First Ride: 2009 Harley-Davidson CVO Models

Since Harley-Davidson's Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) unit started building its oxymoronically titled "factory customs" 10 years ago, the new models have done a remarkable job of finding an audience. The 2009 effort will include two updated carry-overs and two all-new CVO models, all with the same sweet mill. It's the 110-cubic-inch Screamin' Eagle Twin Cam 110, which cranks out a claimed 110-115 (depending on model) ft.-lbs. of potato-popping torque at its power peak, never dropping below 100 anywhere from idle to redline. This means that even with the most elephantine of the herd, grabbing a handful of throttle and dumping the clutch will launch you in a rather thrilling fashion.

Two for Touring...

The new-for-2009 CVO Road Glide arrives this fall with a ghosted, almost subtle eagle head on the main fairing panel, and you can choose from three color schemes ranging from mellow to molten. The bike is striking in the metal, and looks longer and lower than a stock 'Glide. I found it to be a surprisingly nimble handler for such a big machine. Chalk this up to the revised, well-sorted touring chassis and suspension, new OEM Dunlops and a lighter frame-mounted fairing.

Ride it back to back with the CVO Ultra Classic and you'll feel the difference before you get it off the sidestand. The Ultra's bar-mounted fairing is stuffed with electronics, including a high-watt amp and bigger speakers to entertain you on the superslab. But that sky-high weight makes it trickier to handle at low speeds than the comparatively svelte Road Glide. And on the sunny California day I rode these bikes, I preferred the semi-open feel of the Road Glide, especially since the CVO Ultra's low "designer" screen had the wind bopping my helmet over 30 mph. First thing I'd do is chuck it in favor of the taller touring screen found in H-D's accessory catalog. The Brembo brakes on both bikes—with standard ABS—are well up to the Herculean task of hauling these big Hogs and their bigger-than-ever GVWRs to a stop.

...and Two for Town

From the Dyna team comes this year's all-new CVO Fat Bob. Of the three available finishes, I was especially drawn to the "Black Diamond/Fire Quartz" combo. It's a show-quality multi-layer paint job that gets better the more you look at it, but it's never ostentatious (get the yellow one for that). The downside is that by dropping the front end to give the bike a tighter "stance" when parked, H-D had to stiffen the shorter fork travel to keep you off the bottom. To compensate, the rear was softened. Result? The CVO Fat Bob will get spanked in the twisties by the not-as-Phat standard Fat Bob. Fit and finish on the new Fattie is like that on all the CVO models we saw: excellent. We had about 20 early-production CVO specimens to peruse at the intro, and nary a crap weld or orange-peeled panel was in evidence.

Carried over from '08 is the lightly reworked CVO Softail Springer, now with a 240mm rear tire, a horseshoe-shaped chromed oil tank and an internally wired handlebar. I was shocked at how comfortable and responsive this bike was—not an easy thing to do with a pre-World War II front end and a too-wide-but-it-looks-good rear tire.

Prices range from $25,299 for the CVO Fat Bob to $35,499 for the CVO Ultra, but Harley is quick to point out the "value proposition"—there's no way a solo customizer could replicate any of these bikes with all the chrome, paint and accessories for anything close to those numbers. H-D hopes to move a total of 12,150 CVO units split roughly 50/50 between the U.S. and foreign markets.