Smiling author with his brand new toy.

This year marks 25 years since Harley-Davidson first released a CVO, which stands for Custom Vehicle Operations. The Factory has always been known to chase the trends to ensure they are on the cutting edge as far as fit and functionality of the newest and latest customs.  This usually translates to The Motor Company releasing a bike several years after it’s been offered to the public…but with a factory backing and warranty.

One of the many things I’ve discovered over the years when customizing my bikes is that the cooler I make a bike look and the further I take it from stock form, the more of a headache the bike becomes.  Honestly, I have ruined plenty of bikes to get the “look” I wanted only to regret the change and have to live with it. Since 2002 I have yet to own a stock Harley-Davidson and feel it was finished from the Factory…done. This year, the 2024 Road Glide CVO ST may be the very first for me because as far as I can tell this bike is perfect. I can literally and now after owning her for a few months say with all confidence, I don’t want to change a thing about it…nothing.

My Ironhead Sportster was a rough entry into the Harley world as I had to decide quickly if this was a passion worth enduring. Every day I had to wrench on this bike making it rideable, until I got sideswiped by a truck on the freeway and totaled the bike. I swore I was done with two wheels and promised my sweet wife and babies I’d never make that selfish choice again. That was in 2001, and barely a year from the day a H-D salesperson tried to talk me into the FXR3 as it was going to be the last of the FXR’s and Harley’s first “Screamin Eagle” edition. They later changed to CVO in 2009 I believe.

1999, my first Harley-a 1981 Ironhead Sporty. This is the bike that bit me as I had to work on it more than I rode the damned thing...but when it was running, my GOD did it take a hold of me.

December of 2002, I wandered in and found myself the proud new owner of a 100^th anniversary Fatboy in Gunmetal Blue. It was around this time that I also discovered The Horse, Bikernet.com, and renewed my Easyriders subscription…which created a bad mix for an impressionable young lad trying to raise a family.

2004, Galveston Texas, a month after Indian Larry had passed...I had just visited my first bike rally and was hooked on the lifestyle tv could never capture.

As I transitioned from casual rider to full time biker (or so I thought) I was continuously changing the bike to suit my latest trending styles. I rode almost every day to work in Houston and at times didn’t have a car, so any modification I made had to be quick, as I needed to ride to work the following day. Because I was always a shift worker, I may get two or three days off to play, but for the most part I was trying to discover my riding style and tastes.

Grandma checking out her "biker wannabe"...what a dork...

July 2005 was a pivotal moment in my motorcycle journey as I had started freelance work for Hot Bike magazine as well as Bikernet.com. Bandit invited me to ride with his crew to Sturgis and my life would never be the same. I packed my bike and rode alone to meet a crew I’d never met for an adventure I had no way to prepare for. With 1000 bucks stuffed in my pocket, I rode out from Houston to Flagstaff to meet his crew as we made the journey to Sturgis together…a trip well documented and revisited over the years. I returned a changed man. Seeing the custom bike world and all of the crazy customs on Lazelle St. sparked something in me I’d never realized was there.

Sturgis virgin 2005-riding the rattle-can violated 100th anniversery Fatboy to the Mecca with Bandit and the crew.

Fast forward a few years and a few bikes. Like any motorcycle enthusiast, styles and needs change. I traded the Fatboy in on a 2005 Springer Classic and promptly molested that bike into a rolling hazard. That bike was cool, but it was my first bike to have had motor work, and I was bitten by the speed bug now. I traded her in on a V-Rod in 2009.

V-Rod in 2011, I had upgraded from the Fatboy to a Springer and then molested it to the point it was a danger to myself and the streets. I made the mistake of going to the dealer for some mechanical help and ended up on a 2008 Night rod Special in 2009...My 4th Harley Davidson and I swore it would be my last.

The V-Rod was great as it took me to Sturgis in 2010 and I ripped 36K off her. I joined a V-Rod based motorcycle club and raced the bike many times from the streets to the drag strip. I loved that bike, but my wife hated it. After many months of arguing, I relented and sold the V-Rod…bought a 2011 Ultra Limited and decided riding comfortably was my new jam. I kept that bike a few years, traded down to a dyna for a short while, then eventually ended up on the 2016 Road Glide Ultra. This has been my main bike for 8 years and 79k miles, by far the longest I’d ever kept one bike.

Headed to work on my battle axe-2016 RGU, this bike had 79000 miles on it when I traded it. I had no intention of getting rid of this bike that fateful day I happened into the dealership...

All of this was merely a preface to pinpoint that based on my experience riding Harley’s for 25 years. I am not a builder, a collector or even a writer…merely a working man who raised a family and busted his ass to still be able to enjoy his two wheeled passion. Many years I went without a car because I chose to have a bike. Note, so I guess you can say my passion outweighed my brains many times.

Six Harleys-

·       1981 Ironhead Sportster 1999-2001

o   Broke my chops on this bike, learned that using the cellophane from a cigarette package works between the points to set timing. Learned the shifter arm is garbage and the bushing inside the engine case is as fragile as peanut brittle, and I learned I loved the sound of a V-Twin.

·       2003 Fatboy-100^th Anniversary-December 2002 to August 2005- ~35k miles

o   First bike I ever started customizing-added rubber fork boots, 16” apes I bought in a junkyard, rattle canned it black, and cut the turn signals off. Delusions of being an outlaw biker on my hog! Rode her to Sturgis for maiden journey to the Mecca! I also took a trip to Clarksville, Tennessee as my first long solo trip and did a trip to New Orleans with my wife for our first 2 up trip in 2003.

·       2005 Softail Springer Classic-August 2005 to April 2009-~39k miles

o   Chopped the frame, added a heartland 180 kit, hooker header pipes, tuner, ripped the ECM out and put it in the toolbox on the side, threw on an “e-bay” 180 rear wheel and vintage Harley Tractor seat right at the same time Harley released the Crossbones…time to go! I also learned the cooler I made this bike look, the more uncomfortable it became as a real rider. I would be more strategic with my customizations going further. Rode this bike to Sturgis Twice-Once in 2006 bone stock, and then again in 2008 as a slammed hot rod.

Nasty Springer that nearly broke my back but looked mean as hell

·       2008 V-Rod-Night Rod Special-April 2009 to October 2011-~40K miles

o   This bike was a conglomeration of my need for speed mixed with the desire to still be a Harley guy. I added bags, a fairing, little speaker pods, 2 into 1 pipe, wider back tire, but mostly just put gas in it and rode the piss out of it. Took this bike to ROT rally in Austin 2 times and to Sturgis once in 2010.

·       2011 Ultra Limited Electra Glide- October 2011-July 2014-~39K miles

o   After doing bike reviews for Bikernet, I rode a 2010 Ultra Classic and couldn’t believe how comfortable it was. In a moment of weakness, I traded in the V-Rod and bought the Electra Glide. Great bike for what it’s meant for but never really my style. I rode this bike to Sturgis in 2012 (my last trip),

At Devil's Tower in 2012

·       2008 Dyna Super Glide-July 2014 to April 2016-~ 12k miles

o   This was another impulse buy. Money was tight and I needed a lower payment but still wanted to ride. This bike had a 110” engine and needed very little for me to be happy and cut my payment in half. I jumped on it. Never took this bike anywhere besides local rides around Houston and work.

·       2016 Road Glide Ultra-April 2016 to May 2024-~79k miles.

o   This bike was the Road Glide I had wanted, but I bought the Ultra model so I could easily pack my wife and I on road trips. Over the years the trips became less frequent for her and the bike became my battle axe-work vehicle and grocery getter. She served many purposes, but I always felt as if she was too big and bulky. I did ride her from Houston to NY City in 2019 which was epic, as that bike was built to eat miles. I made many modifications to her from 16” apes, Yaffee 6” drags, chrome everywhere, blacked out and stripped down. New wheels, no tour-Pak to razor pack…all kinds of mods but it never was where I wanted it. AT 79k miles the motor felt tired, and it ran HOT. I was itching.

Wife’s Bikes-

I also bought several bikes “for the wife” over the years. I figured these would get her in the game and give me another toy when needed.

·       2006 883 Sportster Custom-Bought in 2006 and kept until 2010-~10k miles.

o    She never dug it and I never rode it much. Sold it to pay bills.

·       2020 Fat Bob 114-August 2020-April 2024-~2900 miles

o   FUN FUN FUN, M8 motor in this little bike convinced me it was time for a change and the RGU wasn’t going to cut it. Used this bike with the RGU as trade in to get the bike I wanted.

the day I bought the Fatbob...what a fun, perfect little bike.

January of 2024, Harley released the new bikes. Nothing really stood out to me at all. When I saw them in person, they looked…modular. So much looked to be placed in a way that they lacked soul…nothing finished. I can’t explain it, but I wasn’t impressed and once again I knew it would be another year with my bike. My bikes were paid off for years, so it would take a machine better than these to convince me to get another bike.

121 inch engine, the red accents, the black scorched chrome, the details on the engine drew me in like a talisman...I was hypnotized.

No matter the angle I explored, this bike checked all the boxes for me.

The bike sitting at the dealership...I hadn't seen it in person yet, only pics on the website but seeing her in person made all the difference in the world. There's not a bad angle on this bike.

Like the V-Rod's sinister stance, this bike has the heritage of the original Sturgis mixed with the V-Rod technology and today's King of the Baggers proven performance...I had no choice.

 

Before I could talk myself out of it, I put down a deposit and negotiated with the sales manager for the best deal.

My Name on the CVO-the anticipation while the paperwork was being filled out was stagnating. I didn't even want people close to the bike now and was having a hard time not telling people to back away from it.

They even let me take the bike on a test ride, and four weeks later I received a state provided picture…although I think this was from later that day as this pic has a plate on it.

State supplied picture of me test riding the bike as I went through a toll. You can see the piggyback reservoirs of the rear shocks.

The hardest part was the break in period, as I had to watch the rpm’s and keep her under 3000 then 3500 rps until after the 500-mile mark. I did that in just under a week.

I took every opportunity during the first few days to get miles in, even if I said I was talking a walk (hence the shoes)...this bike draws you in...

The bike has a Fast Johnnie ST logo on the left side battery cover, and I found a sculpture on Amazon that reminded me of it for my desk at work. I think it’s a nice touch.

Fast Johnnie Brass sculpture

"Fast Johnnie emblem"

The paint has a sparkle that is different under certain lights, but the paint job is much richer than just black. The red accents are perfectly placed and make this bike an instant Icon.

Raven Metallic

The new forged wheels, Forged Carbon Fiber fender, Brembo brakes, Floating Wave Rotors...every detail of this machine has been taken to the next level.

1977 Lowrider Tank Graphics-Same font design on the new CVO ST

This bike has so many Easter eggs it’s sick, but it’s truly the first bike that I can say I feel is DONE…like complete and perfect. I have over 5k miles on her now and the honeymoon is still going strong.

Website hpoto on H-D page...does not do this bike justice

I will describe the power as instant and predictable once you get used to it. The Road Mode is the mode I stay in mostly and have tested Rain more than once…it works well keeping the throttle from responding as snappy as normal. The four ride modes (Rain, Road, Sport, Track and a bonus Track+ from Travis Wyman’s bike) are vastly different and have been documented in many videos and magazines at this point…I’m just repeating the same thing. Be glad the seat has a lip as the 121 is no slouch! I will be honest, my buddy has a Stage 4 M8 114-incher and mine is stock. I was impressed how strong she hung against his built motor with 2-into-1 pipe, heads, cams, etc.

The infotainment is fun, and easily adjustable as it only takes a few rides to learn the button configuration. I do notice if I turn the bike on and just go before letting the CVO emblem illuminate fully, the sound system is glitchy. So, take 30 seconds and let the brain warm up I’d say.

The stock seat is great and sits my 5’9” frame perfectly for the reach to the bars. I feel as if my hands are similarly placed to the stock Fatboy position on my 2003 Fatboy…just comfortable and easy to maneuver.

The bags are bigger by volume but feel a little shorter as my briefcase gets squished when I pack it in…and I am sure that sounds bougie, but let’s be honest, I must carry my stuff to work. The flatter surface of the fairing and lower windshield gives a copious view in front of you and you hardly feel like you are riding a bike with a fairing at all. It’s not in your view as much as my last Road Glide.

I rode her to H-D’s Homecoming for the 121^st Anniversary and spoke with the engineers about the bike, which was epic. Don’t be surprised to see more models designed with the racing league as inspiration in the future as CVO’s are usually the sneak peek to the standard bikes later, but we will have to wait and see.

As for me, I couldn’t be happier than I am with this bike which combines every element of every Harley I’ve ever known into one. This could very well be the last brand-new Harley I ever buy…well, at least for now. As I’ve always said, my favorite Harley will always be my next one. 

The most advanced machine Harley has ever mass produced

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