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2017 · Tourer · Buyer's Guide
Factory Luxury, Factory Torque
The CVO Ultra Limited is Harley's touring flagship taken to its absolute ceiling. The 1868 cc air/liquid-cooled 45° V-twin makes 101 hp and 122 lb-ft, and it is the torque number that defines the machine: it moves 950 lb of loaded motorcycle without ever sounding strained. Belt final drive and a 6-speed gearbox keep the delivery long-legged. Every touchpoint is upgraded, from hand-finished paint to the heated seat with backrests, power-locking luggage, and a color touchscreen running navigation and phone connectivity. This is the top of the American touring pyramid, built to be seen as much as ridden.
Its natural habitat is the long haul. A 64.0 in wheelbase and 950 lb wet make it rock-solid at highway speed, and the 6.0 gal tank sets a genuine day's range between stops. It ages the way big Harleys do: mechanically stout, with the electronics dating faster than the drivetrain. The honest caveat is scope. ABS is the extent of the rider-aid package, there is no traction control and no ride modes, and only the rear shock takes preload while the fork is fixed. You buy this bike for presence and comfort, not for a technology spec sheet.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 101 hp (75 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 122 lb-ft (165 Nm) |
| Displacement | 1868 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air/liquid-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front brake | 300 mm |
| Front tire | 130/80B17 65H |
| Rear tire | 180/65B16 81H |
| Wheelbase | 64.0 in (1625 mm) |
| Seat height | 28.3 in (720 mm) |
| Wet weight | 950 lb (431 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 6.0 gal (22.7 L) |
Equipment check
Chassis
Comfort
Connectivity
Lighting
Safety
The first thing your body registers is scale. At 950 lb you feel every pound at walking pace, and the 28.3 in seat height is what saves you: both boots plant flat, and once you have the bars pointed where you want them the mass tucks itself away. Fire it up and the V-twin talks through the frame in a low, unhurried pulse that settles into background rhythm at cruising rpm. Behind the fairing your hands sit wide and low, wind hits the top of your helmet instead of your chest, and the heated grips warm up quickly enough to matter at dawn. Bar-to-seat-to-peg geometry is set up for hours, not minutes. On open road the whole thing goes quiet and steady, and you stop counting miles.
This is what riders have told me over the years, at fuel stops and evening meets, and in the messages that land once someone has lived with one. On the CVO Ultra Limited the chatter settles in the same place every time: praise for the motor and the comfort, then a shorter list of grumbles.
Nearly everyone leads with the motor. Owners call it a torque machine that never needs revs, with roll-on response that makes overtaking an afterthought and a rumble they count as part of what they bought. A smaller thread runs to how it looks up close, where the gradient paintwork and trim details get named as what separates it from an ordinary touring rig.
Comfort draws steady approval: the heated seat, the screen, and suspension that keeps long days from hurting, plus a passenger perch owners rate highly. Some also find it more composed in fast bends than the size suggests, and the front brakes easy to lean on. The complaints are narrower. Low-speed weight leads, with deliberate handling at walking pace and real effort moving it by hand. Cost is the other, since bespoke parts keep service and insurance bills high.
Secondary clutch actuator recall
The secondary clutch actuator cylinder may leak fluid internally, causing the clutch master cylinder to lose the ability to generate enough lift to disengage the clutch. This can result in an inability to shift or loss of control, increasing crash risk. Harley-Davidson recalled affected models (NHTSA 18V734000) to replace the secondary clutch actuator piston assembly.
Recall 19V574000: missing rear red reflectors with Detachable Tour-Pak kit
NHTSA campaign 19V574000 (Harley-Davidson recall 0629). Certain 2016-2019 FLHTKSE fitted with the Harley-Davidson Detachable Tour-Pak Luggage Conversion Kit (part numbers 53000291, 53000291A and 53000567) lost the rear red reflectors the kit removes, so the bike no longer complies with FMVSS 108. Without them the motorcycle is harder to see from behind, raising crash risk. Dealers fit the replacement reflectors free of charge; the recall began August 19, 2019.
Poor CB radio performance
Some owners report that the factory CB radio has extremely limited range, often failing to communicate beyond 50 feet, with dealers attributing it to the bike's 'small footprint'.
Infotainment touchscreen malfunction in rain
Water droplets landing on the touchscreen can cause the radio to mute and switch to an information screen. The manufacturer considers this normal operation, but it can be frustrating for riders caught in wet weather.
Where this Harley-Davidson CVO Ultra Limited FLHTKSE 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 Ultra Limited FLHTKSE is actually built for.
If Sturgis and Daytona are annual fixtures, this is the loudest statement Harley builds. Sound, paint, and presence are all here, and you can ride it 500 miles to the rally in comfort.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
For two-up park-to-park touring it delivers the comfort and the luggage. Just know you get ABS and nothing else electronically, and 950 lb is real weight on tight mountain switchbacks.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
It will do Blue Ridge days beautifully at a relaxed pace, but this is not a light or eager bike. If your fun comes from quick direction changes, look at something smaller.
Made for Black Hills · Blue Ridge Parkway · Cherohala Skyway
If you're cross-shopping the older generation, here's what changed.
Previous generation · 2014–2016
Top-Shelf Tech, American Iron
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 Ultra Limited FLHTKSE. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
