Harley-Davidson CVO 1920 Road Glide Limited FLTRKSE 2022 — Specifications

Is this still a motorcycle? Weighing in at close to 450 kilograms when full, the CVO Road Glide Limited flirts more with the physics of barges than with those of two wheels. Harley-Davidson, with its Custom Vehicle Operations department, has pushed the logic of the American touring bike to its absolute peak, creating less a vehicle than a rolling symbol of the American dream. This is a mechanical work of art, a liner of the interstates, designed to swallow entire states without the rider so much as grimacing. The price, too, is on a continental scale: expect around 47,450 euros to board. That's the price of a nice German sedan, but here, you're not buying a means of transport, you're acquiring a piece of mythology.

The heart of the beast lives up to its ambitions: the Milwaukee-Eight 117, a 1923 cm3 V-Twin delivering a monstrous torque of 165.7 Nm from 3500 rpm. Power reaches 105 horsepower, which is more than respectable for a twin, but does not overshadow the colossal weight to move. The feeling at acceleration is not a surge, it's an oceanic push, continuous and unwavering. This engine is a marvel of refinement, with its partial liquid cooling and 4-valve cylinder heads, but it primarily serves a philosophy: that of low torque and absolute relaxation. Compared to the over-multiplied multi-cylinder engines of European or Japanese competitors, it seems archaic. But it is precisely this mastered archaism, this quiet and sonorous force, that constitutes its DNA and its main argument.

Where is this money invested? Everywhere. The finish is superlative, with multi-layered paints, specific Tomahawk wheels, chrome inserts and a plethora of accessories from the Kahuna collection. The comfort is worthy of a mobile living room: heated seats for the rider and passenger, exemplary aerodynamic protection thanks to the famous fixed shark nose and the wide windshield, and a rigid top-case saddlebag as standard. The technological equipment is abundant with the 6.5-inch Boom Box GTS touchscreen, the Rockford Fosgate sound system, a cruise control and a whole battery of driving aids including ABS and cornering traction control. Yet, one can regret the absence of adaptive headlights, a gadget present on machines three times less expensive like the Yamaha Tracer 9 GT. At this price level, this kind of oversight borders on impropriety.

So, who is this machine for? Clearly not for a beginner, nor for a track rider seeking fine sensations. The Road Glide Limited CVO is aimed at the confirmed and wealthy globetrotter for whom travel is a ritual, a total experience where the motorcycle itself is a destination. It targets those who travel thousands of kilometers on straight and wide roads, and for whom the sound of the V-Twin and the looks of others are an integral part of the pleasure. It is an extreme, irrational, excessive niche product in every way. Is it a good motorcycle? In its category, certainly, as it assumes its role with undeniable mastery. But its true talent is to sell you much more than a vehicle: an oversized piece of freedom, an icon. It takes a lot of will, and a portfolio as imposing as its engine, to take the plunge.