2020 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide First Look Preview

Each year, Harley-Davidson handpicks a few Custom Vehicles Operations models and sprinkles their off-the-rack offerings with some limited-production, hand-crafted gems. The latest CVO family member is the new CVO Road Glide ($40,999), a mid-season addition that joins the Tri Glide ($48,999), Limited ($44,039), and Street Glide ($40,539) for 2020.

The new CVO Road Glide, available in any color as long as it’s Premium Sand Dune (a sort of satiny eggshell with a pearl topcoat), stands out against its darker-hued stablemates and goes by Harley’s lettering nomenclature as FLTRXSE. It also cuts a unique niche for itself, not being a massive touring bike (Limited), three-wheeler (Tri Glide), or more conventional bagger (Street Glide, whose fork-mounted fairing and less streamlined bodywork conveys more nostalgia than sleekness).

The Road Glide packs a Milwaukee-Eight 117 V-twin, a CVO-specific powerplant Harley says is the largest, most powerful engine it has ever offered. Feeding the mill is a high-performance Screamin’ Eagle Heavy Breather intake for better airflow into the engine. The nearly 2-liter twin produces 125 pound-feet of torque thanks to the revised intake and more aggressive camshaft; horsepower output is not quoted. Larger-diameter, 21-inch front and 18-inch rear split seven-spoke wheels add an airier look to the Road Glide’s profile, while aerodynamically resculpted bodywork ensures bits like the Fang front spoiler don’t adversely affect high-speed stability. A wind tunnel-tested shark nose fairing promises adequate protection from gusty breezes (as do heated handgrips), with triple slipstream vents to reduce uncomfortable buffeting. Mounted to the fairing are Daymaker LED reflector headlamps for appropriately blinding forward vision at night. Although the panniers won’t exactly swallow bulky objects like helmets, the molded saddlebags do incorporate One Touch latches for single-handed operation.

Although it seems contrary to the old-school potato-potato vibe, Harley’s suite of tech manages to plant the CVO (somewhat reluctantly) into the 21st century. For starters, H-D Connect is Harley’s subscription-based cellular connectivity package that allows cellphones to tap into key info on the bike’s mechanical health, security status, and service needs. The Reflex Defensive Rider Systems uses cornering ABS and traction control along with features like a drag-torque slip control system to manage the motorcycle’s dynamics. The CVO also gets a wireless headset linked to the Boom! Box which uses 600 watts to power bi-amped speakers, and integrates a 6.5-inch touchscreen with navigation and Apple CarPlay.

While custom bits like the Kahuna Collection muffler end caps and brake pedal cover are sure to garner attention, the CVO Road Glide’s ultimate secret weapon is its rarity: With only one or fewer bike available per dealership, this small-batch bike likely won’t last long.