Harley-Davidson CVO 1980 Road Glide ST FLTRXSTSE 2024 — Specifications

So, what's the pinnacle of a Harley road bike today? Not simply a luxurious GT, but a machine that dares to challenge the track while keeping its bags. The CVO Road Glide ST, with a price tag approaching €48,000, is Milwaukee’s brutal answer to that question. It doesn't just settle for being a Custom Vehicle Operation; it aims to be the ultimate weapon, the most sophisticated and fastest bagger ever branded with the shield.

The heart of this ambition beats with an exclusive Milwaukee-Eight 121 High Output, a 1977 cm3 twin cylinder massaged like a wrestler's fist. Thanks to a Screamin’ Eagle camshaft and a high-performance intake, it delivers 126 horsepower at 5020 rpm and a monstrous torque of 193 Nm, available early in the rev range. This is the largest power and torque ever produced in series by Harley. Compared to the standard 121 engine in other CVO models, the difference is felt with the first twist of the throttle: the beast breathes harder, responds faster, and its usable rev range pushed to 5900 rpm gives it unprecedented agility. Paired with a shortened final gear ratio, the result is a frank and authoritative acceleration that almost makes you forget the 380 kg when fully fueled.

To channel this fury, Harley has seriously reworked the chassis. The 47 mm Showa inverted fork and adjustable rear shocks bring a serious sporting credibility. The braking system, entrusted to Brembo with radial four-piston calipers, has the caliber necessary to slow the mass. The trick lies in weight reduction: with 12 kilos less than the classic CVO, the ST displays 363 kg dry. This slimming regime involves carbon fiber on the mudguard, console and seat cover, titanium muffler shells, and lightweight wheels. Every gram saved on unsprung masses translates into sharper steering, a valuable quality for a machine as imposing as this.

The electronics, for their part, perfectly play their role as a safety net and accomplice. In addition to the classic Road, Sport and Rain modes, there are two Track and Track Plus programs, inherited directly from the King of the Baggers championship. They allow you to progressively deactivate the aids, such as linked braking, and to allow some wheelspin, transforming this touring bike into a candidate for a track lap. The dashboard, a customizable 12.3-inch touchscreen, and the 500-watt Rockford Fosgate sound system recall that you are first and foremost in a grand touring GT, capable of rocking you with music between sporting sessions.

Ultimately, this Road Glide ST is a motorcycle with a dual personality. It clearly targets the demanding touring rider and the Sunday track rider who refuses to sacrifice comfort and luggage, while seeking to outsmart the Indian Challenger on their turf. Its price places it in a very exclusive orbit, reserved for initiates for whom compromise is not an option. Is it the best Harley ever built? In terms of raw performance and technology, probably. But it requires its rider to fully embrace its size and cost, to extract the quintessence of a winding road or an endless straight.