an extended ride at nearly all National Speed Limits, the gauge hardly moved, and the display showed 55 as the average MPG. When I took the CVO Street Glide onto a friend's airfield and did some high-speed runs, the bike was frugal on fuel. The airfield runway enabled me to put the machine through high-speed handling tests, braking and changes in acceleration. I had to do this testing between the heavy rain I endured on my way to the location and the persistent burst of precipitation throughout the day. The runway was greasy, and although I got the backend out on a few exits from corners, otherwise, it performed steadfastly. 

Harley has ergonomically redesigned the seat of the CVO Street Glide, and you feel this comfort on rides and not having to move around to relieve pressure points on the posterior. The riding position is upright, and you don't have to lean forward to reach anything. A handlebar-mounted, 'Batwing' styled fairing plus lower and narrower handlebars help the riding position. 

The new CVO Street Glide has larger panniers than the previous model, with new bodywork, LED headlights and integrated indicators. It also has a fantastic infotainment system and instrument display, which is expansive with a 12.3-inch TFT touchscreen display. Three custom designs are available, and you get Wi-Fi connectivity to your smartphone; satnav is built in, there is Bluetooth, and the audio system has a four-channel 500w amp and four upgraded speakers, two built into the dash, and two others into the panniers.

The switchgear designed to navigate and control your infotainment and displays is incredible, with the right-hand switch pod primarily devoted to the audio system along with the starter and kill switch and right-hand indicator, which doubles as a ride mode selector. The left-hand unit is similar but devoted to machine functions and information, along with the left-hand indicator switch and light controls. Heated grips as standard are a substantial positive riding in the UK. 

 The Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide has superb technology to rival and exceed other manufacturers. It is a true Tourer, but far more than that; it is a bike you can ride and ride. However, you choose. The price may be high, but the quality and quantity of what you get puts a big smile on your face, which is priceless.

Pricing starts at £38300, but you can add many extras to customise the bike to suit you. Harley-Davidson has a broad range of options and accessories, allowing you to create a unique motorcycle. 

Two paint schemes 

Dark Platinum with pinstripe, or for an additional £6400 Whiskey Neat with Raven metallic. 

https://www.harley-davidson.com/gb/en

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