Indian Motorcycle Forum banner

HD's all "new" CVO Models

8K views 85 replies 38 participants last post by  SlidePicker 
#1 ·
Who got the clip about HD's roll-out of the NEW 2023 (1/2?) CVO Street Glide and Road Glide models? Supposed to hit dealer showrooms, or at least a less redacted announcement on June 7. Me thinks that The Motor Company will stuff a 150HP+/- Revolution water cooled motor under the seat with improved braking and suspension components. Clearly redesigned front fairings and lighting on both bikes. It's going to get REAL interesting now......at least between Indian and HD. But this is what we all wanted, right? I think the customers will be the real winners here. I'll be afraid to demo one........time to start digging up the mason jars..............🤑🤑
 
#4 ·
Who got the clip about HD's roll-out of the NEW 2023 (1/2?) CVO Street Glide and Road Glide models? Supposed to hit dealer showrooms, or at least a less redacted announcement on June 7. Me thinks that The Motor Company will stuff a 150HP+/- Revolution water cooled motor under the seat with improved braking and suspension components. Clearly redesigned front fairings and lighting on both bikes. It's going to get REAL interesting now......at least between Indian and HD. But this is what we all wanted, right? I think the customers will be the real winners here. I'll be afraid to demo one........time to start digging up the mason jars..............[emoji857][emoji857]

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk
 
#5 ·
these stories have been out for quite a while.

I kind of the like the new look, the street glide looks nice with the frenched in driving light/turn signal combo.

Not so sure about the Road Glide front light setup. Definitely prefer the Challenger/Pursuit look up there.

Rear lighting looks really good with the 'plasma tube' tube look that many of us have added to the gap between the bags and rear fender across many brands.

Sounds like the dash may be 100% digital now, no more analog display. Not something I would want personally but many new cars are going to a similar setup.

Real curious about whether or not a power adjust windshield is hidden in there.

Also the 121 is intriguing can't wait to see if they can continue the power increases the M8 brought over the previous generation. But man that's going to be one massive heat pump on a hot summer day.

If it's hitting the CVO lineup as a 23, it means some of these changes will hit the rest of the lineup in 2024-2025.
 
#6 ·
I was actually working for H-D when the V-Rod was in development, and got a sneak peek of the then new engine and frame along with some of the performance numbers. They were all proud of themselves for being ahead of the game and building a bike that was already customized for the customers. I made the prediction then that it wouldn't be a huge hit being released in that manner, and expressed my opinion that they would be better served to release it first hidden under the fairings of a bagger. That would let the faithful "discover" its potential and start a real custom build scene, after which the V-Rod would have been more widely accepted. I still think I was right, but they seemed to think it was the dumbest thing they'd ever heard.
 
#50 ·
Pulling the V-Rod from their lineup was very short-sighted on Harley's part. If they had given it more time or put that engine in another bike (something more Harley-traditional), they would have sold a million of them. The V-Rod engine was the best thing Harley ever did (even though they didn't design it). If it ever surfaces again, I will take another serious look at Harley.
 
#7 ·
In related news, what I find funny is all the time some folks on here spend b*tching about how the newer Indians are looking like Harleys and if you peruse the comments you'll find Harley owners b*tching these look like Indians, lol.
 
#9 ·
Still hanging on to the pushrod air-cooled engine, even if it does have variable valve timing. A home run would have been the Pan America engine tuned for a bagger, but it appears that will be down the road, if ever. I always thought HD missed a huge opportunity years ago when they didn’t take the VRod engine, modify it for a bagger, and offer it in a touring bike.
 
#10 ·
The VVT is the key. They are still trying to eke out a few more years on a Traditional, All-American Air-Cooled V-Twin before the ever increasingly stringent CARB, EPA and EURO regulations put the final nail in the coffin. You have to remember, aside from a few die-hard fans, the V-Rod was almost universally panned by the H-D crowd because it wasn't an air-cooled V-Twin.

I predict that Indian will release a VVT TS116 in the next couple of years, then we can all ***** that Indian is copying H-D again. 🤣

Also the 121 is intriguing can't wait to see if they can continue the power increases the M8 brought over the previous generation. But man that's going to be one massive heat pump on a hot summer day.
That's one of the reasons why I did not go the Stage 3 route on my '17 RM. the 111 is hot enough as it is.
 
#11 ·
@Kitulu I always thought the HD crowd shunned the VRod because of styling, not water cooling. It just didn’t look like a HD - but more like a Yamaha VMax. I suspect those diehard HD Baby Boomers would have been converts once they rode a bagger with 30-40 more HP and greatly reduced engine heat. Hindsight is always 20-20, but HD could have been on the forefront of ”performance bagger“ development rather than playing catch up. But, the 90s and early 2000s are full of missteps by HD mgmt.
 
#12 ·
What I had heard was that they shunned it because:
1) It didn't "look like a H-D."
2) It didn't "sound like a H-D."
3) It was water cooled.
4) It (the engine) was developed by Porsche.

H-D corporate caved to the demands of the main customer base without considering how that base was aging, the bikes were not attracting younger buyers, and the H-D culture as a whole was not attractive to younger buyers outside of the H-D family, i.e. the guys who did not grow up with their fathers and uncles riding Harleys.

Look at what happened to Buell.
 
#18 ·
The 2023 Road Glide anniversary model that was announced a couple of months ago is $52K with a fancy paint job and existing tech features. With all the new "breakthrough" features on the forthcoming Street Glide and road glide CVO models and given how proud HD is of their product, I would expect the price of these models to be pushing very close to $60,000.
 
#29 ·
Triumph did a great job when they made the 2nd gen Rocket. An even larger engine, more torque and hp, and something like 80 pounds less weight....oh, yes, can't forget the tasteful restyling either.

My '22 has been a fantastic and fun motorcycle. Only about 7500 miles on it so far but it seems to be bulletproof. It gets respect from just about everyone wherever it's goes.

It's far from the fastest bike around, it's crazy 'bigness' in every aspect of it is quite well known, and justifiable so. It ain't a V-Max killer (but a V-Max is just a 1700cc tiddler anyway, so who cares?), Nor will it put any sort of shame on a modern liter sport bike for acceleration and speed...or backroad handling, of course, but it is what it is, and what it is, is just an outrageously ridiculous powerhouse of a machine....and also, lest we forget, it's just a very nice bike to putt around on, nestled in that big, warm, juicy, bubble of power that this thing exudes. It's a masterpiece of what might be called 'balanced excessiveness'.

My sincere compliments to Triumph on this one.
 
#32 ·
I was under the impression that the V-Rod engine didn't have the low end torque that's really needed for a touring bike. I'm sure they could have solved that, but at the time, no one really wanted a water cooled engine - particularly the American biker that still wanted an air cooled V-twin.
 
#33 ·
I am all for the air cooled - or should we say oil cooled - v twins hanging on. I am sure there are many here who would not look at a Chief or Chieftain if they went water cooled. Even BMW has been doing their best to stretch out the life of their boxer motors and now for the next generation they are wholly water cooled where they were just doing the heads. They still sell a complete line up of air cooled boxers as well.

The PP108 is a great engine but it is not the engine for all V twin fans just how Harley's Revolution Max does not fit for all their fans.

I would love to see Harley use their new Revolution Max in a Sport Tour model similar to how BMW makes the RT.

Yet when push came to shove I went back to the air and oiled cooled big v twin because to me in the end that is what looks right; granted I did not buy an Indian but there is still time for them to come up with something I want.
 
#35 ·
I just went from the liquid cooled PP108 Challenger Limited back to an air cooled Thunderstroke 116 Super Chief Limited last fall. I was very impressed with both the performance and the lack of heat but after two years it was the weight that became an issue. I went to a smaller lighter bike that's easier to back up and manuever for my old legs, Yes there is more heat but nothing terrible and the performance of plenty good for me. Also that Thinderstroke is a beautiful engine to look at.
 
#37 ·
Thoughts
Thats a ton of money for bike even if it is the pinnacle of Harley CVO.
The Vrod motor had insufficient low end torque for touring bagger.
The Triumph Rocket is an excellent fun machine and the motor is ideal for touring bike.
If I could get the R3 motor in a Roadmaster I’d never ride anything else.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TC CHAMP
#39 ·
I would never want to ride a V-Rod any distance no matter what fairing was on it, lol. No trq for it's size, honestly just enough HP to make it open your eyes (the 1250cc NOT the 1130cc), and cruising on the highway at 6000rpm is not something a Road Glide rider wants. It's a fun muscle bike, but that's where it ends. Especially when you have things like the R3 out these days, any V-Rod would fall far behind in THAT realm (muscle bike) unless if you directly transplant an PanAm motor.

I hope someone makes a muscle bike or street fighter out of a Challenger before I do, lol.
 
#41 ·
They usually have demo rides at the Menomonee Falls manufacturing plant. I work in the same subdivision as that plant so I often go there during my lunch break during the reunions and check out the new bikes and get some free swag.

I'm sure showing off the new motor will be a priority for them. Also I'm guessing that several writers will have extended demo rides and will put out information about them right around the same time.

I'd like to think that it'll put out some impressive numbers but I'm thinking ran that platform into the ground by now.

Both the 116" and 114" are likely peak performance for their respective platforms that they can release from the factory.
 
#46 ·
I'm really excited about the new touring line that's coming out. Kyle Wyman helped in the development of these bikes so the ride and handling is going to be on point. I'm anxious to see how the VVT works and how the new mono shock rear suspension works too!

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk
 
#47 ·
The VVT is a mixed bag in most platforms (trucks, cars, etc), usually because there is a slight delay in the timing changes. Throttle lag from going to high power. It's there for power robbing emissions. Will have to see how it pans out. Another thing is well is it's a pain in the ass especially for tuners. Because a whole new set of tuning tables to figure out.

So VVT is good for emissions, the HP junkies will most likely hate it.

But we will have to see.
 
#49 ·
BMW went to their version of the VVT in the Boxer motors a couple years ago. They call it Shift-Cam and from what I have read from the owners, it was an improvement on the power and torque curve of that motor.
It’s good to see Harley step up their game a little. Maybe they redesign the frame and ergos so the bike is more comfortable for a rider that is over 5’10” tall.
I will definitely test ride one when I can.
 
#51 ·
Meh. No matter what HD does, they are now chasing Indian, in my opinion. They still, surprisingly, do not get it. Year after year after year just changing paint, adjusting power slightly, and cosmetic changes just will not cut it. They are on their heels, they don’t get the changing demographic and continue to overprice yet under deliver.
 
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Top