2012 Harley-Davidson CVO Softail Convertible Review : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

Admin · 02-07-2012, 11:18 AM

I've befriended many Harley owners over the years, and have met even more while at various events or when I'm out for a ride. Yet despite the number of Harley fans and loyalists I encounter, it never ceases to surprise me how few of them either know very little about, or haven't ever heard of, Harley-Davidson's line of in-house customs known as Custom Vehicle Operations, or CVO for short.

Crafted from existing standard model Harleys, a CVO is adorned with a laundry list of Harley's own aftermarket goodies, as well as possessing a number of items or features unique to each model.

CVOs are notably pricier than the standard models they're derived from, but by comparison to many high-end, high-priced cruisers from independent shops with low-volume production, the CVOs offer some serious value. Attempting to build something close to a CVO one piece at a time would lead to a sum total cost well beyond a CVO's MSRP.

And in terms of value, what revs most folks' engines is getting more than what was bargained for, especially when the deal nets you something on the order of two-for-one. The $29,699 Harley-Davidson CVO Softail Convertible is just such a two-for-one deal.

More: 2012 Harley-Davidson CVO Softail Convertible Review on Motorcycle.com

goalie1979 · 02-07-2012, 07:03 PM

Read the review. I am surprized that you are surprized.

I do not know many riders who think the extra trinkets (doesn't the stock model come with a sufficient windshield?) are worth the coin.

rubyeb · 02-09-2012, 09:52 AM

Shameless advertising to those with more money than sense. Why pay $20,000 if you can pay $30,000?

rickkcir · 02-13-2012, 06:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goalie1979

Read the review. I am surprized that you are surprized.

I do not know many riders who think the extra trinkets (doesn't the stock model come with a sufficient windshield?) are worth the coin.

In the Admin's defense... he didn't say people were cheap or didn't care... rather they are ignorant of the program

I come across the same thing.. people asking "what is CVO?" ...

Whether someone thinks its a good deal or has value, is a whole other issue .........

rickkcir · 02-13-2012, 06:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rubyeb

Shameless advertising to those with more money than sense. Why pay $20,000 if you can pay $30,000?

Why pay $20,000 when you can ride a metric for sub $10K? If you have the $$, it changes the equation don't you think?

Or .. just go take out that 7 year loan for any of the models...... lol

goalie1979 · 02-14-2012, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickkcir

In the Admin's defense... he didn't say people were cheap or didn't care... rather they are ignorant of the program

I come across the same thing.. people asking "what is CVO?" ...

Whether someone thinks its a good deal or has value, is a whole other issue .........

That is my point: That no one I know thinks it is a good deal or has value. I never said anyone was "cheap or didn't care" -- I'll thank you for not speaking for me.

It's not ignorance. It IS avoiding another expensive add-on. HD doesn't seem to comprehend CVO is "negative" advertising.

Blue Vader · 02-14-2012, 08:05 PM

I traded my old bike in on a 2012 Ultra Classic with all the goodies, List was $23,995. I also bought a 99 fat boy for a project bike. Stripped it down to the frame and rebuilt it, cam, lifters, push rods, jug and head work new valves and carb. added a lot of chrome and tin on the front. After it was completed I had as much in the rebuild as I paid for the bike.

With this being said, I dont think you can buy a stripped down new bike and make it your own as cheap as you could buy a CVO ready to ride.

alanc · 02-18-2012, 09:13 PM

With a couple of exceptions, it seemed to me when I was shopping for a HD recently, that the new regular - line bikes were strippers, and that it would take some serious coin to get them where I'd like them to be. So, I bought a three - year old SG Custom with 6k on the clock, for about 5 g's less than a new one. It had a couple of extras, but I added a removable windshield and a sissy bar backrest/luggage rack. Those few things added almost 1 g to the price - still a lot less than new. You'd have a hard time convincing me that a new regular - line bike, with the extras I'd want, is worth it.

The CVO's, on the other hand, might make sense if you must have new and want some serious upgrades that would cost you more than buying the CVO.

LowRiderCustom · 02-19-2012, 03:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rickkcir

In the Admin's defense... he didn't say people were cheap or didn't care... rather they are ignorant of the program

I come across the same thing.. people asking "what is CVO?" ...

Whether someone thinks its a good deal or has value, is a whole other issue .........

Because most harley owners know it as Screaming Eagle not CVO. Even I didn't know what CVO was when I first heard it but I did know about Screaming Eagle at the time.

LowRiderCustom · 02-19-2012, 03:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alanc

With a couple of exceptions, it seemed to me when I was shopping for a HD recently, that the new regular - line bikes were strippers, and that it would take some serious coin to get them where I'd like them to be. So, I bought a three - year old SG Custom with 6k on the clock, for about 5 g's less than a new one. It had a couple of extras, but I added a removable windshield and a sissy bar backrest/luggage rack. Those few things added almost 1 g to the price - still a lot less than new. You'd have a hard time convincing me that a new regular - line bike, with the extras I'd want, is worth it.

The CVO's, on the other hand, might make sense if you must have new and want some serious upgrades that would cost you more than buying the CVO.

I bought a nice Mustang seat and a HD sissy bar/backrest on ebay for about $200 for both items. So it's possible to add a lot of extras without breaking the wallet if you shop other than HD dealers for the items.

LowRiderCustom · 02-19-2012, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blue Vader

I traded my old bike in on a 2012 Ultra Classic with all the goodies, List was $23,995. I also bought a 99 fat boy for a project bike. Stripped it down to the frame and rebuilt it, cam, lifters, push rods, jug and head work new valves and carb. added a lot of chrome and tin on the front. After it was completed I had as much in the rebuild as I paid for the bike.

With this being said, I dont think you can buy a stripped down new bike and make it your own as cheap as you could buy a CVO ready to ride.

Like I said above it's possible to fully customize a stripped bike for a lot less $$$ if you don't buy the HD parts at the dealer.

WFO75080 · 02-20-2012, 06:31 PM

CVO's are great bikes if you have the $$$. I've owned several HD's but decided to buy a CVO because I could. I've always enjoyed buying and installing all the add ons, possibly as much as riding, but this time I bought the CVO.
I did my research and found the CVO was a much better deal compared to buying and installing everything myself. Typically the resale value of a CVO bike was higher than the others as well. The SE engine was a big part of the decision too.

jokerhd5t9 · 02-23-2012, 11:38 AM

This is my first and last post.

I have a 08 Road Glide I bought new, I first upgraded it to a 103 with cams and head work. I wanted more from my bike so I installed a 110 stage 4 kit and the bike rode great and I loved the power. it cost a lot to upgrade it to a 110 because the cases need to be bored. I then installed a 120R which is another life all together. I just bought a 2012 Screaming Eagle "CVO" Road Glide (Blue) because after seeing how much it cost just to a 110 up grade it was much cheaper to buy a CVO. it comes with all the bells and whistles, custom paint (which is amazing in the shade and even more amazing in the sun) it was a win win. Oh my 08 has 45,000 miles and I have over 10,000 on the 120R with no issues. its my everyday rider and the CVO is for the weekend rides. Since 05 I have had a 05,07, 08 and a 2012 road glides all over 35,000 miles except the 2012. I work every day, I am not rich and I do know the meaning of the dollar. for the price you can't beat the deal. of coarse if you pay more then MSRP then its a different game. I paid MSRP.30,699.00. Since I know this question is going to come up The 08 has 131HP and 131TQ and I get 48mpg when I cruise. it has a RB racing pipe and a TTS tuner. Good luck in your journeys

Renegade1953 · 03-30-2012, 04:48 PM

I own my second CVO Fatboy an 05 it listed $28,800, I have over 35K miles on it as I ride it to work almost everyday I don't have a lot of money but I have owned Harleys for over 40 years & I have built over 50 myself. I currently own 6 HDs from a 1960 Duo-Glide which I have had since 69 to a 130" Pro Street which I built. If you don't want to spend the money on a CVO then don't it's simply a matter of what you want & what you want to spend. I'm trying to decide if I want to trade my 05 in on a a new CVO Street Glide or buy a straight up Street Glide & put a 120R on it myself because the motors are the primary component of the CVO upgrade as far as I'm concerned.

ldwalsh · 06-25-2012, 05:41 PM

I bought 2008 flhtcu this spring it only had 6000 miles on it. i put heated handle bar grips, a ton of hd chrome, road tech gps with dash mount, se big bore kit and exhaust and now i'm waiting for a price from my dealer on se heads and fuel, but now i'm thinking i should just order a cvo flthcuse and be done with it