I think it's actually COV, not CVO.

The COV part stands for "Crazily Over Valued". That's about all I know about them.

 

Here ya go T. Everything you ever wanted to know about why my Twinkie is better than your shovel.

http://www.hotbikeweb.com/tech/0809_...k/viewall.html

In short, the Twinkie has the "crankshaft shifting option" which forces guys like me to improve their motors to well beyond current factory spec. You lazy basterds can keep your one piece cranks.

 

Twisty, havin' a thing for Shovels is one thing. Understanding why H-D has had to modify their latest v-twin incarnation due to government regs is another. No need to beat them all up with all that 'twinkie' crap.
I have a thing for shovels too - don't own one currently, but I do own two evos and two 'Twinkies', as you like to refer. I ride them all and I know there's another Shovel in my future as well.
Ain't much of a CVO fan either - too much pomp and circumstance for my taste. And those that I know that ride them have a certain arrogance. Funny though, it's an arrogance much like that of the 'old school' boys I ride with.
Go figure.

 

CVOs are just the top of the line version of a given model. Fancy paint and and wheels and more power. Its like asking someone why they would want a Cobra Mustang over a base model. Some people have the money and just want it. You could probably spend less money turning a base model into something you want but some folks arent into that. To each their own. I like to do mods myself and tinker with stuff and most of the CVOs Ive seen are way too blingy for my tastes. I wouldnt spend the money knowing Im going to change most of the stuff I would be paying more money for.

 

A lot of guys say they buy them because they don't depreciate as fast. From my experience it's about the same as any other bike percentage wise.

Been looking at some CVOs and after 5 years the have lost about 40%.
About the same as other non-cvo bikes.

The baggers do seem to hold a little better.

 

I agree with you 100%, especially with the part in red. I have a buddy that bought a new Street glide in 2012. He opted for the plain jane model and customized the way he wanted (just like everyone does). The base price difference between the regular and the cvo street glide was about $13,000. With everything he has done to his including paint, motor work, wheels and tires,and all the blingy stuff, he hasn't spent near $13,000 to have all that done. And he actually does have a one of a kind paint job and it willl flat smoke a cvo. Only thing it doen't have that a cvo does is the lower fairings with the speakers.

You really are better not buying the cvo and just upgrading the plain jane model. Unless you just like the fact that it is a limited edition.

 

TwiZted forget about TCs and CVOs, if you've got the know how to work on a shovel and can get the spares your way ahead class wise of these guys with their overpriced CVOs, now what you should be doing is looking backwards at Pans and Knucks, once a CVO is a few years old it will probably only be worth the same as the vintage bikes.

 

This is the part of the question I have trouble with. I can understand asking about differences in motors over the years. But Twisted brought up CVO's specifically.

I know that one of the bragging rights CVO's enjoyed was that they were handmade, in a separate building, by a special, 2-3 person crew. 'Course this is no longer true as of about 2 years ago. Even when it was true I never b4 thought to ask about drivetrain. I would assume that drivetrain is assembled in Milwaukee with the rest of the drivetrains? If so does it go down the same line and get the same parts or are they done by hand in Milwaukee independant from the other drivetrains? We know HD cheaps out on some parts to save money. Timken bearings for example. Is it possible that CVO drivetrains have upgraded parts in them?

I apologize if this is a hi-jack.

 

T, we have one Shovel, one Evo, and a Twinkie. From personal observation:
Shovels had issues, but were a solid base. Any decent ones still on the road have had them worked out in the back of the garage by the owner himself.
Evos were an almost bulletproof improvement, apart from the base gaskets and crappy cam bearing. Again...most have been corrected, and was still easy to do by the DIY guys. The electronic ignition actually worked, so you didn't have to worry about it failing and not be able to work on it yourself.
Twinkies were supposed to be an improvement over the EVO, but have been reincarnated several times, due to (still?...) crappy cam bearings and the resultant cam tensioner wear, scissoring cranks, compensator issues, electronic issues (up to and including poorly thought out security "fobs"), and an extra gear that is largely ineffective both in power and economy. Additionally, the fuel injection has "decel pop" that we're supposed to think is normal, and throttle-by-wire that lags. And all these "improvements" are not DIY friendly, forcing most people to return to the dealer and drink more expensive Kool-Aid in the form of "Dyno-tuning" and re-mapping. This is not stuff in the average tool box at home. The control over your own mechanical destiny is being taken away. The new tool kit is an app in a cell phone and a flatbed truck. You're f'kdd now.

In other words...A twinkie is a wannabe Goldwing. Except for the power and reliabilty part.

 

Damn, and I thought I was depressed before.