CVO Road Glide ST * Stage 1 *

8. November 2024

Wild to wilder – CVO Road Glide 2024

Modified from stock CVO exclusive Tourer to Rick’s Clubstyle – CVO Road Glide ST with the distinctive Rick’s Motorcycles “touch”.

During the model year 2024, Harley-Davidson celebrated a quarter of a century of exclusive CVO custom-built specials. Since 1999, Harley-Davidson has been building special customized bikes, upgraded with selected Harley-Davidson accessories in its own department. A department named “Custom Vehicle Operations” (CVO) that has been continuously expanded over the years, feeding the ever-increasing demand for individual bikes. But it’s not just the chrome or custom parts for (which you would otherwise have to put a lot of money on the counter) that characterizes these special models: In recent years, the CVO limited editions have also become the “spearhead” in terms of performance and technology. The most powerful and largest displacement engines are installed in these motorcycles, often years before they are introduced in the production bikes. The 121 cubic inch Milwaukee Eight of this CVO Road Glide ST can trace its existence in almost direct line from the racing machines of the US “King of the Bagger” racing series and is a true performer: Featuring a hot camshaft, the 1977 cc V-twin delivers a whopping 127 hp to the rear wheel at 4900 rpm – and the “red zone” in the REV counter is at 5,900! 197 Nm of torque are already available at 4000 rpm – if ever there was an authentic Harley Clubstyle base, then this Performance Bagger is it!

Since the CVO models have always been “collector’s items” in its original form, the upgrade by the Rick’s Motorcycles team was relatively moderate, but allows genuine Rick’s High Tech technology to “shine” in the important places. The “shine” in quotation marks, because the corresponding parts are anodized in black to match the “Raven Metallic” CVO look and paintjob.

The Rick’s Motorcycles “Clubstyle” risers have already become “cult parts” in the Clubstyle scene thanks to their practical and innovative details such as internal cable ducts and extreme torsional rigidity. The 10-inch high kit with the super-clean Rick’s triple clamps sets new standards, especially on this CVO! The finest CNC-machined surface with fine “ribbed” cut-outs underline the “performance” look – and the fork top cover with six Allen head bolts is another great accent. The CVO fork lock is neatly integrated into the triple-tree cover, making it appear as an integral part of the CVO refinement. If only the Rick’s lettering didn’t reveal its origin.

The cables arriving from the wiring harness under the tank are neatly hidden under the Rick’s Motorcycles triple-tree covers before they run into the ducts integrated into the risers and up to Rick’s “Clubstyle Moto Bar” handlebar. Aggressively powder-coated in red, it matches the Harley lettering and other red accents on this otherwise very dark powerbike! 8 solid Allen Head bolts clamp the handlebar solid. Because all the displays on the “Road Glide” are shown on the huge digital display of the frame-mounted fairing, the “Tour Glide” riser clamps are used here in a variation without the speedometer bracket. However, these Clubstyle risers are available in different versions with mounts for round speedometers and HD digital speedometers.

A Rick’s Motorcycles license plate base plate completes the rear view – and the Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde system provides a legal, yet more “race style” soundtrack for the ride. After all, Dr. Jekill & Mr. Hyde was one of the main sponsors of the 2023 “Bagger Party Race” series. The crash bars are part of the stock CVO equipment, but the installed Rick’s Motorcycles parts certainly take the “exclusivity” to a whole new level. Whether you interpret the result as a “Race Bagger” or a “Clubstyle Bagger”? A matter of opinion – on this bike, it’s the performance that counts. This is guaranteed – especially thanks to the Rick’s upgrades!