2010 Harley-Davidson CVO Touring Bikes - Muscle & Class

Stretched bags flank LED fillers

Moving on to the last Touring bike in the CVO lineup is the brand new CVO Street Glide. I'm a big fan of the Street Glide and spent the majority of my riding on the new hot rod bagger. My first impression was wow! This machine is the best handling and powerful H-D Touring bike I've ever ridden. Although it comes in only 75 pounds or so lighter than the Ultra the bikes feel like night and day compared to each other. The windscreen is short and there are no lowers or Tour-Pak to block the wind. With throttle only the front wheel can be lifted off the ground. With a 32 degree lean angle on the right side (30 on left) the FLHXSE was tons of fun to throw around the corners.

Hydraulic shock with preload adjustor

Dual 18-inch contrast chromed Agitator wheels worked as good as they looked. Floating rotors and ABS did a fine job of slowing down the 'Glide. It's hard to imagine that this bike and the Ultra share the same chassis and motor. They have a completely different feel on the road. The Street Glide feels much faster, handles better, and important for me a lot cooler, temperature wise. I didn't experience any of the uncomfortable heat issue with the more stripped down Street Glide. A couple of nice styling features were added such as the one-piece extended saddlebags. Unlike last year's two-piece CVO bags these have increased interior capacity. To show off the new front wheel the fender was trimmed and lowered for a sleeker look. The paint is top notch as it is on all of the CVO machines, with deep metalflake that shimmers in the sunlight.

There are so many details on these new bikes it's difficult to mention every single piece of chrome and hot accessory. The CVOs take factory custom to the highest level and offer motorcycles that would cost much more if you tried to have one built for yourself. We'll be bringing you more in depth coverage of the new CVOs in upcoming issues. Somehow I managed to score one for Sturgis.