Road King CVO: High tech and high style

By Lance Oliver, photos by Riles and Nelson

Fly-by-wire throttle linked to sequential port fuel injection? Probably some high-tech Japanese racer replica. Anti-lock brakes? Maybe a European sport-tourer.

Actually, no. I'm talking about a Harley-Davidson Road King. Specifically, the 2008 FLHRSE4 Screamin' Eagle Road King, the latest version of this iconic model from Harley's Custom Vehicle Operations division.

Each year since 1999, the CVO division has been turning out limited-edition models showcasing the Motor Company's Screamin' Eagle performance parts, items from its huge accessory catalog, and special paint jobs.

For 2008, all four CVO models are powered by Harley's Twin Cam 110 engine, a 110-cubic-inch powerplant with different heads and cams and other Screamin' Eagle parts. Bolt it all together and Harley says the 110 pumps out 115 foot-pounds of torque at 3,000 rpm (measured at the crankshaft). Low-end torque doesn't get much lower-end than this. Just 2,000 rpm on the tach gets you 80 percent of maximum torque.

That Twin Cam 110 also gets a new finish for 2008, called "granite and chrome." The "granite" portion is a special gray paint with actual stainless steel flake in it.

But the really big news for 2008 isn't the Twin Cam 110. It's the bits that make it go, and the parts that make the two touring CVO models stop.

First, let's look at the throttle. Instead of throttle cables controlling the fuel injection, an electronic sensor now tells the injectors what your throttle hand is doing on both the Road King and the Ultra Classic Electra Glide CVOs. At first glance, it may sound like added complication. Who needs fly-by-wire on a touring motorcycle?

Actually, it reduces complication, Harley's CVO engineers note. Both the Road King and Ultra Classic come with electronic cruise control, which works more seamlessly with the electronic throttle control than it did with the old throttle cables.

And, there's another advantage to electronic throttle control for a company known for styling. No cables means a cleaner look for the handlebar. The electronic wires run inside the handlebar.

The other big news is Harley's new ABS system, which is standard on the Road King and Ultra Classic CVOs and will be a $795 option on all regular Harley touring models and VRSC models for 2008. It's an all-new system for Harley, and some wet pavement during our one-day ride provided some opportunity to prove that it works.

The Harley system maintains separate operation of front and rear brakes. Steel braided lines run unobtrusively from both master cylinders to a controller unit located under the right side panel, then back to the brake rotors. If the wheel sensors detect lockup, the control unit pulses the brakes up to seven times per second to prevent the wheels from locking up.

As with the throttle, Harley paid a lot of attention to the styling, as well as the performance. You have to look carefully, and know where to look, to see any visual evidence of the ABS system. Not only are the additional brake lines well hidden, but Harley also put great effort into making the wheel sensors unnoticeable.

"It's totally invisible and that was an important part of the system," said Harley Director of Product Communications Paul James.

The sensors operate using magnetically encoded rings in the wheel bearings. Harley showed us the parts to demonstrate how they work. The two metal rings look like thin spacers. I let them clamp together by magnetic force and turned one with my hand. The two rings "click" in steps as the magnetically encoded spots interact. That's what sends signals to the ABS control unit without the need for a big, external sensor that would detract from Harley's traditional styling. Looking at the wheel alone, there's no way to tell if the motorcycle has ABS or not.

We had one day to try the new CVOs while visiting some of Harley's production facilities in the Milwaukee area. In Wisconsin, most of the best backroads are the county roads designated with letters, not numbers, that meander through the countryside. Riding highways and local roads on our way to some of those letter roads, the additional power of the Twin Cam 110 is immediately apparent. Harley's charts show the torque curve staying above 100 foot-pounds until you're closing in on the rev limiter, and by then any normal rider will have notched up into the next gear and ridden that wave of low-end torque again.

Once we reach the letter-road curves, I get a reminder that this is a touring bike. The soft suspension that soaked up the uneven joints on the highway is now a bit vague in the turns. But that's a fair tradeoff for a motorcycle equipped with bags and a windshield and a sixth gear just made for the highway.

Switching between the Road King and the Dyna and Springer CVO models really drives home the difference made by the Road King's new features. Suddenly, throttle cables feel about as modern a form of gaining velocity as spurring a horse. The electronic throttle control on the Road King provides for a light but completely progressive throttle. The ABS brakes, which incorporate Brembo four-piston calipers front and rear, provide ample stopping power with a two-finger pull, unlike Harley brakes of the past that called for a full fist of effort.

Another change for the Road King and Ultra Classic CVOs is a "stabilizer system," essentially the same kind of cush drive that's been used in the V-Rod, that damps the driveline pulses that aren't already eliminated by the compensator in the primary. The 45-degree V-twin's vibrations still make themselves obvious at idle, but once underway, the Road King provides a smoother ride than all but a handful of touring motorcycles.

The CVO Road King offers a host of other features, including a leather saddle that incorporates an ostrich-hide pattern that's repeated in the leather covering of the hard-plastic saddlebags, a backrest for the passenger and a removable one for the rider, chrome wheels with wider tires, and other touches that separate the CVO from regular Harleys. But while ABS brakes and electronic throttle control and more power are all appreciated on the road, it's the paint job that will be the first thing to draw a crowd to a CVO model in the parking lot at your local bike night.

The paint jobs on CVO models go way beyond some different colors, and the Road King is a good example. Take a close look at the Twilight Blue and Candy Cobalt with Ghost Flame graphics (left). The powder-coated frame and Twilight Blue on the tank look almost black until the sunlight makes the color pop. The Cobalt Blue on the tank and fenders is a partially translucent color that lets you see the flames that are actually a pattern ground into the metal of the tank or fender underneath. Hand-drawn pinstriping separates the colors. It's a level of detail that even many custom motorcycle builders couldn't replicate. And since the flame pattern is actually in the metal surface of the tank, no two Road Kings are exactly identical.

Harley strictly controls replacement parts, so if you don't buy a CVO, you can't get these unique painted pieces and add them to your regular Road King.

From its signature massive chrome-covered headlight nacelle to its tombstone-shaped taillight, the CVO Road King provides all the style and attention to detail you'd expect for a limited-run model from a company known for its styling.

"There's a lot of blood, sweat and tears -- and love -- that goes into creating these motorcycles," said Bill Davidson, director of motorcycle product development. "[The] Styling [Department] loves CVO because they get to go beyond what we normally do."

Of course there's a hefty price for the product of that blood, sweat, tears and love. You could buy a garageful of less exclusive motorcycles for price of an FLHRSE4 Road King.

The entire run of CVO Road Kings for 2008 will account for less than 1 percent of Harley's production. If you can muster the cash and have the desire for a factory custom that also sports some of the latest high-tech features, then maybe you're Harley CVO's kind of one-percenter.