Harley-Davidson CVO 1920 Tri Glide FLHTCUTGSE 2020 — Specifications

How can you justify a €53,800 check for a motorcycle? Or rather, for a trike. The answer, perhaps, lies within this statement of intent signed Harley-Davidson: take the most ostentatious machine in its catalog, the Tri Glide, and offer it the ultimate treatment of Custom Vehicle Operations. We are no longer talking about a simple three-wheeled motorcycle, but a land yacht, a club chair on wheels to conquer the asphalt. The idea is crazy, the price is just as much, but the object commands respect through its absolute excess.

The heart of the beast is, of course, the mythical Milwaukee-Eight, here inflated to 1923 cm3, the famous 117 kit. Imagine a torque of 170.6 Nm available from 3750 rpm, a wave of thrust that moves the 563 kilograms dry weight of this fortress without even flinching. The power, 106 horsepower, seems almost anecdotal compared to this rotating mass that propels the whole thing with the authority of a locomotive. It is the sonic and sensory signature of Harley, taken to its paroxysm. On such a mechanical base, the trike does not dawdle, it advances with overwhelming majesty, vibrating the road and the souls of purists.

Harley has intelligently equipped this behemoth with a range of electronic aids, the Reflex Defensive Rider Systems. ABS and traction control correlated to the lean angle, anti-dribble, all these safeguards are essential to tame such a massive machine, especially when the road betrays you or the 22.7-liter tank is full. The suspension, from the Touring range, is solid and comfortable, even if it does not rival the finesse of European semi-active systems. But that is not the point. The point is the journey in a buttoned-up armchair of technologies.

Because the true luxury of this CVO Tri Glide lies in its sultan’s equipment. Everything is there: heated and finely stitched upholstery, full LED lighting, backlit controls, two-layer two-tone paints, sparkling chrome and specific Tomahawk wheels. The central console is dominated by the 6.5-inch Boom! Box GTS touchscreen, piloting a 300-watt audio system, GPS navigation, CB radio and all imaginable connections. With the H-D Connect system, you even monitor your trike from your smartphone. And for luggage, the side cases and top case offer a volume worthy of a small car.

Who is this monument for? Certainly not the motorcyclist seeking pure sensations. No, this CVO trike targets the demanding traveler for whom distance is just a detail, the absolute grand touring enthusiast who prefers the armchair to the saddle, or simply those who want to own the ultimate Milwaukee, even if it requires a car license to drive it. It is an object of passion, a statement on wheels. At this price, you buy much more than a vehicle: you acquire an experience, a status, and the certainty of not going unnoticed anywhere. A madness? Perhaps. But a superbly orchestrated madness.