When the rumors started circulating that the Road Glide may or may not be in the 2010 lineup we decided to get our hands on both the FLTR and Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) versions and give them a good run through to see just why people either love or hate these bikes.
The Road Glide was introduced in 1998 as a slightly re-engineered version of Harley's famed Tour Glide and is only currently available in the United States and Canada.
The '09 CVO is the third edition of the Road Glide from Harley's Custom Vehicle Operations division, which was started in 1999 and built exclusively at H-D's York, Pennsylvania plant. The bike that grace the CVO moniker are limited-edition factory-customized bikes that have big motors as well as many CVO-only parts gathered from Harley's P&A catalog.
The Road Glide is cherished by some and loathed by others due to its distinctive shark-nosed frontend. Many heated debates have been sparked both online and in the flesh about which fairing is more stable, the fork-mounted Batwing fairing that the Electra Glides possess, or the frame-mounted fairing on the Road Glide. Having extensively ridden both Batwing bikes as well as Road Kings with aftermarket fairings, I was chomping at the bit to throw a leg over the pair of Road Glides to see if I could finally put the frame versus fork fairing debate to rest.
I decided to first ride the Orange FLTR and on its inaugural ride under my 205 pound frame, I took the bike on a 150-mile ride starting out on the freeway, then through the Southern California canyon roads, and finally finishing the ride with a leisurely beach cruise.
What I immediately liked about the stock Road Glide was the balanced feel of the bike while at freeway speeds above 60 mph. It seems as if from 45 to 59 mph the buffeting from the fairing was the worst with it calming down the faster I went. The suspension on the bike was soft, but not squishy and on any sweeping "cloverleaf" freeway interchanges the bike felt solid at speed with no wobble to speak of.
When I hit the canyon, within the first three miles I was challenged by a pretty stiff crosswind and found that the fixed-fairing design of the Road Glide seemed to slice through it much better than any fork-mounted fairing I have ridden. Whilst hitting the mid-canyon twisties the bike felt pretty much the same as its other Harley-Davidson FL brethren and seemed to not like getting pushed to any sort of extreme limit without a bit of back-end wobble.
While cruising Pacific Coast Highway, the box-stock bike with orange paint seemed to garner a ton of looks and when I stopped for gas I had a guy on a Kawasaki Vulcan ask me who painted it. So at least the paint scheme gets a thumbs up from one member of the metric community.
After the first day of riding, I had the orange Road Glide for another week and used it primarily as my daily driver. I was a bit sad the day I had to bring it back since it seems as if I came to feel a bit of affection for the funky looks and bright paint.
When I finally had access to the CVO Road Glide, I loved the way it looked and sounded, but I had to get used to the way the throttle-by-wire interacted with the hydraulic clutch. It felt odd and clunky and made the first few miles on the bike not so fun. There was simply no modulation to speak of from the clutch lever. That off and on "lightswitch" feel of the clutch coupled with the slight electronic throttle lag, took some getting used to.
During the CVO's first ride, I tried to take it through the same workout that I did the orange FLTR with great success. As you can guess the CVO is definitely a step up from the stock Road Glide. I loved the 110ci engine and being 5 feet 10 inches, the lowered suspension of this bike kept me from having to tip-toe the bike. The big-inch mill and squatted stance was great for canyon carving as well as looking good, but as with all lowered bikes, it doesn't make for a Cadillac-like ride. The big motor had to slow down much more than the stock bike over big bumps and potholes because of its stance, so the extra cubic inches the bike possesses had to be used with kid gloves when the road got rough.
The only other complaint I really had was the 5-inch windshield that does nothing but look good. Being a minimalist, I would go so far as saying that if you didn't have to have a stereo on your bike, a CVO Road King would be a better choice. The bike was definitely an attention getter and bordered on garish, but with a $30,999.00 pricetag it better be something special. I equate this bike to the brightly hued "hey look at me" Lamborghinis that are popular with the nouveau riche.
The bikes, when compared to one another, truly are different. If money was not an option I am sure most would go the CVO route, but I think most buyers in the real world would start out with the base model and add some bells and whistles as their wallet allowed. I am in no way saying that the CVO is not worth the price of admission, because it is. One look at the CVO and its powerful 110ci motor, painted inner fairing, 18-inch wheels, 1 1/4-inch handlebars, saddlebag extensions, custom stitched seat, custom taillight, and gobs of chrome and you know it is one pimped-out ride. On the other hand, the FLTR's 96ci engine has ample power and is more of an out of the box workhorse that begs to be upgraded to fit your personal taste.
In short, the CVO is for show and the FLTR is made to pack up a weeks worth of clothes and go. Let's just say one is a high-powered cigarette boat and one is a nice cabin cruiser.
If you were thinking about buying either version, I would think long and hard about just what you want to do with it. If you are the kind of person that loves raw power or has to have the top-shelf liquor, the CVO is for you. If you want a nice comfortable bagger that can get the job done well and look good doing it, then the stock FLTR is for you.
After riding both bikes long enough to know them intimately, if I were going to buy a Road Glide, I would buy a stock FLTR, put a 110ci kit in it, add some custom wheels as well as a few other goodies and pocket the extra 15 grand.
As far as ending the frame vs. fork mounted fairing debate, I can honestly say that if I had to choose between a Road Glide and an Electra Glide, I would no doubt go the frame mounted fairing route. B
2009 CVO Road Glide
* Rubber-Mounted Air-Cooled Twin Cam 110 Motor
* Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection
* Cruisedrive Six-Speed Transmission
* Electronic Throttle Control
New Features For '09
* Custom Paint
* Slammed Front Fender
* Saddlebag Extensions
* Headlight Cover Trim
* Painted Inner Fairing
* All New Frame and Swingarm
* Four Point Engine Isolation System
* Re-Tuned Suspension
* Re-Routed Exhaust
* 180mm Multi-Tread Rear Tire
* 18-inch Front and Rear Blade Wheels
* Wide Contoured Rear Fender
* Increased Passenger Legroom
* Increased Trail and Lean Angle
* Increased Wheelbase
* More Carrying Capacity
* Redesigned Isolated Drive System
* Shorter Final Gearing for Better Acceleration
MSRP
Two-Tone $30,999
2009 FLTR Road Glide
* Rubber-Mounted Air-Cooled Twin Cam 96 Motor
* Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection
* Cruisedrive Six-Speed Transmission
* Electronic Throttle Control
New Features For '09
* All New Frame and Swingarm
* Four Point Engine Isolation System
* Re-Tuned Suspension
* Re-Routed Exhaust
* 180mm Multi-Tread Rear Tire
* 17-inch Front Wheel and Tire
* Wide Contoured Rear Fender
* Increased Passenger Legroom
* Increased Trail and Lean Angle
* Increased Wheelbase
* More Carrying Capacity
* Redesigned Isolated Drive System
* Shorter Final Gearing for Better Acceleration
MSRP
Base $18,599
Color $19,049
Security $345
Wheel Upgrade $450
ABS $795