Every January American bike maker Harley-Davidson lets loose new motorcycles for the new year. It did so this week for 2024, presenting to the world four new motorcycles, two from the regular lineup and another two in Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) flavor.
We've already discussed the 2024 Harley-Davidson Street Glide and Road Glide and what they bring to the table in a previous story, and we will soon do the same for the first-ever CVO offering in the adventure touring segment. This time however we will be focusing on what may very well be the most exciting entry in the Harley lineup this year: the CVO Road Glide ST.
We're used to CVO taking on the Grand American Touring segment. In fact, that's what the company's factory custom division has been doing ever since its inception exactly 25 years ago (that's right, CVO is celebrating a quarter of a century of existence in 2024). But that still doesn’t stop us from being amazed at how impressive this particular model is.
Set to usher in a “new era of touring performance, technology, and design,” the 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST brings with it custom looks, in a West Coast style, right off the factory floor.
Harley makes no secret about what the bike is all about. We're promised no more no less than the “quickest, fastest, and most-sophisticated performance bagger ever produced.” And although the numbers add up, we'll be breaking it down below to see for ourselves if that's the case.
The bike is a hot rod bagger true and true. It looks mean enough to be impressive right from the get-go, but not nearly as mean as its component parts would definitely entitle it to be.
We start with how much the bike weighs because you'd expect a ride so massive and gifted to be quite bulky. It is, but a lot less so than you'd be inclined to believe: the monster tips the scales at 800 pounds (363 kg, dry).
Photo: Harley-Davidson
Although that's quite a big number compared to most other bikes out there, the CVO Road Glide ST is quite light in its class. The number was achieved thanks to the extensive use of titanium and carbon fiber on the mufflers, end caps, front fender, seat cowl, and fuel tank console. On top of that, the oil pan is made of lightweight composite, and the brakes (of Brembo origin) and wheels play their part in keeping the bike as light as possible.
The bike is kept upright and behaving nicely when going over various terrains by what Harley describes as a racing-inspired suspension system. Fully adjustable front and rear, it comprises inverted 47 mm Showa forks at the front and shock absorbers of the same make at the rear, complete with remote reservoirs.
Impressive as it may be from a visual standpoint, the CVO Road Glide ST becomes a lot more so when you learn what powers it. An engine you’ll find nowhere else in the Harley lineup, tweaked to levels of power one seldom gets from Milwaukee.
The engine is the mighty Milwaukee-Eight 121 HO, a brand-new powerplant. It delivers the “most horsepower and torque ever from a factory-installed engine in a production Harley-Davidson motorcycle”: 127 hp and 193 Nm of torque.
Not only that, but the unit also behaves a lot more aggressively than we’re used to. A lower final drive ratio allows for increased acceleration no matter the gear the transmission is in. It is, as per Harley, “the kind of acceleration and mid-range thrust aggressive riders crave.“
Depending on road conditions and other factors, the Milwaukee beast can be set to run in several modes, including Road, Sport, Track Plus, and Rain. A large number of Custom modes can also be set to serve personal rider needs.
Photo: Harley-Davidson
Like all other bikes Harley is presently making, the CVO touring makes use of the Skyline operating system that replaces the usual analog instruments and even most of the switches.
Because it’s meant to be ridden for long stretches of road, it also packs a hell of an audio system. It comprises a 500-watt amplifier and Rockford Fosgate Stage II 6.5-inch speakers installed in the fairings.
Harley says the 2024 CVO Road Glide ST will be available on dealers' lots by the end of the month. The bike is already on the company's configurator, and it comes with a starting price that reads a massive $42,999.
The motorcycle will be available in two color options, Golden White Pearl or Raven Metallic. To make sure nobody confuses it for something else, Screamin’ Eagle graphics can be seen on the sides of the fairing and the fuel tank. The design is inspired by the factory motorcycles that race in the King of the Baggers series.
As an extra touch of special, 25th Anniversary graphics can be seen throughout the body of the ride.
Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies. Full profile
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