2011 Harley-Davidson CVO Lineup

CVO Softail Convertible
MSRP $29,599 and limited to a production of 2,400 units.
Last in the lineup and returning for its second year is the Softail Convertible. It may not be the bike you think about in the world of touring, but that is what it is designed to do. Based on the Harley-Davidson Softail platform, the Convertible features a rear-suspension design to look like a vintage hardtail frame, but offers the comfort of a modern suspension that is hidden under the chassis. The powerplant is a fuel-injected Screamin' Eagle Twin Cam 110B V-twin counter-balanced and rigid-mounted to the frame. As far as what places this bike into our touring magazine is that this Softail is two bikes in one. With no tools needed and in less than two minutes, the Convertible goes from cruiser to touring bike with saddlebags, passenger setup with backrest, and a detachable fairing. New this year is the audio system for the Softail built into the detachable fairing. It is compact in size and outfitted with a set of 3 1/2-inch two-way speakers, a 20-watts-per-channel amp, and 8GB iPod Nano with etched Bar & Shield logo and protective CVO pouch. The Convertible is a great bike for the guy looking to load up his gear and head out on the highway hitting all the big rallies. Once he or she unpacks the bags and removes them, it becomes a good looking around-town cruiser. On this trip I was not able to get a lot of ride time on the Convertible but what little I did, I found that it was everything I expected from a Softail. The bike handles great and felt good in the riding position. With a seat height of 24.5 inches, a smaller rider could easily handle this bike. As far as power, it has a 110ci motor and weighs in at 750 pounds, so you can imagine the great throttle response. The new custom colors for 2011 are Scarlet Red Pearl and Dark Slate Pearl with Metal Grind graphics, Midnight Sky and Candy Cobalt with Blue Ice graphics, and Maple Metallic and Roman Gold with Burnished Copper graphics.

We hope to get a little more seat time on all of these bikes, and with any luck, we will bring you more in-depth coverage in issues to come. I'm hoping for both the Softail Convertible and the Road Glide Ultra, but Toph surely wants the Street Glide.