Harley-Davidson CVO 1920 Street Glide FLHXSE 2022 — Specifications

Motorcycle: Harley-Davidson CVO 1920 Street Glide FLHXSE (2022)

Does the CVO department of Harley-Davidson even need an introduction? These three letters, for Custom Vehicle Operations, have become the key to the ultimate expression of factory-customized motorcycles. And each year, the model that they exercise their talents on is often the Street Glide. The 2022 version doesn’t deviate from the rule, but it brings with it a mechanical revolution that changes the game. We’re no longer talking about a simple luxurious trim, but about a profound overhaul, driven by an engine that pulverizes all series records at the Milwaukee firm.

The heart of this beast is a turbocharged Milwaukee-Eight, a 1923 cm3 engine that displays figures to make a small Chevrolet block pale. With 103 horsepower and, above all, a monstrous torque of 168.7 Nm available from 3500 rpm, this engine redefines the notion of propulsion in the bagger world. Compared to the previous CVO Twin Cam 110 engines, the gain is substantial. This rotating mass of nearly 400 kilos fully fueled suddenly possesses a telluric force, capable of pinning you to the seat with the simple twist of the throttle. It’s a raw sensory experience, a deluge of torque that seems inexhaustible. But Harley, aware that this power can destabilize, has intelligently framed it.

Because this Street Glide CVO is not an uncultured brute. It is equipped with the RDRS pack, an electronic arsenal that makes it surprisingly civilized. Two-mode traction control, slip prevention, modulated ABS in corners, and intelligent linked braking: that’s new under the Harley sun. These safeguards are essential to tame all this energy, especially on wet roads or coming out of tight corners. They transform this steel giant into a safer road companion, without dulling the primary pleasure of its engine. It’s a successful balance between tradition and modernity.

The equipment, for its part, is up to the displayed price – 43,150 euros, to be said. The 6.5-inch color TFT screen of the Boom! Box GTS system is responsive and now integrates Apple CarPlay. Adaptive cornering lighting, the 400-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system, and the H-D Connect app for geolocation and remote monitoring are serious high-end features. The finishes, with their exclusive paints and the Kahuna collection elements, are impeccable. But beyond the gadget, it’s the coherence of the whole that impresses.

So, who is this machine for? Certainly not for a beginner, frightened by its weight and its price. It’s the motorcycle of the hard-core Harley touring rider, the one who has already climbed the ranks of the range and who is looking for the Grail. It is also a statement, a demonstration of strength against European competition, more agile and technological. The CVO Street Glide 117 doesn’t seek to be the fastest or the most agile in corners. It is the embodiment of a philosophy: luxury, excessive power, and style as a reason for being. It will not convince track riders, but it offers its rider a feeling of mastery and prestige that few motorcycles in the world can equal. It’s less a motorcycle than a rolling monument.