2016–2017 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Factory Custom, Drag-Strip Soul
Harley built the CVO Pro Street Breakout in small numbers, and you can see where the money went. The 1801 cc air-cooled 45° V-twin makes 91 hp and 112 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm, which tells you exactly how this bike is set up to move: low, hard, and early. A 240-section rear tire fills out a 66.1 in wheelbase, the fork is upside-down, and the seat sits at 26.0 in. ABS, cruise control, a slipper clutch, and keyless ignition are all standard. This is a factory custom with a warranty behind it, not a catalog build.
It rides the way those figures suggest. Torque shows up just off idle and pulls in one long wave, so you leave it in top gear and let the belt do the work. At 730 lb it settles into a highway lane and stays put. It suits the rider who wants presence first and doesn't feel the need to justify it. Two things belong in your budget: the Twin Cam 110's hydraulic lifters can fail between 25,000 and 35,000 miles, announced by a pronounced tick or knock, and these 2016–2017 bikes were recalled for a clutch master cylinder that can leak internally and lose the ability to disengage.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 91 hp (68 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 112 lb-ft (152 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1801 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Upside-down (USD) |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/60-19 |
| Rear tire | 240/40-18 |
| Wheelbase | 66.1 in (1680 mm) |
| Seat height | 26.0 in (660 mm) |
| Wet weight | 730 lb (331 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (18.9 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Connectivity
Safety
What follows is the rider community talking, gathered over years: conversations in the pits, at owner meets and on club nights, plus the notes people send me directly once they have lived with a bike. On this bike the pattern is tidy. The same things riders praise, the big motor and the low, heavy build, are also what they complain about.
The engine leads nearly every conversation. Owners describe drive that arrives the moment they open the throttle and keeps building until the engine signs off, shifting real weight without fuss. Close behind sits the finish: the black paint, the chrome detailing, and the pinstriping get taken for bespoke work by passers-by. Quieter but steady threads praise a front end that holds firm and pulls up hard, and a seat that stays tolerable for a full hour out.
Point it at a bend and the undercarriage makes contact long before lean angle runs out, corner after corner. The other steady note is mass: riders feel the torque but say the weight keeps it from landing as the hit they braced for. A few raise valve train clatter, and mostly file it under normal.
Clutch master cylinder loss of disengagement
On certain 2016 models, the clutch master cylinder may lose the ability to generate enough lift to disengage the clutch if parked for an extended period due to gas in the fluid. Safety recall NHTSA 16V-471 / H-D 0169 was issued to flush the system and rebuild the clutch master cylinder.
Lifter failure leading to engine noise/damage
Owners report that the Twin Cam 110 engine's hydraulic lifters can fail prematurely, often between 25,000 and 35,000 miles, causing a pronounced ticking or knocking noise. If unaddressed, it can escalate to catastrophic valvetrain damage.
Where this Harley-Davidson CVO Pro Street Breakout FXSE pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CVO Pro Street Breakout FXSE is actually built for.
This one is built for you. Sound, stance, and a CVO badge that gets read from across Main Street, with enough highway calm that riding there is part of the point.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
The style lands and the long wheelbase suits an easy two-lane rhythm. Know that you're buying a slammed drag profile, not a quiet classic, plus 730 lb to shuffle around small-town parking.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It will hold a highway lane all day, but there's no wind protection, no luggage, and a 5.0 gal tank. Good for a long weekend, thin for big distance two-up.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2013
Factory Custom, Full Stop
Compare to the previous model →If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Harley-Davidson CVO Pro Street Breakout FXSE. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
