Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide first ride - MOTOR GERR

Harley’s CVO bikes have forever been the terribly best-accessorised and tuned offerings the historic yank firm will muster however its latest for 2017 takes even all that a stage additional.

CVO stands for H-D’s in-house Custom Vehicle Operations department that, each year, produces a edition of many thousand around blinged and hotted up samples of alittle choice of its huge twins.

Usually, this suggests the quality engines get Harley’s bolt-on Screamin’ Eagle performance upgrade; special edition, two-tone custom paint is finely applied and therefore the object is slathered with the foremost beguiling Al billet and sometimes carbon-fibre goodies H-D’s intensive accessories catalogue can give.

The result's, simply, the most effective off-the-peg Harleys cash can purchase. No surprise then that, despite generally eye-watering value tags, CVOs ar in vast demand, typically sell-out instantly and additionally keep their price imposingly as used buys.

But with the arrival of Harley’s new, raised capability, four-valve Milwaukee-Eight engines, which, in either oil or liquid (Twin-Cooled) kind power H-D’s 2017 road family, suddenly its CVOs have an additional card to play.

For 2017, Harley GB is giving 3 CVO models. The CVO professional Street escape, as tested in MCN earlier this year and that relies on the recent Twin Cam-powered escape, carries forward into 2017.

Of bigger news is that this is currently joined by the new, Milwaukee-Eight-powered CVO restricted and, here, arguably the foremost delicious of all, the equally power-driven new CVO Street Glide.

And, there’s no obtaining off from it, the CVO Street Glide is just fabulous. In each means. Almost.

There ar 3 easy reasons for this: 1st, the stock Street Glide is already a superb bike. basically a chopped-down version of the full-dress Electra Glide it’s each the instance bagger and Harley’s (and America’s) popular bike, full-stop.

For 2017, however, the road Glide gets the Milwaukee-Eight upgrades that are applied across the total of Harley’s road family, namely new, 11% pokier, four-valve motor, during this gloss in Twin-Cooled, liquid-cooled kind, wherever twin radiators ar hidden within the leg guards (models while not the leg guards, like the Road King, get the oil-cooled version with one oil cooler) and considerably improved suspension.

Then, in CVO kind, the 2017 Glide gets even higher nevertheless – imposingly therefore. First, there’s an even bigger, 114ci, (or 1868cc from 1745cc), Screamin’ Eagle tuned version of the Twin-Cooled engine. That in itself boosts peak torsion to 122ftlb and are some things you actually notice, particularly once you bear in mind last year’s Twin Cam bikes place out simply 93ftlb. That’s a half-hour boost right there.

Then come back all the CVO goodies. Cosmetics-wise, the CVO Glide is just lush. From its savory, special edition paint to the flush-fit filler, billet grips, granite-finished fairing inners and fashionable fob-operated, central-locking panniers. all over you look, the CVO is mouth-wateringly shiny and funky – enough to form the stock Harley we tend to additionally had on take a look at appear virtually basic.

While, finally, the surprise cherry on high is that the CVO Street Glide’s increased system – and, wow, is it spectacular. With larger, 6.5in BOOM! Stage II speakers that ar power-driven by a replacement 600-watt electronic equipment, the CVO’s system, already spectacular through Harley’s slick, alphanumeric display ‘Infotainment’ system, goes merely into a unique dimension, for production bikes a minimum of.

Forget the tinny, barely sonic audio recording of before, here’s the type of loud and bass-heavy audio antecedently the realm of hotted up hatchbacks. All of that produces the CVO Street Glide a merely good bike and possibly – seeing as it’s primarily a blinged up attack the new hotted up version of H-D’s hottest machine – Harley’s best bike.

My solely reservation, slightly, is its value. At £30,545 the CVO’s virtually a banging ten grand quite the stock Street Glide Special (at £20,695) and solely a touch but the total dress restricted version. It’s additionally price basic cognitive process the CVO professional Street escape has abundant of identical attractiveness (if not the most recent engine, system and luggage) for around £20K.

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