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2014–2015 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Factory Custom, No Apologies
Harley built the CVO Softail Deluxe as its dress-uniform cruiser, and the hardware follows the look rather than the other way around. The air-cooled 1801 cc 45-degree V-twin sits rigid in the frame and makes 90 hp, though the number that shapes the ride is 108 lb-ft, fed through a 6-speed box and a belt. Everything you can see is finish work: deep CVO paint, chrome laid on thick, rear shocks hidden away so the back of the bike reads clean. It sits at the top of the factory-custom scale, not the performance one.
The 25.8 in seat drops you low and both boots land flat, which is what makes 782 lb workable in the real world. Once rolling it settles and stays settled at highway speed. The price of that clean silhouette is short rear travel, so broken pavement arrives with no warning, and lean angle runs out well before your nerve does. This is a bike for riders who want presence when they arrive and a relaxed cadence getting there. Ask it to hustle and it will politely decline. Ride it at its own pace and nothing in this segment carries more visual weight.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 90 hp (67 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 108 lb-ft (146 Nm) |
| Displacement | 1801 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/90B16 |
| Rear tire | MU85B16 77H |
| Seat height | 25.8 in (655 mm) |
| Wet weight | 782 lb (355 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 5.0 gal (18.9 L) |
| Top speed | 106 mph (170 km/h) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Lighting
Safety
The character shows up before you move. At idle the whole bike shakes on its mounts, then settles into a hard, deep beat as you pull away, and a low-frequency pulse keeps coming up through the pegs and the tank at cruise. It is the good kind of shake, present enough that the bike feels alive in your hands without going numb. The riding position is stretched out and low, feet forward, back upright, arms wide. Walking it around a parking lot takes real intent, and then a few miles per hour later the mass drops under you and stops being a topic. Chrome fills your sight lines wherever you look down. With the windshield off, wind above 70 mph is the only thing you have to negotiate with.
Hydraulic clutch master cylinder seal failure (RECALL)
The master cylinder primary cup can tear, causing the clutch to lose its ability to stay disengaged. This can lead to unintentional creep and low-speed tip-overs.
Incorrect clutch release plate (RECALL)
Certain 2014 FLSTNSE units built 3 May 2013 - 14 Oct 2013 may have an incorrect clutch release plate, which can stop the clutch from disengaging and make the bike hard to slow or stop. NHTSA campaign 13V517000.
Premature lifter and cam shoe wear
Owners report lifter failures around 5,000 miles and accelerated cam shoe wear between 10,000 and 25,000 miles. Early models had an inner cam bearing issue, which was reportedly fixed before 2014, but lifter problems persist.
Cruise control sensor failure
Single report of cruise control sensor malfunction requiring replacement.
Where this Harley-Davidson CVO Softail Deluxe FLSTNSE 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 Softail Deluxe FLSTNSE is actually built for.
This is rally week hardware. It holds its own parked in a row of thousands, the sound carries down Main Street, and the unhurried pace of those weeks is exactly the pace it was built for.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Old highways and slow towns suit it, and the finish earns a second look at every gas stop. Plan shorter days though: the firm rear end is happier with 200-mile hops than 500.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
It will cover ground with the bags locked and the windshield on, but 782 lb, short suspension travel, and a 5.0 gal tank make it a scenic-loop machine rather than a coast-to-coast tool.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road