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"  On Sale Date: Now Price: $30,699 Competitors: Victory Cory Ness Cross Country, Yamaha Star Stratoliner Deluxe Powertrain: 110 cid (1802-cc) V-twin, 122 lb-ft at 3750 rpm EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway combined): 41 mpg What&amp;#039;s New: Since 1999, Harley-Davidson has built a handful of special bikes each year in its Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO)\u2014a 40-person Harley skunkworks team charged with creating some of the brand&amp;#039;s most exciting bikes. For 2012, there are four CVO models, but only the Road Glide Custom is all-new. The stock Road Glide is rebellious on its own; it&amp;#039;s reportedly the preferred touring bike of the Hells Angels. The reason is handling: The Road Glide has a large-twin-headlight wind fairing up front, but it&amp;#039;s mounted to the frame like a sportbike instead of to the steering head like other Harleys. The result is a nimbler bike because the frame takes the load of the fairing, not the suspension. And the CVO Road Glide Custom wears a special version of this fairing with a new smoked windscreen. To become a CVO bike, the stock $18,999 Road Glide gets a significant engine transplant. Instead of the standard 96-cubic-inch (cid) V-twin or the optional $1999 103 cid V-twin (which also bundles ABS, cruise control and a security system on a stock Road Glide), this bike gets a whopping 110 cid Twin-Cam V-twin motor that generates a Metzler-melting 122 lb-ft of torque. And like other Harleys, this one uses a six-speed transmission. It&amp;#039;s easy to spot this engine, with its black powdercoating, Screamin&amp;#039; Eagle logo and Heavy Breather conical air intake\u2014the highest-flowing intake system in Harley&amp;#039;s lineup. The Road Glide Custom is available in three different paint schemes. Unlike the rest of the 2012 CVO line, the Glide wears minimal chrome. Instead, this CVO has many parts sprayed black for a meaner look. Even the clutch and brake lines are braided-black stainless steel. And instead of the stock 18-inch front and 16-inch rear wheels, the CVO Road Glide Custom wears exclusive 19-inch front and 18-inch rear &amp;quot;Agitator&amp;quot; wheels that you can&amp;#039;t get on any other bike.  Tech Tidbit: Harley touring bike riders love their tunes. So CVO gave the Road Glide Custom an insanely powerful 200-watt Harmon-Kardon stereo system with six speakers. Every one of these bikes comes loaded with its own 8 GB iPod that plugs into a holder located in one of the saddlebags. Riding Character: As you lean the bike off the stand, you realize this is one very big machine. In fact, the Road Glide weighs a little more than 800 pounds. But that girth melts away as soon as you crack open the throttle and hit the road. The Screamin&amp;#039; Eagle 110 motor kicks hard just off idle. Keep the right grip twisted hard, shift quickly and this beast will hit triple-digit speeds much sooner than any big Harley we&amp;#039;ve ridden. No surprise\u2014it&amp;#039;s got 15 percent more torque than the regular Power Pack 103 engine.  But it&amp;#039;s the handling of this bike that&amp;#039;s the real eye-opener. The Glide steers easily and hangs on through the corners much better than many Harley cruisers, and without scraping the floorboards. And the CVO model uses a Showa adjustable rear shock in place of the standard air shock so you can adjust the suspension for your weight. On the highway, the Glide&amp;#039;s new CVO fairing offers excellent wind protection. The quilted leather seat is very comfy. And unlike some Harleys, very little vibration from the engine comes through to your feet. It&amp;#039;s an exceedingly relaxed ride\u2014until you don&amp;#039;t want it to be, and you twist the right grip. We rarely turned on that wild stereo system because merely dipping into the throttle produces awesome cannon-like exhaust pulses through the big 4-inch pipes. This is what all V-twins should sound like. Favorite Detail: Often riders must choose between a sportier single-seat bike or a twin setup with a cushy second seat and backrest. The Road Glide Custom has a new two-piece seat system that lets you remove the passenger seat quickly for a slick solo riding experience when you want it. Driver&amp;#039;s Grievance: The six-speed transmission used in the CVO Road Glide Custom is a wonderfully easy-to-use gearbox\u2014unless you need to shift into neutral. It will skip neutral and slide up to second gear or down to first gear with even the smallest foot movements. We found neutral about 20 percent of the time. It is very frustrating, and we expect more from a $30,000 motorcycle. The Bottom Line: People who already own a stable of Milwaukee iron are typically the ones who snap up CVO Harley-Davidsons. They want exclusivity, style and power. The new CVO Road Glide Custom delivers all of that. These bikes are incredibly expensive, and only 2000 will be built this year, but we dig it. We&amp;#039;d happily cruise this bike from coast to coast. Or at least SoCal to Sturgis. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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