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2018–2022 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
The Bagger Art That Moves
The CVO badge sits at the top of the touring range, and this one earns it in metal rather than decals. A 1923 cc 45° V-twin, air and liquid cooled where it matters, makes 104 hp at 5,450 rpm and 125 lb-ft at 3,500 rpm, fed through a six-speed box and a belt. The shark-nose fairing is bolted to the frame instead of the forks, which is why the front end stays calm as speed builds. A 21-inch front wheel, hand-finished paint, stretched bags, and a full infotainment stack with ABS, traction control, and ride modes complete the picture.
On the road it behaves the way those numbers suggest. Torque arrives just off idle, so you short-shift, sit back, and let the 64.0-inch wheelbase do the work. At 886 lb (402 kg) wet it holds a line all day and asks for real intent in a parking lot. The caveat is straightforward: the front fork gives you no adjustment at all, and only the rear shock takes preload, so a heavy pillion plus full bags becomes a rear-end conversation. Buy it for presence, sound, and long open days. It ages well, because everything you touch was built to be looked at.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 104 hp (77 kW) @ 5,450 rpm |
|---|---|
| Torque | 125 lb-ft (170 Nm) @ 3,500 rpm |
| Displacement | 1923 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air/liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/60B21 |
| Rear tire | 180/55B18 |
| Wheelbase | 64.0 in (1625 mm) |
| Seat height | 26.8 in (680 mm) |
| Wet weight | 886 lb (402 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gal (22.7 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Lighting
Safety
Thumb the starter and the V-twin settles into a beat you feel in the tank before you register it as sound. At idle the whole machine breathes. Pull away and the mass stops mattering above walking pace, helped by a seat just 26.8 in (680 mm) off the ground, so your boots find the road without any stretch. The bars come to you rather than the other way around. Air goes over the helmet cleanly enough at highway pace that the audio stays audible without shouting at your passenger. Vibration is present and clearly intentional, alive through the grips down low, then thinning out as the bike settles into its natural gait. Two hours in, nothing aches and nothing rattles. That is the entire point of the thing.
None of this comes from one conversation. It's years of parking-lot talk after group rides, dealer-night chatter, and messages owners send me once they've lived with the bike a while. On the FLTRSE, the accounts line up unusually tightly.
Two things come up in nearly every conversation. First the motor: the words that keep coming back are effortless and thunderous, and they usually show up inside a story about hauling a passenger and gear a long way. Second, how the bike carries its size. Riders call it stable and confidence-inspiring, and a fair number bring up backroads they hadn't expected it to manage. Quieter but consistent underneath that: appreciation for the hand-applied paint and pinstriping, and for how fresh owners feel at the end of a long haul, with the stereo a regular part of that praise.
The same mass turns up on the other side. Owners are candid that low-speed work asks for technique, and several say the bike would intimidate a rider without much experience behind them. The other recurring note is cost: the premium this model carries over the standard version keeps it on a lot of wish lists instead of in the garage.
NHTSA recall 18V734000 - secondary clutch actuator may leak
NHTSA campaign 18V734000 (Harley-Davidson recall 0173, filed 18 Oct 2018). The secondary clutch actuator cylinder may leak fluid internally and the clutch master cylinder may lose the ability to generate enough lift to disengage the clutch. If the clutch cannot be disengaged it can result in a loss of control. Dealers install a new secondary clutch actuator piston assembly free of charge. Affected here: 2018 CVO Road Glide (FLTRXSE).
NHTSA recall 22V781000 - brake lights may illuminate on their own
NHTSA campaign 22V781000 (Harley-Davidson recall 0635, filed 18 Oct 2022). A software error can make the brake lights illuminate without the rider applying the brakes, which fails FMVSS 108 and can confuse following traffic. Dealers update the software free of charge. Affected here: 2020-2022 Touring and CVO Touring models including the CVO Road Glide (FLTRXSE).
Where this Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide FLTRSE 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 Road Glide FLTRSE is actually built for.
This is your bike and you probably already know it. Sound, presence, and paint that holds a crowd on Main Street, with enough highway composure to ride there instead of trailering it.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
It will do the big miles: 6.0 gal (22.7 L) of fuel, a fairing that shields you, and torque to spare loaded two-up. Just know that 886 lb is real on tight switchbacks and campground gravel.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
Honest answer: this is bagger logic, not heritage simplicity. The character and the sound are here, but it is a lot of motorcycle for slow town-hopping and narrow back roads.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2015–2016
Factory Custom, Wired for Miles
Compare to the previous model →