2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide Overview [16 Fast Facts]

After 120 years of enterprise, Harley-Davidson has discovered precisely what buttons to push inside its fan base. The Badge-and-Sheild model’s CVO lineup is nothing wanting a love letter to the American V-twin touring devoted, used because the vessel to showcase H-D’s newest applied sciences, unique paint finishes, and new powertrains. This 12 months, the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide and CVO Avenue Glide are taking that spirit and working with it, because of updates throughout the board.

What’s new for the 2023 CVO vary? Practically every little thing. The one piece left untouched is the body itself, permitting us to select via the dashing new infotainment system and up to date Milwaukee-Eight engine as we take in what stands as a glance into Harley-Davidson’s stylistic future.

With Midwestern plains at our sides and lengthy stretches of open freeway forward, H-D staffers allow us to free on the brand new CVO Highway Glide from its house base in Milwaukee, getting a style of what the Grand American Touring expertise is all about.

1. The brand new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 is prepared for the limelight within the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide. Harley’s newest big-inch V-twin places down a claimed 139 ft-lbs of torque at an simply accessible 3000 rpm and 115 horsepower at 4500 rpm, which ought to seize the strict consideration of any V-twin devotee. What seals the deal are advances equivalent to variable valve timing (VVT), permitting the large mill to flex its stump-pulling torque on a whim.

2. It doesn’t matter in the event you’re trundling at parade tempo or wringing it out; this V-twin’s broad powerband by no means falters. It pulls exhausting and steams forward; in the event you’re not cautious, you’ll make buddies with the redline. Past the satisfying acceleration, new counterbalancing aids in making this large mill the model’s most honed massive twin but, whereas leaving sufficient tough and tumble perspective to tell us that it’s, with out query, a Harley-Davidson powerplant.

3. Generally larger is best. The engineering theme with the 121 is extra—extra air, extra gas, extra energy, and extra refinement. To do this, engineers elevated the airbox capability by 50 p.c, in comparison with the Heavy Breather consumption it replaces. As a bonus, the brand new air filter holder now not conflicts with my knees. An even bigger 58mm throttle physique is paired as much as a extra environment friendly consumption tract, and reshaped combustion chambers accommodate an enormous compression ratio bump over the Twin-Cooled M8 117. A brand new high-lift and longer length camshaft, new valve designs, heavier springs, and computer-aided VVT not solely assist in making energy, but in addition facilitate higher gas financial system. See? Generally larger is best.

4. Cooler temps improve consolation on the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide. New cooling channels within the up to date heads have helped chill the bagger out, decreasing radiant warmth by a big margin. The radiator is hidden behind the entrance wheel and bodywork, serving to keep the M8 121’s air-cooled masquerade. Notably, the warmer rear jug is fed liquid first, cycles to the entrance cylinder head, and returns to the radiator. The advantages are clear as your thighs are now not cooked to a crisp just like the Twin Cam period bikes did, and it’s a step up from prior M8 mills. Liquid cooling additionally performs a big position in permitting efficiency strides for these not offered on the heat-dissipation advantages.

5. The Cruise Drive gearbox obtained some TLC. A giant, boisterous bagger ought to have a transmission that’ll face up to the kick of a lumberjack’s boot, and this H-D six-speed pulls no punches. The shifting expertise edges in direction of the extra refined aspect whereas sustaining that substantial shift-lever really feel. Additionally, with a brand new impartial shift drum put in, discovering impartial is way simpler. Probably the most welcome change is a minor one—the gear indicator shows your present gear, even with the full-fat clutch totally engaged. If there’s room for enchancment, it’s by additional decreasing left-hand effort, which can assist in stop-and-go visitors.

6. Experience modes and rider aids are right here to remain. The rider help bundle on the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide consists of the standard suspects—cruise management, drag-torque slip management, hill-hold management, traction management, and cornering ABS with linked braking. The nannies preserve a watchful eye within the background, as meant. Three preset experience modes—Sport, Highway, and Rain—can be found, adjusting every little thing from throttle maps to engine braking and TC intervention. Sport is essentially the most spirited of the bunch and ramps up a contact too rapidly off the road; that mentioned, I most well-liked its aggressive pull. Highway tamps issues down for the on a regular basis experience, and Rain wants no introduction. Lastly, customizable driving modes allow you to configure each setting listed above. Disabling TC may be performed on the left switchgear—you by no means know while you’ll have to do a burnout.

7. An inverted Showa fork and longer rear wheel journey are as much as snuff. A primary for H-D’s baggers is a non-adjustable inverted 47mm fork with 4.6 inches of journey. Within the rear, new emulsion shocks supply preload adjustment (a distant adjuster on the left aspect for fine-tuning, with a standard lock-and-collar behind the bag on the appropriate). The present-gen CVOs have a slight dealing with edge in opposition to prior examples, with the stiffer inverted fork and elevated experience peak making a nimbler bagger. Nonetheless, a touring machine wants stability, and the brand new chassis bits double down on that sensation, whether or not cruising the planes or dragging floorboards. These are optimistic takeaways, whereas the large story right here is dramatically improved damping—a much-needed and welcome addition that we hope trickles down because the chassis stays true via a curve or when absorbing the tough stuff.

8. The chassis might have taken one other street, and let’s look at that. I’m not one to look a present horse within the mouth, and we should give a hearty nod towards the brand new suspension; it’s strong stuff. However, as we famous in our CVO SG assessment, it’s a stage that ought to have been achieved years in the past. Likewise, a machine of the CVO’s affluence deserves, nay, calls for, the best gear out there. Though semi-active suspension is the gold commonplace amongst Japanese and European luxurious touring bikes, the American V-twin manufacturers have but to embrace such expertise, although any touring bike is ripe for it. Mechanically adjusting experience peak and actively altering suspension damping to swimsuit street situations are large advantages. A swing and a miss for the MoCo? No. As an alternative, it’s a strong base hit, however not the house run we’d like.

9. The fashionable brakes comply with fashionable suspension. A traditional efficiency theme runs via the CVO camp, revealing one other first for the baggers. Radial-mounted four-piston Brembo calipers clamping onto bigger 320mm rotors tear a web page from the playbook of any sporting motorbike in the marketplace. Really feel on the adjustable lever is improved above current-gen RGs and SGs, however H-D has mounted a longstanding gripe—we’ve obtained an adjustable brake lever now. As with most prolonged baggers, the only four-piston caliper and 300mm rotor do loads to halt the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide’s march.

10. New styling brings aerodynamic benefits. The Highway Glide’s iconic shark nostril fairing, very like the much more established Avenue Glide batwing fairing, went below the knife in 2023, adopting a contemporary, aero-friendly profile. The advantages are self-evident within the calm cockpit, which, in accordance with H-D, offers a 60 p.c discount in helmet buffeting in comparison with 2022 CVO variants. Wind safety is paramount on a touring machine, and the shark nostril gained’t allow you to down. The efficiency may be fine-tuned with the brand new adjustable management vane on the heart to accommodate varied situations, rider heights, and preferences. The underside line is that the brand new shark nostril fairing is able to pound the pavement and rack up miles.

11. The design tendencies proceed rearward. Harley-Davidson’s best competitors isn’t between different manufacturers; it’s an inside battle. For higher or worse, H-D designers keep true to the model’s core aesthetic values, although the 2023 CVO Glides do properly to paint outdoors the strains, making a a lot clearer division between CVO generations. Naturally, the revised shark nostril fairing is a noticeable departure. Nonetheless, the RG and SG gas tanks add facets like beveling on every higher edge to assist the paint pop whereas concurrently furthering the sleeker theme. That message extends to the extra visually compact baggage, including extra quantity on account of its curvier nature. This isn’t a mere design sleight of hand, seeing because the CVO Highway Glide is 35 kilos lighter via intelligent weight-cutting initiatives within the gas tank thickness, new liquid-forged aluminum triple clamps, and anyplace else ounces may very well be minimize surreptitiously.

12. Meet your new touring cockpit—analog and LCD are out, and digital is in. The 12.3-inch TFT touchscreen sprint mimics the visible designs seen on older fashions, however delivers the knowledge much more successfully through three customizable layouts—Sport, Tour, and Cruise. As you’d anticipate, Apple CarPlay, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi are a part of the image. Nevertheless, Android Auto has left the motorbike house—Android units are linked through USB and nonetheless operate wonderful. The customarily-optional Bluetooth module is commonplace, permitting voice instructions to be activated through a paired comm machine, like what you’d see in any fashionable automotive. Nonetheless, the RG display sits additional away from the rider than what’s on the SG, creating fairly an extended attain.

13. The switchgear on the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide is chunky. These with smaller palms may battle to hit the furthest buttons, with music controls for the implausible sound system on the proper hand.

14. Harley-Davidson goals for the highest step in match and end. The CVO vary is the place H-D stylists flex their chops, pull out the stops, and provides prospects what they need—well-executed unique finishes. For a lot of, that concept is on the crux of CVO possession, and the MoCo doesn’t fail right here. Between the revitalized infotainment system and aesthetics, the paint is stereotypically jaw-dropping, with each little bit of chrome or badging chatting with the commanding price ticket on this machine. Few manufacturers pull off this stage of two-wheeled opulence so properly, and whereas there are different examples, that is one space that the CVO has no equal.

15. The Highway Glide and Avenue Glide are minimize from the identical material, and the core variations are boiled down thusly: The RG has a frame-mounted fairing and taller handlebars that prop the rider in a extra laid-back driving place, even when factoring within the RG’s snazzy new adjustable bars with much less sweep. In the meantime, the SG contains a fork-mounted fairing and is replete with decrease grips that draw the rider ahead, including a dusting of front-end really feel that the RG’s informal rider triangle doesn’t capitalize on. One shouldn’t be objectively higher than the opposite, although there’s one other aspect price mentioning—aspect winds can affect the SG’s fork-mounted fairing, whereas the RG’s frame-mounted fairing isn’t impacted to the identical diploma. Curiously, that is among the the reason why Kyle and Travis Wyman use the RG platform in MotoAmerica’s King Of The Baggers racing collection.

16. The 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide is a big step ahead for its ritziest lineup. The CVO vary is purple meat to the American V-twin lots, upping efficiency, options, and finishes to the extremes. The model’s newest VVT-boasting Milwaukiee-Eight 121 spices issues up, providing a brand new stage of refinement whereas reaching CVO-level efficiency targets. What grabs my consideration is the chassis fixes concerning damping, providing experience high quality that the aftermarket as soon as needed to repair, and we suspect that H-D is biding time earlier than semi-active suspension comes into the fold. As historical past has proven, these core enhancements will all do properly when they’re benevolently handed down the Grand American Touring lineup. However, within the right here and now, the CVO RG represents a large step up for Harley-Davidson.

Location pictures by Brian J. Nelson and Kevin Wing
Studio pictures by Buddy Wilinski

RIDING STYLE

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide Specs

ENGINE 

• Kind: Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 V-twin
• Displacement: 121 cubic inches (1977cc)
• Bore x stroke: 4.075” x 4.625”
• Most torque: 139 ft-lbs @ 3000 rpm
• Most energy: 115 horsepower @ 4500 rpm
• Fueling: EFI w/ 58mm throttle physique
• Compression ratio: 11.4:1
• Valvetrain: Single cam w/ pushrods; 4 vpc
• Exhaust: 2-1-2 twin
• Cooling: Air, liquid, and oil cooling
• Lubrication: Pressurized dry sump
• Transmission: 6-speed Cruise Drive
• Clutch: Mechanically actuated moist multiplate w/ help and slipper capabilities
• Major drive: Chain
• Last drive: Belt

CHASSIS 

• Body: Gentle tubular metal w/ two-piece stamped and welded spine
• Entrance suspension; journey: Non-adjustable Showa inverted 49mm Twin Bending Valve fork; 4.6 inches
• Rear suspension; journey: Rebound-damping and spring-preload adjustable Showa emulsion shocks; 3 inches
• Wheels: Combo Solid Laced
• Entrance wheel: 19 x 3.5
• Rear wheel: 18 x 5
• Entrance tire: 130/60 x 19; Dunlop Harley-Davidson Sequence D408F
• Rear tire: 180/55 x 18; Dunlop Harley-Davidson Sequence D407T
  Entrance brakes: 320mm floating discs w/ radially mounted Brembo 4-piston calipers
• Rear brake: 300mm mounted discs w/ Brembo 4-piston caliper
• ABS: Commonplace

DIMENSIONS and CAPACITIES 

• Wheelbase: 64 inches
• Seat peak: 28.1 inches
• Rake: 26 levels
• Fork angle: 30 levels
• Path: 6.7 inches
• Gasoline capability: 6 gallons
• Estimated gas consumption: 45 mpg
• Curb weight: 862 kilos
• Colours: Darkish Platinum w/ Pinstripe; Whiskey Neat w/ Raven Metallic (+$6000)

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide Worth: $44,199 (MSRP plus Surcharge)

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Highway Glide Overview Picture Gallery