2024 Harley-Davidson CVO 121 Road Glide review | Can a £40k motorbike be worth every penny?

While every area of the new CVO Road Glide represents a major step forward for the model line, there’s no doubt that the ride quality and brakes are amongst the standout areas of improvement. Let’s start with the ride quality.

Harley-Davidsons have always struggled to manage their own mass particularly well, and the refinement on offer from the suspension used to lead to a crashy ride of slapping forks and bump-stop bothering rear shocks. While billiard-smooth roads were always rewarding enough if you could tolerate the wallow, chucking a few sharp bumps and typical British potholes into the equation always had you reaching for the chiropractor’s number, while your face would ache from wincing in sympathy for the mechanical beating that got transferred through every element of chassis and bodywork.

The story couldn’t be more different with the CVO RG. The 47mm diameter Showa forks soak up poor road surfaces with such aplomb that you never feel like the springs are going to be ejected from the fork tops, and even sharp bumps mid-corner are despatched without the usual hop, skip and heart-in-mouth thud of old – simply tracking through the arc with the sort of solid planted control you’d expect of a bike of this scale and mass. There’s 117mm of travel on offer, and even on rough concrete US roads with joints you could lose a bicycle in, they soak up pretty much everything. The reduction in mass of the yolks (which have shed around 3.2kg of mass) also takes a decent chunk of the top-heaviness out of the front end.

At the rear end sits a pair of Showa shocks, one boasting a default preload setting (remove the offside pannier and adjust with the supplied spanner), while the nearside shock gets a remote preload adjuster with five main marked settings (and multiple clicks between). For my 17st11lbs frame I dialled that to ‘4’ with the main preload set at standard, and don’t recall a single moment when I felt like I needed more support, whether cruising through pothole infested city streets, or pushing-on with gusto on sinuous back roads with the footboard’s hero-blobs skimming the asphalt. The remote adjuster is also within reach while riding, meaning you can make adjustments on the fly without even having to pull kerbside.

Bump management is surprisingly good, both in terms of high and low-speed damping, and while we had no opportunity to experiment with the adjustable rebound damping, there was also no need to anyway. We didn’t get the opportunity for pillion carrying duties, but the composure and additional support available while in the optimal window when solo suggests that the CVOs will also soak up a pillion with equal grace – and better than previous RGs. There’s no doubt that the 76mm of travel on offer at the rear – a whopping 50% more than the stock bike’s available travel – has been transformative in ride quality and bump absorption. Ordinarily, I find my spine takes a few wince-worthy jolts straight from seat to skull on an average ride, but after 150 miles of mixed surfaces, speeds and road quality, it hadn’t happened once.

Cornering composure is impressive, too. The reduction in mass can be felt in direction changes, especially as much of it has come out of the top of the bike. It takes relatively little effort to flick the new CVO though direction changes, and tipping into corners is a simple pleasure, aided by the wide bars and relatively thin tyre profiles (130 front, 180 rear). The rim sizes also deliver a good balance of stability and agility (19in front, 18in rear) leading to a very neutral feeling ride.

Fast or slow, you’re not having to heave the CVO into corners, and it exits with reassuring stability, too. All in all, it boasts surprisingly balletic agility. It’s still a big touring bike and it’s larger and heftier (compared to the SG) batwing fairing enshrouding the galactic headlamp offers decent protection for the air you’re splitting. But it’s a million miles from being a pendulous barge – while the reduction in mass in the aforementioned ’Wing and the various gubbins contained therein, means that you no longer suffer that flop-to-the-stop falling-in of the past.

Shorter riders, or ones with less wingspan, might find full-lock U-turns a bit too much of a stretch, but other bar options are available if you’re set on the RG, but don’t have the reach required.

While it would be wrong to claim any sort of telepathic connection or loud and clear communication from the tyres – Harley-specific Dunlop D408 (F) and D407 (R) – they are at least capable of keeping everything facing the right way. We got no wet riding time on the launch, but in the dry and 30-degree C warmth of a Wisconsin summer’s day, they gave consistent and sure-footed grip on a wide array of surfaces; never felt like they were about to trouble the ABS under hard braking; and are neutral enough to barely be worthy of mention at all. The only real area of performance that is worthy of note is their slight propensity for tracking lips and seams in the road, but it’s neither severe nor troubling.

Braking, now delivered by openly branded Brembo hardware all round, see the front disc sizes grow to 320mm, with the twin discs being gripped by 32mm four-piston Brembo radial monoblock calipers. The front brake lever is also now span adjustable, allowing different lengths of digit to get optimal pulling power. Power is decent, and certainly enough to haul the CVO down from illegally high speeds with composure and power, but I’d personally like a bit more bite, feel and power.

Adding the rear brake to proceedings – itself a 300mm disc with 4-piston Brembo caliper – makes a dramatically tangible difference to the braking firepower on offer, while the car-size footbrake pedal gives meaty braking force, but also deft control for slow-speed riding. It’s a shame the clutch lever span isn’t also adjustable – as the lever action is easily light enough for two-finger operation, but there’s not quite enough clearance against my hefty digits to fully prevent a little clutch drag.

If displacement floats your canoe, then the new CVO 121’s 1977cc is likely to have you salivating already. But don’t let the cubes dominate your decision making, because there are a few things that may cloud your hunger for that gargantuan V-twin punch.

The primary potential cause for disappointment is that the new 121 is supremely refined from the moment your throttle hand lifts the revs off idle, to the point where you surge into the limiter (rather quickly in the lower gears) at 5500rpm, having gracefully swept through peak torque at 3000rpm and peak power at 4500rpm on a creamy tide of drive. In terms of performance, the 121 develops a claimed 8% more torque and 9.5% more peak power than the 117. It’s a super-refined and seamless delivery, with the Variable Valve Timing (VVT) actuating with stepless smoothness and no glitchy patches – simply helping to create drive when you want it, where you want it.

The cam profile is more aggressive in both lift and duration than the 117 engine, while the 20 degrees of cam rotation on inlet and outlet acts on the single overhead cam – and delivers a total rotation at the crankshaft of 40-degrees. The resultant improvement in engine efficiency delivers a claimed 3 to 5% boost in fuel economy compared to the 117. H-D say it’ll sip juice at 45mpg, and the dash claimed a best average of 43.5mpg on test, with a worst dipping to 40.2mpg during a period of spirited riding.

Without being able to control refuelling on the launch we can’t confirm a tank-measured figure against miles ridden, but if the onboard computer’s claims are relatively accurate, then less spirited riding should deliver their claimed mpg. The compression ratio is also up, now sitting at 11.4:1 (up from 10.5:1 on the Milwaukee Eight 117); throttle bodies are now 58mm (55mm on the 117), and the Y-shaped inlet tract is now smoother, straighter and more efficient, with H-D claiming improved tumble and increased mass flow by 7.5 percent and port velocity by 10.3 percent.

So why have we mentioned potential disappointment? It’s simply because you’re probably expecting a breath-catching thump of big V-twin brutality as you whack open the throttle – but it doesn’t come. However eager you get with the throttle, the 121 metes out its impressive tide of drive with gushing excitement, but not drama. The 117 engine gives you a greater feel of connection and thumping drive, albeit at the cost of silky, seamless drive the 121 can deliver.

Pick your flavour, and you won’t be disappointed. Personally, I prefer the accuracy and precision of the 121’s characteristics, while some pilots preferred the 117’s more traditional delivery (we had the opportunity to ride all iterations on the launch). It may have lost some trademark character-overload, but you can trust the 121’s throttle to give you exactly what you’re asking of it at full lean, rather than feeling that you’re flirting with rear grip or the risk of upsetting the front end with a blunt surge of drive. The airbox volume has also taken a 50% volume hike over the Heavy Breather, and even higher-flow options are available from the accessories catalogue.

The transmission is smooth and compliant – and H-D’s claims of improving the neutral ‘gate’ to make it easier to get the green N to appear on the dash certainly appears to hold true, as it was never a struggle regardless of the engine being hot enough for the rear cylinder deactivation to kick in repeatedly in traffic. Incidentally, the EITMS (Engine Idle Temperature Management System) is rougher than a jackhammer with an attitude problem. How Harley have made it so unsettling is a mystery, and considering it’s imperceptibly obvious benefit in temperature reduction (measured by my calibrated leg-cooking index that reached ‘ooof, that’s hot’ several times in traffic that you’re not allowed to filter through in Wisconsin), I’d rather be without it. Activation in traffic makes staying onboard tangibly uncomfortable.

What has probably made more difference is the new rear-cylinder prioritising cooling system, which routes the coldest liquid direct from the radiator to the rear cylinder head, before then taking it to the front one and then back to the radiator. Certainly, it takes sustained stationary idling (in 30-degree C ambient warmth) for the EITMS to kick in, and on the move you rarely feel any negative effects of heat management. Harley say the new design pushes heat down and away from the rider, so even the slowest of forward progress is rewarded by you riding over the heat rather than basting in it.

On the move, the engine is pleasingly flexible, and pulls cleanly in any gear from 1750rpm, reducing the amount of gear lever dancing needed to make comfortable progress. Committed overtakes do still benefit from a quick cog swap though if you need a gap-shrinking punch. The ’box is pretty smooth, too – allowing clutchless shifts up and down the ratios providing you have good feel and coordination, and even dropping into first from neutral with only a moderately painful clonk, as opposed the filling-loosening hammer-strike of old.

H-D say they’ve toned down the induction roar, while boosting the size of the new exhausts to deliver both better gas flow and a richer soundtrack. As with the rest of the 121 package, there’s a refinement here that means it sounds okay without it being a particularly dominant or defining part of the riding experience. Certainly closer to nice than naughty, and anyone who enjoys rattling people’s windows with their potato-potato-gun will need to delve into the accessories catalogue for a ballsier soundtrack.

Electronics and rider aids

The new CVO 121 Road Glide gets a huge suite of electronics that finally drag H-D firmly into the 21st Century. Let’s start with the visual part of this newly found binary finery. The impressively huge 12.3in widescreen dash is absolutely superb, and allows the rider to choose their dash configuration between three major iterations: the most traditional, ‘Cruise’, giving digital representations of a normal two-clock analogue H-D arrangement, supplemented by a whole suite of additional panels and widgets (including placing the navigation window between the dials) that the rider can also customise.

For a cleaner look, riders can opt for what Harley call their ‘Sport’ option, which strips away all the extraneous fields and leaves you with a large central dial with rpm and speed headlining the show. The final major iteration allows a dominant navigation ‘Tour’ view with a map big enough that you’ll appreciate not having to try folding it up after use.

As well as being navigable via the switchgear cubes, there is also touchscreen functionality – although it’s easiest just to drive via the switches on the move. Those switchcubes look impenetrably busy at first glance, but the buttons are actually well grouped and easy to use with gloved hands. Indicators remain on each bar, rather than via a PanAm style rocker on the left cube, and are self-cancelling.

The menu interfaces and button actions are also refreshingly intuitive, meaning that you can navigate thought the menus without needing the read the manual or take an online tutorial. Apple CarPlay is available for iOS users, while Android Auto isn’t supported – although connectivity for basic media is. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled, it opens up the value of those connected services for traffic and weather etc, while also meaning no supplementary Bluetooth module is required for voice services.

Voice prompted functionality is also now described as ‘conversational’, meaning you don’t need to use or remember fixed phrases, and can simply ask for actions, like: ‘Take me to the nearest petrol station.’ In some markets you can even pair your electric garage door opener to the dash. Full connectivity is all deliverable via Harley-Davidson’s H-D App.

Away from the dash, there are five available rider modes to choose from: Rain, Street, and Sport each giving a pre-set suite of electronic aids and power delivery characteristics, while there’s also a further two rider-customisable options. Some riders bemoaned the Sport mode being overly sensitive, favouring Street for normal riding – but my preference was to use Sport at all times, even in town, and I felt no need to dull the response. You can take the boy off a sportsbike, but…

Street mode feels slightly softer, but you certainly don’t feel like you’ve surrendered any gusto. We had no wet riding opportunity, so it’s impossible to comment on the Rain mode’s effectiveness in its intended environment. To summarise the modes:

Road Mode: Intended for normal daily use, it offers less-aggressive throttle response and less mid-range engine power than Sport Mode, with a higher level of C-ABS and C-TCS intervention.

Sport Mode: The full performance potential of the engine is delivered with maximum aggression –full power and the quickest throttle response. C-TCS is set to its lowest level of intervention, and engine braking is increased.

Rain Mode: Throttle response and power output are restrained, as is the rate of acceleration; engine braking is limited, and the highest levels of C-ABS and C-TCS intervention are selected.

Custom modes: Make up your own settings combinations – and save them.

What else do you get in your electronic armoury? There’s Cornering Electronically Linked Brakes (C-ELB); Cornering ABS (C-ABS); Cornering Traction Control (C-TCS) with modes; Cornering Drag Torque Slip Control (C-DSCS); Enhanced Vehicle Hold Control (VHC), and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring system (TPMS). None of the above were called into any significant action on our test, with the exception of the VHC function, which works brilliantly well, without feeling like you’re attempting a full-power launch to get it to disengage, as it does on some bikes.

Lighting all round is LED for the ‘W’ shaped headlamp, taillight and turn signals (now integrated – so no more archaic bullet indicators wobbling in the wind). Sadly, we didn’t get the opportunity to ride at night, so can’t offer any opinion on the spread and effectiveness of the new signature lighting.

There’s also a full Rockford Fosgate Stage II audio system powered by a new 4-channel, 500-watt RMS amplifier if you’re the sort of rider who likes to pretend they’ve been employed as a mobile disco. It all works very well and delivers impressive volume at all speeds, remaining audible even with three figures on the dash, while it’s more than loud enough to embarrass and offend in equal measure at low speed.

There’s no doubt that Harleys are pretty well bolted together these days, and the fit and (particularly) the finish is visually superb. There are still some typically American areas of crude carelessness in terms of engineering detailing, but you have to look increasingly hard to find them, meaning they’re less overtly offensive than they used to be.

Obviously the VVT-enabled 121 is a new power plant, so its reliability is yet to be tested outside of the factory, but the architecture is well proven, and the VVT system is relatively simple – and already stress tested in design by the near-identical system on the Revolution Max engine found in the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250. The quality of the chassis and cycle parts are all typically H-D, but now with some additional openly branded parts – like the full Brembo braking set-up (previously any Brembo hardware was own-branded).

The standard paintjob is the Dark Platinum, and close study of numerous bikes on the launch found no inconsistencies or areas of concern. The finish is deep and lustrous, and feels quality. The premium Whiskey Neat paintjob is all done by hand by H-D’s external paint shop collaborator, with each bike taking circa 10 hours to paint, airbrush and pinstripe by hand – meaning every iteration will be very subtly different, and unique. The paint is stunningly good – but the £6400 premium is a tough pill to swallow.

Every touch point feels well put together and engineered, from the chunky, positive switchgear, to the pleasingly positive and precise remote preload adjuster. The only element that feels anything other than premium are the doors on the cubby holes on each side of the fairing, which feel a little basic.

At this dizzyingly high price point you’ll obviously be at the upper end of insurance and running costs, but if you’re dropping forty-odd thousand pounds on a new motorcycle, this is unlikely to be a deal-breaker.

The standard bike is available in just one colour Dark Platinum (that’s silver, folks) at £38,795 – while those wanting a bit more colour and detail can opt or the Whisky Neat paintjob at a bowel-loosening £6400 premium, taking the ticket price to £45,195.

For a little context, the current Road Glide Special (114 engine) starts at £27,795, while the Road Glide Limited (114 engine) is yours from £28,995, while the Road Glide ST (117 engine) costs from £29,895.

Outside of Harley-Davidson's stable, the 2023 Honda Gold Wing DCT starts at £25,249 for the base model while a BMW R18B (the version with a touring screen and panniers) costs £22,450. If you are sold on the authenticity of an American bike, an Indian Challenger Elite starts at £38,495.

Service intervals for the new 121 platform are: first service at 1000 miles (1600km), then every 5000 miles (8000km), or annually, thereafter. While many riders won’t hit the mileage limit each year, those who are genuinely looking to tour may well feel that 5000-mile intervals is pretty miserly in 2023 when many manufacturers are doubling that interval figure – while also offering longer warranty cover, too (it’s two years and unlimited mileage on the CVO 121 Road Glide).

Of course, the happy news for H-D owners is that their PCP deals are always relatively affordable thanks to their rock-solid residual values, low depreciation, and the fact that dealers are always happy to take a well-cared-for bike back into stock. The cash outlay may be hefty, but a large percentage of your cash stays in the bike – and many buyers never actually own the bike, anyway.

Owning a Harley-Davidson is an experience dominated by the opportunity for customisation and personalisation, and the firm offer a dazzling array of options for making your Road Glide ‘your own’. And while slathering your bike in aftermarket options usually has a detrimental impact on residual values, loading up on genuine H-D parts is never going to expose you to the same level of waste.

If the exceptionally high standard spec isn’t high enough, or personal enough, for you – crack on.

One thing you won’t need to spec is a set of panniers, as they come with the bike. Also one of the parts significantly redesigned over the 2023 Street Glide, they sit slightly higher, boast larger speakers (now also angled towards the rider, rather than skyward) but also boast more carrying capacity at 31litres each side.  If you need a bigger trunk for more junk, there are two colour-matched top boxes available, offering 54litres and 70litres of additional stowage.