Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE Buyer's Guide

The Machine's Character

This is the factory-custom peak of Harley's batwing bagger line, built around the biggest V-twin the company put in a production bike at the time. The 1801cc air- and liquid-cooled 110 makes 115 lb-ft, and it moves this machine with the low-rpm authority a full-dress tourer lives on. Project Rushmore work fills the cockpit: a 6.5-inch touchscreen, GPS, and a 600-watt twelve-speaker Boom audio system. Add show-quality paint, extended saddlebags, and polished wheels, and you get a limited-run bike that arrives dressed to the last bolt. Nothing here reads as an afterthought.

On the road it wants long, open miles. The fairing keeps most of the weather off you, the riding position stays comfortable hour after hour, and belt drive keeps upkeep simple over the years. It is genuinely for the rider who logs highway distance and wants real presence while doing it. The honest caveats are just as real. The 110 has a reputation for tappet and lifter wear that can surface around 35,000 miles, and this generation carried recalls for the hydraulic clutch and for saddlebag mounting. Buy one with careful service history and it ages into something you keep.

Hard Numbers

Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.

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Key specifications
Power	97 hp (72 kW) @ 5,020 rpm
Torque	115 lb-ft (156 Nm) @ 3,750 rpm
Displacement	1801 cc
Engine	45° V-twinMotorcycles With V-Twin Engines →
Cooling	Air/liquid-cooled
Gearbox	6-speed
Final drive	BeltMotorcycles With Belt Drive →
Fork	Telescopic
Front brake	300 mm
Front tire	130/60B19
Rear tire	180/55B18
Wheelbase	64.0 in (1626 mm)
Seat height	27.2 in (691 mm)Motorcycles With a Seat Height Under 30 Inches →
Wet weight	871 lb (395 kg)
Fuel capacity	6.0 gal (22.7 L)

Equipment check

Chassis

Manually Adjustable Rear Suspension Standard
Cruise Control Motorcycles With Cruise Control → Standard

Comfort

Luggage System Standard

Connectivity

Smartphone Connectivity Standard
Navigation Motorcycles With GPS Navigation → Standard
Keyless System Standard
Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPMS) Standard

Lighting

LED Headlight Standard

Safety

ABS Standard

Known issues

Clutch may fail to disengage — clutch master cylinder (Recalls 15V216 & 16V471)

drivetrain rare Recall

Harley-Davidson recalled the CVO Street Glide because the hydraulic clutch may fail to fully disengage, especially after the motorcycle has been parked for an extended period, which can cause unexpected movement when starting in gear and increase crash risk. Two NHTSA campaigns cover this generation: 15V216 (2014-2015 model years) and 16V471 (2016 model year). The remedy flushes the clutch system and rebuilds the clutch master cylinder free of charge.
Saddlebag may separate from the motorcycle (Recall 15V427)

bodywork rare Recall

NHTSA recall 15V427: the saddlebag mounting receptacles may not adequately secure the saddlebags, allowing a saddlebag to separate from the motorcycle while riding and create a road hazard. Dealers replace the affected mounting receptacles free of charge.
Twin Cam 110 tappet and lifter failure

engine occasional

The 110ci engine is known for premature wear of tappets and lifters, leading to top-end noise and, in severe cases, complete engine failure. Many owners report failures around 35,000 miles despite regular maintenance.

The Numbers Compared

Compare the technical specifications of the Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE with other bikes in its class.

Head-to-head: Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE vs. its rivals

Power

97 hp This bike 96 hp Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 110 hp BMW R 1200 RT 116 hp Honda Gold Wing F6C 120 hp Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Torque

115 lb-ft This bike 89 lb-ft Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 89 lb-ft BMW R 1200 RT 125 lb-ft Honda Gold Wing F6C 75 lb-ft Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Displacement

1801 cc This bike 1380 cc Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 1170 cc BMW R 1200 RT 1832 cc Honda Gold Wing F6C 1043 cc Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Wet weight

871 lb This bike 743 lb Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 571 lb BMW R 1200 RT 746 lb Honda Gold Wing F6C 567 lb Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

Seat height

27.2 in This bike 29.1 in Moto Guzzi California 1400 Touring 32.3 in BMW R 1200 RT 28.8 in Honda Gold Wing F6C 33.1 in Kawasaki Versys 1000 SE Grand Tourer

What's new versus the previous generation

If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.

Previous generation · 2010–2012

Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE (FLHXSE-MY2010)

Chrome, Thunder, Factory Prestige

Compare to the previous model →

Alternatives to the Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide FLHXSE

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 Street Glide FLHXSE. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.