Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023)

Get ready to hit the road in style with the highly anticipated Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023). As a beloved model in the Harley-Davidson lineup, the Road Glide Limited has captivated riders with its iconic design and unparalleled performance. In this article, we will dive deep into all aspects of this remarkable motorcycle, from its cutting-edge features to its comfortable ergonomics. We’ll also explore the ride experience and maintenance needs of the Road Glide Limited, giving you a comprehensive understanding of what this bike has to offer. So sit back, grab your leather jacket, and join us as we take a thrilling ride through the world of the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023).

Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023) – A top-of-the-range CVO

Let the true spirit of exploration lead you as you ride the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023) on the open roads. Featuring a signature shark-nose fairing that is underpinned by brilliant Daymaker LED headlamps, the Road Glide Limited attracts second glances whether you’re simply warming up in the driveway or speeding along the city lanes. You can take to the open road with its muscular Milwaukee-Eight 114 cc engine and remain fully connected with the easy-to-use infotainment system on this powerful Touring Bike.

The Road Glide Limited is loaded with features like cruise control, heated grips, and wide floorboards that make your ride much more comfortable. With a motorcycle this good, it should come as no surprise it didn’t need any significant changes from Harley-Davidson. This motorcycle has everything that one may want to make a great two-up touring ride.

Harley-Davidson’s new CVO models hint at the brand’s higher-tech future motorcycles

For 2023, the company has released a number of CVO bikes that showcase what the company can create style-wise. The CVO Street Glide line and CVO Road Glide line, including Road Glide Limited are light tourers with windscreens and two hard bags at the back. The difference here is the front windscreen, which is a batwing fork-mounted system on the Street Glide whereas the Road Glide utilizes a larger, frame-mounted design.

Jochen Zeitz, the Chairman, President, and CEO of Harley-Davidson had this to say in a press release –

 “With the all-new CVO Street Glide and CVO Road Glide models, our mission is to advance every aspect of the Grand American Touring motorcycling experience. These models set a new standard for Harley-Davidson performance, technology and style, accelerating the evolution of the world’s most desirable motorcycle brand.”

Besides new engines, the CVO motorcycles also include copious tech upgrades, such as LED lighting all around that has done away with the legacy bulb-and-lens type turn signals in favor of LED strips that simply streamline, and stylize the look of the bikes. The fairings are wind-tunnel refined as well while retaining the legacy of older Glide models but with rider-adjustable air control valves for fine-tuning the airflow.

Inside the fairings, the old-style speedometers and tachometers have been replaced in favor of a new wide, customizable 12.3-inch TFT touchscreen, which shows bits (digital representations of the old analog clocks) as well as detailed GPS, myriad bike stats, music controls, and other info through Harley-Davidson’s new SkyLine OS. Riders who are using in-helmet comms from Cardo, Sena, and more can connect to SkyLine wirelessly to get more options. For those who want to forego in-helmet music, the motorcycles also come with a pumped-up 500-watt Stage II four-speaker audio system from Harley’s long-time audio partner Rockford Fosgate.

Harley-Davidson has resisted using “ride modes” but the new Road Glide line includes Road, Rain, and Sport settings that tailor engine braking and power delivery. Further safety measures include Cornering-Traction Control System and Cornering-Antilock Braking System settings.

While the look of the CVO bikes hasn’t radically changed, there have been other updates and technologies introduced that now come into play. As with a lot of car companies, the cool features on the top models will trickle down to other bikes over time.

2023 Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited Review

Harley-Davidson doesn’t make any major changes to its bikes often, mostly because its models are already stacked with impressive specifications. The Road Glide Limited is a great example of that. The 2023 Harley-Davidson Road Glide retains most of the specifications and features from the predecessor although there are some alterations.

Adding a top trunk to the iconic Road Glide has transformed this popular American Bagger into a two-up dream bike. The Sharknose fairing is rather sleek and stylish and the bike gives a nod to the classic American Bagger roots that have long been the heart of the bike. The Tour Park luggage also has ample space for carrying your helmets and anything that you may need. Meanwhile, the Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine has been shared across the entire 2023 Harley lineup. It is extremely powerful and can handle the weight of the passengers and your gear.

With that said, if you’re looking to purchase this machine, you’re going to want to know a lot more about it. In this in-depth review, you will get to know what the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023) is all about.

Overview

The new 120^th Anniversary Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited is truly a special motorcycle. It is the company’s top-of-the-range fully-dressed tourer, which has gone up a level to CVO (Custom Vehicles Operations) trim with a bit of fancy paint and extras. This bike is released to mark the 120^th Anniversary of Harley-Davidson, one of the world’s oldest motorcycle manufacturers, and to celebrate the occasion, the company has really gone to town. There is more of everything, from the gloss black to the chrome “Tomahawk” wheels that replace the plain version. You will be able to get luxurious Alcantara seats, with red and gold contrast stitching embroidered CVO logo as well as a rider backrest thrown in.

The Infotainment system has been upgraded with everything from intercom standard to FM radio to louder Rockford Fosgate Stage 1 speakers. Luxurious like cornering ABS, keyless ignition, hill hold, and LED all around are standard.

Harley has thrown everything that it could at the Road Glide Limited to make it cosmetically striking too. You will get a Heirloom Fade paint job, custom CVO gauges, Speedbird art deco tank medallion with glass inserts, brake pedal cover, Kahuna Collection grips, and muffler end caps. If this isn’t enough, the tank’s special 120^th Anniversary console insert has been plated gold with a laser-etched serial number.

But it hasn’t just been ramped up in terms of bling as the CVO Road Glide Limited comes equipped with a bigger twin-cooled engine, offering up to 105 BHP and 165.4 Nm of torque compared to the standard models. Even the model designation, FLTRKSEANV is the biggest in the company’s history.

It is a big ol’ beast but this is true for all Ultras and Limiteds. It offers an ample amount of poke from the huge engine, the aids, and the additions are a nice touch. Although it sits on the hefty end of the scale, it offers a luxurious riding experience that borders on majestic.

Engine and performance

Bigger is always better, especially as it revolves around engines and the world of Harley-Davidson. By gifting the CVO Anni’ more cubes with the Milwaukee-Eight Twin-Cooled 114 ci engine, power has been boosted to 105 BHP and torque has been improved to 122 lb-ft. It means that the Road Glide Limited (2023) offers more shove from your right wrist when you twist the grip.

As an avid rider, I’m certainly not a newbie when riding heavyweight American cruisers. As someone who enjoys performance bikes and track riding, I shouldn’t like the Road Glide Limited as much as I do. While a bike that weighs so much does need a different approach and riding style, once you’re able to get it rolling, this bike doesn’t fail to bring a massive grin to your face.

The motorcycle is powered by a Milwaukee-Eight 114ci V-Twin engine. The engine is capable of producing 105 HP and 165.4 Nm of torque. While the performance is slightly dulled compared to Low Ride ST, the Road Glide Limited (2023) rumbles its way to motorway speeds with ease. You can get it to 75 MPH and in top gear, you will be hovering over 2,000 RPM, with ample grunt in reverse to waft past slower-moving vehicles without the need for downshift from the six-speed box.

Reliability and build quality

There is no simply no denying that this bike is at the very highest end of the spectrum in terms of quality, which is perfectly reflected in its build quality as the Road Glide Limited (2023) is a premium bit of kit, from any angle. In terms of reliability, the modern Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023) is fairly dependable minus a few niggles here and there.

Ride quality and brakes

The Road Glide Limited (2023) is an impressive machine in terms of ride quality. The plus saddle is low and on the move, it is easily manageable and you’ll feel smugly regal above and beyond not just any two-wheeler but also four-wheeler, this motorcycle comes into its own and sort of makes sense.

As a touring bike, it is decent, especially on Interstates. As a dynamic motorcycle subject to conventional parameters, it is irrelevant, although sweeping country roads through Californian wine country offers more than most bikes can muster. It is not going to break any records but it was never intended to.

Equipment

This is where the Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023) certainly earns its stripes in this department. There is a lot more of everything and it gains extra kudos by having a gold-plate console.

Where some limited runs do consist of the odd paint job and certain stickers, the 2023 Road Glide Limited does ooze a sense of exclusivity. From the “Tomahawk” wheels and luxurious seats to the updated infotainment system or the riding assists like cornering ABS and traction and hill hold, it will be fair to say that every base has been covered here.

With a bike so good, there were no significant changes needed from Harley-Davidson. The Harley-Davidson Road Glide Limited (2023) has everything that you might want to make a great 2-up touring ride. There are seven changes for the Road Glide Limited –

• Bright Billiard Blue/Billiard Gray – Black Finish
• Prospect Gold/Vivid Black – Black Finish
• Atlas Silver – Black Finish
• Vivid Black – Black Finish
• Bright Billiard Blue/Billiard Gray – Chrome Finish
• Gray Haze/Silver Fortune – Chrome Finish
• Vivid Black – Chrome Finish

Value against the rivals

Is the bike really worth the hefty price tag, especially compared to other rivals? Objectively, dispassionately, and sensibly, probably not. The Road Glide Limited (2023) comes at a starting price of $29,399 and although there are some extras, you might not need them.

However, the terms “objective, dispassionate, or sensible should not apply here. Harley has set out to build the ultimate ride to the 120^th Anniversary model and it has done just that. It is the ultimate Harley full dresser with a lot of specifications. It might be OTT but it is also the ultimate Harley, and that, to some folks, will be priceless.

The Road Glide Limited 2023 costs quite a lot, especially when compared to the Gold Wing Tour DCT by Honda, which is cheaper. Then again, none of the models are comparable. Harley-Davidson has opted to push the boat once more with the Road Glide Limited 120^th Anniversary in the most extreme way of celebrating a huge milestone, and in turn, created something truly luxurious and unattainable for most.