MOTORCYCLES: 2019 CVO Limited Lets Harley-Davidson Owners Show Off a Bit

There’s nothing haughty or pretentious about Harley-Davidson. The Milwaukee-based motorcycle builder is all about t-shirts and denim, leather and chrome, beer and Blues. The fact that this imagery of a Steppenwolf-blaring rebel biker is fading to gray and gradually vanishing from American culture means the Bar and Shield must adjust some aspects of its identity. In fact, the company is looking to cultivate a bit of elitism — turning orange and black into gold.

During its recent 115th anniversary celebration, H-D assembled the motorcycle media to witness more than 150,000 riders flood into MKE — all while checking out the 2019 Harley line. The media push focused heavily on the biggest and priciest motorcycles rolling off midwestern assembly lines. The features and price tags rolling at new buyers makes it clear that Harley-Davidson might like to keep that everyman branding while building elite, premium models not every man can afford.

The 2019 CVO Limited is Harley-Davidson’s halo build and Exhibit A for the push to establish the company as an ultra-luxury motorcycle maker. With a price tag of $43,889 before individualizing and accessorizing, this CVO is a full-size two-seater designed for long distance travel. While it’s a touring bike and not built for straight-line speed, it sports the Milwaukee Eight Twin Cooled 117 — Harley’s most powerful V-Twin with its 125 ft-lb of torque.

The loudest and clearest improvement for 2019 is the upgraded BOOM! Box GTS infotainment system. A four-speaker,75 watts per channel audio system lets the world listen to your music, while a, full color screen responds to touch through gloves and in all weather. The handle-mounted thumb stick also allows navigation through the screen menus. A clear, easy to use GPS will both guide the rider with visual direction and record favorite routes for later enjoyment.

The riding experience is all about comfort. H-D builds the Limited for rides that count their daily mileage in three figures and keeps everyone astride entertained with that BOOM! Box setup in effect. Its shipped factory weight of 901 lb. means it won’t corner with the MotoGP crowd. Instead, it handles with a stately grace while carrying a lone rider or a passenger. Its friendly, generous ergonomics allow older riders to take command for a few hours without alienating their backsides.

Considering its dimensions, price point and feature set, the CVO Limited clearly wants to be the Rolls-Royce of touring motorcycles, the Bentley of bikes or a moto-Maybach. It’s the motorcycle as status symbol, and its maker has no problem letting its more cash-infused customers show off a little.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/2019/cvo/cvo-limited.html