2024 Harley-Davidson CVO ST: First Ride Review

I have always been a sportbike guy. Sportbikes were the motorcycles that I watched race on Sunday and then would ride on Monday. I draw my inspiration from the sport of motorcycle racing. V-twin cruisers only appealed to me within the scope of moto-journalism. My motto has always been that if they give me the keys to it, I will ride it. However, the thought of adding a V-twin machine to my personal fleet has never crossed my mind. That was until I spent quality time with the 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST. Let me explain. 

A few seasons ago, the Bagger Racing League made its debut. Immediately after that, MotoAmerica introduced the King of the Baggers series. Regarding the Bagger class, only two brands are in the game: Indian Motorcycle and Harley-Davidson. I’m a sucker for a great race, and it didn’t take long before Bagger racing became a legit competitive class, not a sideshow attraction. Sure, the sexiness wasn’t there, nor the finesse. But power and performance were bubbling, and with that came a resilience of grace akin to a rhinoceros performing Swan Lake. You couldn’t look away. What the bikes were accomplishing seemed irrational, if not impossible. A racing Bagger weighs about 600 pounds and can reach speeds over 185 miles per hour. 

As with any concept or theory that yields results, it was only a matter of time before Harley-Davidson developed a production version of the aforementioned graceful rhino to hit the streets with a selection of the bells and whistles that won the King of the Baggers crown three times. The 2024 CVO Road Glide ST (MSRP $42,999) has a bit more than a twinkle in its eye, the same way that KITT from Knight Rider was more than the average Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. The CVO ST borrows heavily from its track-born origin story with adjustable SHOWA 47mm front forks, dual rear suspension set up with remote reservoirs, Brembo brakes, Track mode, Cornering ABS… And it gets better from there. 

While I have spent most of my career onboard sport, naked, and standard bikes, that does not mean I have not spent any time on proper V-Twin cruisers. I’ve spent considerable time riding V-twins and understand their legacy and place in modern motorcycle culture and community. Still, I’ve always felt that something was lacking in the category, and when factoring in weight, size, and aesthetics, the style of ride left me with much to be desired. But again, what was racing on Sunday, I found myself wanting to ride on Monday. It wasn’t long before I was throwing a leg over a 2024 CVO Road Glide ST in Raven Metallic, accented in Carbon Fiber with Red accents. I’m always up for a good time.

Let’s start with the presentation. The linework of the CVO ST addresses its inherent beast mode personality, beginning with what Harley-Davidson call a “shark nose” front end. I get it. It’s a predator. It has a menacing presence with noted LEDs integrated throughout the bike’s lighting system. Your trail of vision flows from the nose to the rear of the bike thanks to the aerodynamic engineering process that Harley-Davidson refers to as “computational fluid dynamics.”

With a wet weight under 840 pounds and an overall length of just south of 95 inches, the CVO Road Glide ST is a lot of machine to mitigate. In the saddle with a seat height of approximately 28 inches, the controls are comfortably within reach and manageable. I stand at six feet with a payload of 260 pounds, and reaching the ground flat-footed is a huge plus. Not having to over-muscle the bike is also favored.

The 12.3-inch full-color TFT illuminates with animation before settling into your customized Skyline OS touchscreen display option upon turning the bike on. With the switches and toggles at the handlebar, you can navigate through screen options, choose your ride mode (Road, Sport, Track, Track Plus, Rain, and Custom modes), set your navigation, link your phone, set your radio stations, etc. I will note here that the sound system composed of a 500-watt amp and Stage II 6.5-inch fairing speakers by Rockford Fosgate does, indeed, thump.

But when you hit that start button, and the engine ignites into a roaring rumble of controlled violence, there is a realization and acknowledgment of what the CVO ST is bringing to the road. And it’s more than a legit audio system. The power plant of the 2024 CVO ST is the Milwaukee-Eight 121 engine that maxes horsepower and torque output at 127 and 145-foot pounds, respectively. The 121 is Harley-Davidson’s “big boy”. The motor’s rumble plays lead while backed up by the distinct exhaust notes manifested by the dual Screamin’ Eagle titanium slip-on pipes. The bike sounds as mean as it looks. It’s an intimidator, even at idle.

The 2024 CVO ST is not a put-around-and-find-out machine. The Milwaukee-Eight 121 comes alive at speed and does its best work when the CVO ST gets to stretch its legs. My evaluation routes included stretches of highway and backroads. The highway runs delivered expected results, impressive acceleration, comfort at speed, etc. But what caught me pleasantly off guard was the CVO’s performance on a selection of curated Pennsylvania backroads and sweepers. Again, this is a lot of bike to throw into a corner. I was reserved and less than feisty at first. The CVO’s torque punches out the corners with balanced and chaotic aggression. The bike’s power wasn’t in question. The inquiry was directed at the bike’s handling and braking. The nuance to the CVO ST’s stability in the turns became apparent as I began to pick up what it was putting down. The CVO ST loves the sweepers.

Pushing all that weight around meant having a great deal of confidence in the ability to bring things to a halt. The Brembo setup did not disappoint. On the front end, you’ll find a pair of 32mm floating discs mated to four-piston radially mounted calipers. At the rear, a single axially mounted caliper is paired with a fixed rotor. ABS and electronically linked braking are standard, as well. The braking department was on point.

In addition to the ride modes, Harley-Davidson read the room and included a suite of electronic aids that land the 2024 CVO ST on the upper shelf. A few relevant enhancements are Cornering Enhanced Traction Control System, Cornering Drag-Torque Slip Control System (C-DSCS), and Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS). Harley-Davidson says that this is its highest-performing and most advanced CVO ever produced. They have delivered a tamed but not watered-down version of its King of the Baggers race weapon.

The one nagging note is the location of the turn signal switches. Instead of them being on one cluster, preferably on the left, they are split. The left switch is on the left, and the right switch is on the right, meaning you have to roll off the throttle, however so little, to activate the indicator. Harley-Davidson, please rethink this design. 

While some HOG-Life traditionalists may find the design more than a sight departure, the CVO ST embodies all of Harley-Davidson’s yesterday with solid doses of Harley-Davidson’s tomorrow, birthed on the grid. As the sport of Bagger racing continues to grow, the mass appeal for production performance Baggers will only increase. The 2024 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide ST serves as the prototype.

It delivers.

Images: Allan Lane

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