2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide Inside Look [Fast Facts]

June 7, 2023

We saw the teaser for the next-generation Street Glide, and now all the details on the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide are here. The most significant changes are to the motor, electronics, and styling, with the underlying chassis lightly massaged. There’s plenty to reveal, so let’s drop the hydraulically actuated clutch and spin up the rear Dunlop.

You can’t miss the new, modern batwing fairing. In addition to the contemporary styling, the new CVO Street Glide fairing is also more functional. Harley-Davidson claims a 60 percent reduction in helmet buffeting compared to the previous model. There’s also center vent airflow control, and defectors at the fairing fork skirts. Also, the Splitstream vent is fully integrated into the design. Distinctive, lightly arcing LED running lights swoop from the new organically shaped LED headlight with running lights surrounding it. The amber turn indicator lighting is seamlessly built into the running lights for a clean look.

The 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide is powered by a new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 with impressive performance numbers. There’s an earth-moving 139 ft-lbs of torque on call at 3000 rpm, and a peak of 115 horsepower at 4500 rpm. The 121 cubic inch displacement arrives via a 4.075-inch bore and 4.625-inch stroke. In addition to the displacement increase, the additional power comes from improvements at many steps, from the airbox to the exhaust. We’ll go through the changes from the start of the power production process to the end.

There’s a new airbox with a four-liter volume. You can’t make horsepower without air, and the CVO Street Glide airbox is 50 percent larger than the Heavy Breather intake. Additionally, the airbox is lighter, less complicated, and quieter.

With a more voluminous airbox comes a new intake tract. The Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 has a 58mm throttle body, compared to 55mm on the M8 117. Engineers moved the throttle body closer to the center of the V. Air movement is smoothed by a new aluminum intake manifold contoured to allow the air to move more directly to the intake ports. Harley-Davidson claims that 7.5 percent more air flows through the system, with the velocity increased 10.3 percent. With more air comes high-capacity fuel injectors.

5. The new cam has a higher lift and longer duration. Along with that comes new a new inner cam bearing and valve springs to ensure reliability. There are also new higher-compression cylinder heads with reworked flow characteristics to match the new cam.

The cam’s Variable Valve Timing minimizes fuel consumption. The new CVO Street Glide gets two more miles out of a gallon of high test, despite the increase in power than the standard Street Glide 117. A computer controls the valve timing over a 40-degree sweep of the crankshaft, which corresponds to the single cam rotating 20 degrees. Harley-Davidson engineers also use the technology to provide a broader powerband and manage the torque output.

Cooling is a combination of air, liquid, and oil. While not the Twin-Cooled motor, the new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 uses coolant to manage the cylinder head temperatures. The radiator is unobtrusively tucked between the front frame downtubes. Right above the radiator sits the oil cooler, which also helps keep operating temperatures down. Finally, air flows over the cylinders, moving heat away from the engine as you ride.

After combustion is completed, the exhaust goes through a larger-diameter muffler. Moving up the pipe diameter from an even four inches to 4.5 inches increases flow capacity by 26 percent. Harley-Davidson promises “an exhilarating sound, especially on acceleration.”

To slow down the new 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide, there are larger front discs. H-D has bumped up the diameter of the front rotors by 20mm to 320mm. Plus, the discs are grasped by radially mounted four-piston Brembo calipers. The rear disc continues to be a 300mm unit, also using a four-piston Brembo caliper.

There is less weight to slow down on the new CVO Street Glide. Harley-Davidson put the CVO Street Glide on a diet, and it dropped 31 pounds. There’s a new forged aluminum triple clamp that weighs seven pounds less. Right behind it is a new fuel tank that uses lighter gauge steel for weight reduction, while still holding six gallons.

Once at a stop, you should be able to find neutral easier. Harley-Davidson has redesigned the shift drum to make it more likely you’ll drop into neutral on the first try.

Rear suspension travel is increased to three inches. The new Showa shock allows for rebound-damping adjustment. You can fine-tune the shocks’ spring preload by hand, with larger changes requiring pulling a saddlebag and using a tool supplied with the bike. The 46mm Showa a beefy inverted unit, continuing to provide 4.6 inches of travel.

The 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide has four ride modes. The four modes—Sport, Road, Rain, and Custom—impact the throttle response, power output, ABS, traction control, and engine compression braking. Only Sport mode provides full power throughout the rpm range, as Road mode softens mid-range output and Rain mode drops the power everywhere. Engine compression braking is strongest in Sport mode and lightest in the Rain mode to minimize skidding on deceleration. The Custom mode allows personalizing all the parameters, which is accomplished on the new 12.3-inch touchscreen.

The entire Harley-Davidson Rider Safety Enhancements suite is standard. The CVO Street Glide gets electronically linked brakes, ABS, traction control, and electronic engine compression braking control—all cornering aware. Hill control and tire pressure monitoring round out the package.

The new foot-diagonal touchscreen is glove-friendly and can be used while riding. However, H-D encourages using the handlebar controls and voice commands (a wireless headset is included) by disabling some touchscreen functions while in motion. A high-contrast mode increases readability in harsh daylight, and there are also day and night modes, which can be selected manually or changed automatically based on ambient light. Don’t spend much time looking for analog displays—they’re gone.

The anti-reflective screen has three view options—Sport, Tour, and Cruise. Selected widgets can be displayed, with more screen real estate available for this purpose in the Sport and Tour modes than the Cruise mode. This allows for a cleaner display, or one that has the maximum information output.

In addition to the vast foot-diagonal TFT screen, a new Skyline OS is employed and Bluetooth pairing is standard. Apple CarPlay projection services are available, though Android Auto users will be disappointed to learn they won’t have the same capability.

WiFi connectivity to your smartphone means the screen can display live traffic, weather, and navigation—map updates are free for three years. When installing select ECU-associated accessories, you can do it via the screen rather than taking it to a dealer. The HomeLink app, which allows you to pair with three garage doors or electronic gates, fits into this category.

The new fairing on the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide has a drawer for your smart device. With 10-by-8 inches of space, many tablets can be accommodated if that’s your smart device of choice. It opens and closes with the touch of a button, and has a liner to keep your device pristine. It also has a USB-C port.
Ergonomics are updated. There’s a new seat designed for long-distance comfort. Also, the front brake lever can be adjusted for distance to the grip. If it gets cold, heated grips are standard and adjustable via the TFT, and wiring for heated riding gear is already there.
If you like to blast out the tune, a 500-watt Rockford Fosgate Stage II audio system is at your beck and call. Sound comes blasting out of two 6.5-inch three-way speakers in the fairing and three-way 5-by-7-inch speakers in the saddlebags. A seven-band equalizer is included, and the equalizer also has plenty of presets for non-audiophiles. If you decide you need to go even bigger, the saddlebags can be fitted with a pair of Rockford Fosgate Stage III 6-by-9-inch speakers.

22. The wheels are stunning. A combination of old and new, they are wire-spoke with an intricately cast aluminum rim.

23. There are two paint options: Dark Platinum with Bright Smoked Satin, and Whiskey Neat/Raven Metallic. Finishing touches for the Dark Platinum include a Gloss Black powertrain and air cleaner, while the pushrod tubes, engine inserts, lower rocker boxes, and exhaust are Scorched Chrome. If you go with the hand-applied two-tone Whiskey Neat/Raven Metallic for a $6000 premium, you get the powertrain and air cleaner in Gloss Black, orange accented engine inserts, plus Whiskey Neat lower rocker boxes and pushrod tube collars. The pushrod tubes and exhaust are chromed. Each has matching optional Adversary Collections accessories—black powdercoat with machined Dark Platinum highlights and Black-and-Orange double-anodized finish for the Whiskey Neat/Raven Metallic pieces.

24. The 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide has a list price of $42,999. However, H-D slaps on a mandatory $1200 Surcharge, so the effective MSRP is $44,199 for the Dark Platinum version.

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide Specs

ENGINE

Type: Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 V-twin
Displacement: 121 cubic inches (1977cc)
Bore x stroke: 4.075” x 4.625”
Maximum torque: 139 ft-lbs @ 3000 rpm
Maximum power: 115 horsepower @ 4500 rpm
Fueling: EFI w/ 58mm throttle body
Compression ratio: 11.4:1
Valvetrain: Single cam w/ pushrods; 4 vpc
Exhaust: 2-1-2 dual
Cooling: Air, liquid, and oil cooling
Lubrication: Pressurized dry sump
Transmission: 6-speed Cruise Drive
Clutch: Mechanically actuated wet multiplate w/ assist and slipper functions
Primary drive: Chain
Final drive: Belt

CHASSIS

Frame: Mild tubular steel w/ two-piece stamped and welded backbone
Front suspension; travel: Non-adjustable Showa inverted 49mm Dual Bending Valve fork; 4.6 inches
Rear suspension; travel: Rebound-damping and spring-preload adjustable Showa emulsion shocks; 3 inches
Wheels: Combo Cast Laced
Front wheel: 19 x 3.5
Rear wheel: 18 x 5
Front tire: 130/60 x 19; Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series D408F
Rear tire: 180/55 x 18; Dunlop Harley-Davidson Series D407T
Front brakes: 320mm floating discs w/ radially mounted Brembo 4-piston calipers
Rear brake: 300mm fixed discs w/ Brembo 4-piston caliper
ABS: Standard