2009 2009 Harley-Davidson FLTRSE3 CVO Road Glide Preview

 

Introduction

A sleek, lean muscle machine, the 2009 Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) Road Glide is a bagger loaded with style and attitude. From its lowered front fender and skirted saddlebags to its vivid paint and massive powertrain, the CVO Road Glide is ready to romp down the highway or raise a ruckus on the boulevard.

The 2009 model is the third edition of a Road Glide model from the CVO group. This motorcycle first appeared in 2000 and made a splash with its distinctive, slashing Screamin’ Eagle head on each side of its VR Racing Orange fairing. That design serves as inspiration for the paint scheme on this new model, which features ghosted flamed feathers in the accent stripe on the fairing, tank, side covers and bags, and a more-subtle Screamin’ Eagle on the fairing.

The CVO group showed little restraint, however, when executing the rest of the CVO Road Glide. Start with the unbridled power of the Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 engine, 110 cubic inches of pure American V-Twin muscle and the largest engine offered by Harley-Davidson. Available only on CVO models, the Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) Twin Cam 110 produces 115 ft. lbs. of torque at 4000 rpm and features electronic throttle control and a heavy-duty, self-adjusting clutch with hydraulic actuation. It’s finished in CVO-exclusive granite powdercoat with chrome covers, and features a new “110 Screamin’ Eagle” badge on the air cleaner cover insert. The engine breathes through a new air cleaner cover with an exposed Stage 1 Screamin’ Eagle element, and exhaust escapes through four-inch chrome touring mufflers with chrome billet end caps. A custom oil cooler has a chrome cover with the CVO logo.

The CVO Road Glide rolls on the same all-new chassis that underpins all 2009 Harley-Davidson Touring models, based on a redesigned frame and swingarm for enhanced maneuverability. The new Touring chassis also incorporates a new motor-mount system that reduces engine shake at idle, a new 2-1-2 exhaust system with a one-piece front exhaust shield, and a new 180 mm Dunlop Multi-Tread rear tire that offers longer tread life and 27 percent more luggage payload.

Exterior

Over this foundation CVO layers chrome and custom components. To achieve a lower profile, composite skirts are added to the saddlebag bottoms and wrap over the exhaust pipe outlets. Filler strips between the saddlebag and rear fender incorporate LED stop/turn/tail lights that replace the traditional fender-mounted lights and signals. To balance the bike visually front-to-rear, the front fender has been lowered about three-quarters of an inch with a new mounting bracket, and the fender covers a new 18-inch-diameter front wheel. The effect is to place the front fender skirt as low as is practically possible for street use. The CVO Road Glide rolls on 18-inch Blade chrome forged aluminum wheels front and rear.

The frame-mounted, aerodynamic fairing is the most distinctive design element of the Road Glide, and it gets a full custom treatment from CVO. The inner fairing panel is color-matched and carries gauges with spun-aluminum faces. The two-inch gauges are back-lit. The headlight area is revised with new trim that discards the clear headlight cover used on the regular-production Road Glide. New headlight lenses are hardened. The fairing is topped with a black, low-profile wind deflector and trim assembly.

Rider comfort begins with a new low-profile, two-up seat with Buffalo inserts and a matching passenger backrest. The new Touring exhaust system creates more space between the passenger and the exhaust pipe, producing less heat. The new frame increases passenger leg room behind the calves by about 5/8 inch. Brembo brakes with ABS are standard equipment, as is cruise control, two-speaker AM/FM/WB/CD/MP3 Advanced Audio System by Harman /Kardon, and air-adjustable rear suspension.

A chrome tank console has a push-button fuel door and a new insert with the CVO logo. The hand and foot controls are from the Rumble Collection, with matching mirrors, saddlebag latches and passenger footpegs. Handlebars are internally wired for a clean look. Did we mention that CVO loves chrome? The CVO Road Glide has a chromed front end, chrome billet rear brake and shift levers, chrome switch housings and master cylinders, and enough other chromed parts to keep this bike sparkling night and day.

The 2009 CVO Road Glide is available in three color combinations: Yellow Pearl with Charcoal Slate, Stardust Silver with Titanium Dust, and Electric Orange with Vivid Black. A security system with smart siren, a CVO indoor cover and unique Harley-Davidson CVO gold ignition key with display box are included.

Price

The CVO Road Glide is a limited-production motorcycle created by the Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) group, and based on the all-new 2009 Harley-Davidson FLTR Road Glide. Approximately 3,000 examples of the 2009 CVO Road Glide will be produced by a team of highly skilled technicians in a special assembly area at the Harley-Davidson York Vehicle Operations facility in York, Pa. The suggested U.S. retail price for the 2009 CVO Road Glide is $30,999 ($31,195 in California).

Conclusion

Not only the CVO Road Glide distinguishes as the most powerful tourer of its family, but it also stands as the most exclusive one, meaning that the money that you pay on the bike now will later on pay back. Some even like to consider such models long-term investments, but we’re militants of the fact that all bikes are made to be ridden and this one makes no exception.

SPECIFICATIONS

 

Engine and Transmission

Engine: 2 Air-cooled, Twin Cam 110™
Displacement: 110.00 cu. in.
Bore x Stroke: 4.000 in. / 4.380 in.
Engine Torque: 3 155.94 Nm / 115.00 ft lbs @ 4000 rpm
Fuel System: 4 Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)
Compression Ratio: 9.15:1
Miles per Gallon: ESPFI 47.00 hwy / 32.00 city
Primary Drive: Chain, 34/46 ratio
Gear Ratio (overall)
1st: 9.593
2nd: 6.650
3rd: 4.938
4th: 4.000
5th: 3.407
6th: 2.875

Chassis and Dimensions

Brakes: 4-piston fixed front and rear
Parking Brake: N/A
Lean Angle (per SAEJ1168): 31° / 32°
Exhaust System: Chrome, 2-1-2 exhaust header pipe design w/ 4-in. touring mufflers, chrome End caps and touring muffler shields
Front Wheel: Chrome 18-in. "Blade" Wheel
Rear Wheel: Chrome 18-in "Blade" w/ integrated comp. bowl
Wheel Option: N/A
Front Tire: D407 130/70B18
Rear Tire: D407 180/55B18
Length: 95.60 in.
Seat Height: 26.30 in. (laden) / 27.91 in. (unladen)
Ground Clearance: 5.10 in.
Rake Steering Head/Trail: 26° / 6.69 in.
Wheelbase: 63.54 in.
Track Width: N/A
Fuel Capacity: 6.00 gal.
Oil Capacity: 4.00 qt.
Dry Weight: 846.90 lbs.
Running Order: 880.60 lbs.

 

Features of the 2009 CVO Road Glide include:

Rubber-mounted, air-cooled, Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110

engine with granite and chrome finish

Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI)

6-Speed Cruise Drive transmission

New paint and graphics schemes:

 o Electric Orange and Vivid Black with

Ghost Feather Graphics
 o Yellow Pearl and Charcoal Slate with

Ghost Feather Graphics
 o Stardust Silver and Titanium Dust with

Ghost Feather Graphics

2-1-2 exhaust header pipe design

Painted inner fairing and speedometer/tachometer console components

Frame-mounted aerodynamic fairing with cockpit-style wrap-around instrument cluster

Black one-piece wind deflector / trim / gasket assembly

Black headlamp cover

Exposed, clear lens reflector-optics headlamp with hardened lenses

Smoked front turn signal lenses with amber bulbs

Integrated LED rear turn / stop signals mounted in rear fascia

Saddlebag extensions

Chrome license plate light and new brackets

High performance clutch with hydraulic actuation

Custom oil cooler with chrome cover

Custom oil filter mount with internal thermostat

Screamin’ Eagle SYN3 Synthetic Lubricant

Black 1.4 kw high torque starter

Exposed element, oval air cleaner system with 110 insert

Chrome, low-profile fuel tank console with push button fuel door and

CVO emblem

Chrome transmission dipstick cap

Chrome billet timer cover

Chrome clutch cover

Chrome voltage regulator

Chrome four-inch touring mufflers with billet end caps

Chrome touring exhaust shields

Chrome rider footboard supports

Chrome passenger footpeg supports

Rumble Collection:

 o Grips
 o Passenger footpegs
 o Rider footboard inserts
 o Shifter pegs
 o Brake pedal pad
 o Mirrors
 o Saddlebag latches

Chrome, billet heel/toe shift levers

Chrome, billet extended reach brake lever

Chrome front fork sliders

Chrome upper fork covers

Chrome front axle nut covers

Chrome front wheel spacers

Chrome valve stem caps

Chrome front fender spacers

Chrome, internally wired touring handlebar

Chrome clutch and brake master cylinders

Chrome switch housings and hand levers

Polished Stainless Steel, hex shift linkage

One-piece, two-up custom seat with Buffalo inserts

Detachable passenger sissy-bar with Buffalo insert pad

18-inch Blade wheels

18-inch, Bias, D407 front and rear tires

Brembo 4-piston front calipers with chrome screens and CVO emblem

Brembo 4-piston rear caliper

Standard Anti-lock Brake System

Air-adjustable rear shocks

Six gallon fuel tank

Lowered, clean front fender

Clean rear fender

Injection-molded GTX® saddlebags; 2.26 cu. ft. volume

Saddlebag luggage locks; common with ignition key

Barrel key; steering head-mounted ignition; fork lock common with ignition key

Two gloveboxes, located on inner fairing with spring-return lids

Clear coated, braided Stainless Steel clutch line

Clear coated, braided Stainless Steel front brake lines

Custom spun aluminum metal-faced electronic speedometer and tachometer with backlighting

Custom spun aluminum metal-faced two-inch auxiliary gauges with backlighting

Time-of-day clock on CD player/stereo

Dual tripmeter with countdown in odometer

Indicator lights are: low fuel, low oil pressure, 6-speed, cruise control, turn signals, high beam and neutral

Hazard warning integrated into self-canceling turn signal controls

Electronic cruise control with set, resume, accelerate and decelerate

Electronic Throttle Control

Cigarette lighter

Start, engine cutoff, left/right turn signals, horn, hi/low beam hand controls

Single AM/FM/WB, shorty antenna

Ambient air temperature gauge

Harman/Kardon® Advanced Audio System with AM/FM receiver and CD/MP3 player

Electric power accessory connector under seat

Auxiliary audio input on radio face; accommodates any line-level audio output device (CD/MP3 player)

Carryout saddlebag liners

Indoor storage cover with embroidered CVO logo

Unique Harley-Davidson CVO ignition key with box