Harley-Davidson Teases All-New 2023 CVO Street Glide

[Hugh Janus]

Harley has just confirmed its new 2023 CVO Street Glide. The bike gets revised bodywork, a new VVT 121ci engine, new suspension, and more. (Harley-Davidson/)

The Motor Company may have released a good chunk of its 2023 model portfolio already in anticipation of its upcoming 120th anniversary, but we just got wind of a new development from Milwaukee’s high-end Custom Vehicle Operations unit. The rumor mill has been churning out reports of a new touring model coming soon, and now Harley-Davidson has confirmed it, with the introduction of the all-new 2023 CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide.

According to H-D, both bikes see “dramatic new visual designs, advanced technology, and dynamic performance” but what that really translates into is a reworked batwing fairing for the Street Glide, a restyled frame-mounted fairing for the Road Glide, and new wheels and suspension for both, as well as updates to the tourers’ infotainment system. But the key upgrade here most of us will focus on is the inclusion of the new Milwaukee-Eight VVT 121 engine we speculated about earlier, and which both CVO models receive.

Related: 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide 121 Revealed

Also introduced was the new 2023 CVO Road Glide, which likewise gets new bodywork and the same mechanical upgrades as the CVO Street Glide. (Harley-Davidson/)

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide

Although the bodywork’s been tweaked on both models, it’s not like you won’t recognize the resemblance to previous Glides. On the CVO Street Glide, the visual changes start with a flatter, reworked batwing fairing, which retains its iconic “T” shape, but gets a modernized silhouette with updated surfaces. Most notable is the squarer “Omega-shaped” headlight at center (rather than the current Street Glide’s round unit) that’s also recessed farther back into the fairing. The new fairing more completely frames the square multi-LED unit with a lower edge that’s now angled forward, and the windscreen itself looks to be seriously revised too, so we can expect different aerodynamic qualities as well.

Running lights—in long, horizontal strips, like eyebrows—also run along the forward-facing part of the fairing, while turn signal elements are integrated into the left and right headlamp as well (cleaning up the older model’s external “bullet” units). The resulting profile looks to achieve a better design flow with the side covers and saddlebags, which also see subtle profile tweaks. About the new design, says Brad Richards, Harley-Davidson vice president of design and creative director: “These all-new…designs bring a cohesive and dynamic flow from the front fenders to the saddlebags.”

Lower down, we see a sharper new front-fender design floating over a new wheel that blends wire spokes with an alloy rim (similar to the existing Combo Cast wheel available as a CVO accessory). That front wheel sits at the end of an inverted fork (part of the “new suspension”) and also gets a pair of large, floating brake discs clamped by four-piston Brembo calipers, appropriate for a bike in H-D’s premium CVO range, and a system that will no doubt trickle down to the main line at some point.

The big news here, though, is the appearance of H-D’s new VVT 121 mill powering both of the new 2023 CVO Glides. The 121ci displacement (equivalent to around 1,983cc) is clearly trumpeted on the intake and clutch cover badging, with the variable valve timing system giving the air-cooled Milwaukee-Eight a new lifeline in the fight against tightening emissions limits. Other than those external cues however, Harley has kept mum on other powertrain details.

Related: 2023 Harley Homecoming Celebrates Motor Company’s 120th Anniversary

Both the CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide will be offered in two color options; no other details have been revealed yet. The official launch for both will be June 7, 2023. (Harley-Davidson/)

2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide

Like the 2023 CVO Street Glide, the 2023 CVO Road Glide also touts an “all-new” status, and it gets a more aggressive update to its signature sharknose design. Both the upper part of the fairing—which juts out far more forward—and the lower portion receive new shapes, and aim for a better integration with the fuel tank, side covers, and saddlebags.

The single LED headlamp now has a wide, horizontal shape, but in a bit of a design sleight of hand, appears to also have twin elements, which H-D says is a nod back to previous “twin-beam” Road Glide models. On the CVO Road Glide, the turn signal lamps are also integrated within the outer portions of the signature light, and the fairing-mounted running lights, as on the Street Glide, extend all the way out to the edges of the fairing, though on the Road Glide, the look is more of a smirk than the  surprised expression on the CVO Street Glide.

The same updated infotainment, suspension, brakes, and wheels we mentioned on the CVO Street Glide also appear on the 2023 CVO Road Glide, as does the new VVT 121 engine. Both models will be available in two paint/finish options, but again, we don’t have the full details on those yet.

We can only speculate on other tweaks on the new models (as we did here), such as to the inner fairings, fuel tanks (which appears to be reshaped), and rear of the bikes, since no other images were included with this release. There was also no further information on the infotainment system updates, though we suspect it will surely include a new digital display to replace the aging analog dials on previous models.

Related: Harley Developing V-Twin With Variable Valve Timing

The next-gen CVO Street Glide as seen from the left side, in this Australia certification image. (Harley-Davidson/)

“With the introduction of the all-new CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide, we’ve completely reimagined two of Harley-Davidson’s most iconic motorcycles and redefined the boundaries of CVO in the process,” said Jochen Zeitz, chairman, president, and CEO of Harley-Davidson.

The not-so-good news? The bikes aren’t here yet, which is why H-D used the word “announced” rather than “revealed” in the press release. Other than the highlights you just read about, there were no real specifications, pricing, or additional images provided, with Milwaukee saying only that full details will be announced on June 7, 2023, with the actual, official unveiling of the 2023 CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide.

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[Buckster]

Damn fine motorcycles.