2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide 121 Revealed

[Hugh Janus]

Certification filings from Down Under have revealed the 2023 Harley-Davidson CVO Street Glide, powered by a brand-new 121ci engine with variable valve timing. (Harley-Davidson/)

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect the correct model year. Originally Cycle World had reported this as a 2024 model based on available information. Harley-Davidson will release the new CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide as 2023 models. More info will be released June 7.

Harley-Davidson’s upcoming CVO Street Glide 121 has yet to be officially confirmed by the factory, but it’s been the subject of huge amounts of internet intrigue already this year. Now, these genuine photos of the bike have emerged via new certification filings in Australia.

The shots (which we’ve digitally enhanced for more clarity) show a machine that’s both instantly recognizable as a Street Glide but also distinctly new compared to its predecessor. The visual changes start with that substantially reworked batwing fairing, which now houses a squared-off “squircle-shaped” LED headlight instead of the current Street Glide’s round design. It sits in a suitably reshaped recess, while the fairing’s lower edge now juts forward to give a more modern, aerodynamic look.

The current-generation Street Glide ST. (Harley-Davidson/)

As well as containing multiple LEDs for its high and low beams, the new light is rimmed with accent lighting and flanked by long strips of LED running lights extending all the way into the mirror housings at the very edge of the fairing. Below it, there’s a new front-fender design wrapped over an innovative wheel that combines traditional-style wire spokes with a cast or forged alloy rim that has raised sections where it meets the spokes, similar in concept to BMW’s Cross Spoke wheels on the R 1250 GS, but more stylish.

A pair of large, floating brake discs, more like those seen on sportbikes, are gripped by radial-mount, four-piston Brembo calipers. This is all revolutionary stuff for a Harley tourer, and while the initial model is part of the high-end CVO range—carrying the FLHXSE model code and wearing CVO badges on the side cases—it’s sure to filter down to the more mainstream bikes sooner than later.

Moving farther back, the rest of the bodywork is also new. The tank appears to be subtly reshaped, particularly around the lower front edges, and sits ahead of a thickly padded seat, embroidered with the CVO logo and contrasting stitching. The side panels below it aren’t as deep as the current design, making for a lighter appearance to the rear end, despite the fact the side cases appear to be bigger. Those cases are topped with speakers, with another pair visible inside the fairing as part of a high-end Boom! Box GTS audio system.

As revealing as the front three-quarter shot, this rear shot shows the new taillights, exhaust pipes, infotainment screen, and most importantly the big “121” on the intake. (Harley-Davidson/)

Seen from the rear, the bike has new, vertical taillights filling the gap between the rear fender and those side cases, and the exhausts are also redesigned with larger exits and a dark chrome finish. The rear angle also reveals the bike’s vast display screen, replacing any conventional instruments and inevitably providing connectivity, navigation, and multimedia control as well as access to an array of rider-adaptable settings. There appear to be new, multifunction control pods on the bars, with a D-pad on left-hand bar controls to operate the added tech.

Despite all this, the CVO Street Glide’s main draw is likely to be its engine. The “121″ badges are clearly visible on the intake and the clutch cover, denoting its capacity in cubic inches. That’s equivalent to around 1,983cc, and a fraction less than the 122ci offered by the current Stage III Screamin’ Eagle kit for the Milwaukee-Eight V-twin, but the capacity alterations are only the start of the new engine’s improvements. It’s widely anticipated to employ the variable valve timing system that we wrote about back in 2020, giving the air-cooled Milwaukee-Eight a new weapon in the constant battle to beat emissions limits.

While still largely air-cooled, the CVO Street Glide has a big cooler sitting in a blacked-out piece of bodywork just ahead of the motor. Whether it’s simply an oil-cooler or a radiator—making this the “Twin-Cooled” version of the engine—isn’t clear from these images. Unfortunately, the paperwork published alongside these pictures doesn’t appear to include the correct details about the new engine, instead quoting the capacity and performance of the existing 117ci Milwaukee-Eight. The quoted mass of 831 pounds and wheelbase of 64 inches also match the numbers for the previous-generation CVO Street Glide—last part of the range in 2022—suggesting the documents, while carrying pictures of the new bike, have figures relating to the old version.

Visually, there are changes to the engine beyond the 121 logos. The timing cover on the right-hand side of the engine has an additional bulge, believed to hide some of the variable valve timing kit, and the transmission side cover is also bulkier, clearly hiding some new mechanical elements. As well as the new CVO Street Glide, Harley is expected to launch a similarly substantial set of updates on the CVO Road Glide later this year, including the same new wheels and 121ci engine, as well as redesigned bodywork.

Source

[XTreme]

[Catteeclan]

It's like that turd that just won't flush.