2011–2014 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Factory Custom, Mile-Devouring Torque
CVO was Harley's hand-built top shelf, and this Road Glide Ultra is that idea taken to its most complete form. The 1802 cc air-cooled 45° V-twin makes 97 hp and 115 lb-ft, which tells you where the work happens: low, early, and without drama. The fairing is bolted to the frame rather than the bars, so the front end stays calm at speed and the mirrors stay still. Add ABS, a 6-speed box, belt final drive, hard luggage, a full audio setup and limited-run paint, and you have the most fully dressed American tourer of its era.
It rides the way the numbers suggest. A 63.5 in wheelbase and a 29.5 in seat put you low and long, so it tracks straight and wants a deliberate hand at walking pace rather than a quick one. This is a bike for riders covering real distance with a passenger and a full load, who want the brand's identity along for the trip. The honest part is ownership. The 110-inch motor runs hot enough to cook your right leg in summer traffic, the lifters and the charging system both have a history, and the fork gives you nothing to adjust. Buy on service records, not on paint.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 97 hp (72 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 115 lb-ft (156 Nm) |
| Displacement | 1802 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front tire | 130/80-17 |
| Rear tire | 180/65-16 |
| Wheelbase | 63.5 in (1613 mm) |
| Seat height | 29.5 in (749 mm) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gal (22.7 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Safety
Hit the starter and the big twin settles into that uneven beat you feel through the floorboards before you've moved an inch. Pull away and it cleans up quickly; at a steady 70 mph the pulse becomes a low hum in the bars and the seat, always present, never nagging. The seat is low and wide, the bars come back to you, your boots sit flat, and after two hours nothing on your body is holding tension. Behind the frame-mounted fairing the air goes quiet enough that you hear the exhaust note come back off a rock face or a passing truck. Your passenger gets the same still air and a seat that doesn't punish them for being there. The mass is real, but above walking pace it stops being a topic.
What follows isn't a test report. It's the sum of what owners have told Nils over the years, in parking-lot conversations, in questions after demo rides, and in the messages riders send him straight off a trip. For this one the stories rhyme.
Torque is what riders lead with: pull from just off idle, enough that a full load and a passenger don't change how the throttle feels. Comfort draws the same volume of comment, and owners get specific, naming the heated seat, the floorboards a passenger can set where they want them, and the pocket of calm air the fairing holds at speed. Plenty say the size disappears once the road starts turning, and that nothing unsettles it out on the interstate. The stereo gets its own mentions for staying clear when the wind comes up, and the paint and trim come up the way small-run builds always do.
The complaint that keeps coming back is heat off the right side of the engine, which owners describe as punishing once traffic slows and the temperature climbs. A smaller group raises the weight at walking pace, saying parking lots and stops on a rise are things you plan for.
Lifter roller failures causing engine damage
The 110‑ci engine is prone to needle‑bearing failure in the hydraulic lifters, which can send debris through the oil system and seize the engine.
Compensator failures leading to starter damage
The compensator can wear out around 40,000 miles, manifesting as a harsh clunk on startup or a sheared starter ring gear.
Extreme engine heat causing rider discomfort
The air‑cooled 110‑ci engine, especially combined with a catalytic converter, generates significant heat; riders often complain of unbearable right‑leg temperatures in summer traffic.
Voltage regulator and stator failures
The charging system (voltage regulator and/or stator) can fail prematurely, often around 40,000 miles, leaving the rider with a dead battery and no‑start condition.
Oil cooler line leaks
Minor oil seepage from the oil‑cooler connections is a frequent observation; usually harmless but requires periodic tightening or seal replacement.
Where this Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide Ultra FLTRUSE pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the CVO Road Glide Ultra FLTRUSE is actually built for.
This is the rally bike that doesn't make you suffer for the statement. Sound, presence and paint nobody else in the lot has, plus the luggage and weather cover to actually ride home in one go.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
For long western days two-up and fully loaded, it delivers: stable, comfortable, well packed. Just budget for the heat in valley traffic and buy one with a documented service history.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
It will do your 300-mile scenic day in real comfort, but it wants open sweepers, not tight switchbacks. If light, quick steering is what you're chasing, this is more bike than you asked for.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
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 Road Glide Ultra FLTRUSE. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2015–2017
Factory Custom, Wired for Miles
Successor · 2015–2016
Sound, Style, Highway Soul
Same Platform · 2011–2016
Fully Loaded American Long Hauler