“The best part is that the fairing, bags, and sissybar can be quickly installed or removed without the use of tools—essentially giving you two bikes for the price of one.”
“The best part is that the fairing, bags, and sissybar can be quickly installed or removed
For wheels, the tweaked Invader-style Stingers roll the Convertible to and fro (dual 18s with a 200 rear and 130 front), but the bike stops via floating rotors (single front and rear) clamped down by a four-piston front caliper and two-piston rear with ABS sold as standard equipment on this model. It is a CVO after all. The ABS works well, especially in the rear. It takes some getting used to up front, but once you’re comfortable, it’s great.
As for cornering, because it’s not extremely low with a 26-inch seat height, the Convertible is pretty nimble even with its 200mm rear tire. For a comfortable riding postion, the newly designed 1-1/4–inch welded mini-ape handlebar positioned us upright in the saddle, which is nice addition, especially for those with bad posture. It’s easy to slouch with lower bars; the mini apes will help keep you upright with your back straight. When mixed with the comfort of the leather saddle with alligator inserts and the roomy floorboards long rides were pleasant.
We’re not crazy about the Scarlet Red Pearl with Metal Grind graphics, but we dig that this model is also available in Dark Slate Pearl with Metal Grind graphics, a Midnight Sky or Candy Cobalt with Blue Ice graphics, and finally Maple Metallic or Roman Gold with Burnished Copper graphics. That’s a lot of options! But what isn’t an option are the alligator-style leather inserts, which feel a bit dated in our opinion. Harley may have over-engineered the design with this one. Less is more sometimes. From the paint to the scaled alligator aesthetic on the seat, bags, and pillion, we’d definitely rather see the bike without.
Only 2,400 are available for 2011. See your local dealer for a brochure, or check harley-davidson.com for details. HB
Model Specs Subhead
| Model | CVO Softail Convertible |
| Engine/Displacement | Twin Cam B/110ci |
| Induction | Electronic Sequential Port Fuel Injection (ESPFI) |
| Clutch | Hydraulically actuated, multi-plate wet clutch |
| Transmission | Six-speed Cruise Drive Transmission |
| Final Drive | Belt, 32/66 ratio |
| Front Brake | Four-piston caliper/ floating rotor |
| Rear Brake | Two-piston caliper/floating rotor |
| Front Wheel/Size | Chrome Stinger/18x3.5 |
| Rear Wheel/Size | Chrome Stinger/18x6 |
| Front Tire/Size | Dunlop 130/70-18 |
| Rear Tires/Size | Dunlop 200/50-18 |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 5 gallons |
| Seat Height | 26 inches |
| MSRP | $29,599 |