*Softail Convertible
*Fat Bob
*Street Glide
*Ultra Classic Electra Glide
Half Moon Bay, CA
Doesn't seem like so long ago that a couple of guys in Milwaukee came up with the brilliant idea of bolting on some top-shelf parts from Harley's beefy P&A catalog to new model year bikes. They figured these de facto factory customs-ready-made and upmarket-would appeal to consumers who wanted the bling right away without the backbreaking work.
Now in its 11th year, the CVO experiment has succeeded beyond Willie G's wildest dreams. What started out as an FXR reboot with a few tweaks and extra dollops of chrome in 1999 has exploded into a four bike extravaganza flush with performance upgrades, head-turning paintwork and top-shelf rider amenities. Rather than just a side project for Harley's creative types, it has evolved into the Motor Company's showcase division. CVO, by the way, stands for Custom Vehicle Operations, and is H-D's in-house custom line.
As such, Harley also hopes to evoke a sense of exclusivity by keeping CVO production runs low (though last year's orders topped 10,000 units). The CVO design crew often joins forces with H-D OE Engineering and Styling, so these limited edition models frequently become test beds for new ideas that can potentially go full OE on standard production models the next season.
There's also no question aesthetics play a major part in each model's final design, but if you're wondering whether that's worth the CVOs' $25,000 + asking price, the MoCo folks would answer with an unabashed "yes". They reckon that if you were to buy a stock Harley and personalize it with copious amounts of Screamin' Eagle bits, you wouldn't be able to build a CVO-like one for close to the same price.
Fortunately, this year's cream-of-the-crop Harleys give you little reason to suspect you're getting fleeced. To keep things fresh, there are two all-new CVO models for 2010. First up is the debut of the CVO Street Glide, which replaces last year's Screamin' Eagle Road Glide. The minimalist bagger is a welcome addition to the CVO group, given its popularity in the regular lineup. The next two new CVO machines have been down this road before; making the cut again for 2010 are the CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide and the CVO Fat Bob, which both appeared as '09 CVOs, and enjoy heaps of interest in the standard lineup as well.
But everybody knows there's one model at every CVO launch that's destined to raise collective eyebrows: this year that bike is the FLSTSE CVO Convertible. The all-new model, which is based on the Softail platform, reintroduces the always-appealing concept of a machine capable of adapting to a rider's preferred style just with the swap of a few components (Super-Glide T-Sport anyone?).
Powering the 2010 CVO quartet once again is Screamin' Eagle's Twin Cam 110 power plant, which first made its appearance in 2007. The 1,803 cc V-twin continues to be the largest-displacement factory engine Harley produces, with 4-inch forged pistons cranking out as much as 115 lb-ft of torque at 3750 rpm (claimed). Jetting and exhaust systems tweak that figure slightly in each model, but you can definitely count on spinning the Fat Bob's rear rubber without trying too hard.
The fuel-injected Big Twin engine is again joined to the six-speed Cruise Drive tranny on all CVOs, and Harley's proprietary security system comes standard here as well. All touring CVOs also get ABS and electronic cruise control as standard features.
But the CVO staff didn't waste time going over the bikes' standard features at the unveiling; it looked like they just wanted us to ride the things (as much as we could ride four bikes in one day, anyway). That was fine by us, so after a quick presentation, we headed for the lovely San Mateo hills and eventually the Pacific coast, on our choice of Ultra Classic Electra Glide ($35,999), Street Glide ($30,999), Softail Convertible ($27,999) or Fat Bob ($25,299), all in CVO trim.