Thunderbike Red Bullet • Harley-Davidson Road Glide Custom

Sometimes, 'exclusive' is not exclusive enough

We're bringing a CVO Road Glide with a 23-inch front wheel onto the big stage. And it has classic wire spokes!

When Harley-Davidson launched Custom Vehicle Operations, the letters ‘CVO‘ took on a magical value. Only the best products were sold in this range, and many of their exclusive features were later found in standard models, albeit a few years later. To this day, only the CVO models of the Road Glide have a displacement of 121 cubic inches (1977 cubic centimetres). It is also only the CVO models that allow the engine to breathe freely in all situations thanks to variable valve timing (VVT).

Thunderbike Red Bullet - Harley-Davidson Road Glide Custom CVO FLTRXSE Milwaukee-Eight

There's still more.

But there’s always room for more. Given its exclusivity, we felt that the potential of the 19-inch front wheel had barely been tapped. The Road Glide has bagger genes, and the front end is a bagger’s calling card. A larger-diameter wheel doesn’t have to be ostentatious. The classic wire-spoke wheels of the Road Glide are subtle enough.

With 23 inches and wire spokes, you can only get that from us! Admittedly, our 23-inch project does not have a particularly large target group. This makes creating a coherent overall picture all the more challenging. You’re seeing more than just a large front wheel here.

Due to its exclusivity, we don’t need to use flashy names. We simply refer to it in a technically sober way: the “Speiche CVO front wheel conversion.” Its dimensions are 23 inches in diameter and 4 inches in rim width.

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Of course, we also mill this wheel from solid material and machine it further to achieve the shiny black and metallic interplay of the two-tone look. The rim bed is milled completely from solid material, while the rim star remains original. The wheel conversion is carried out directly here in-house. Even though the wheel has wire spokes, we should mention that tubeless tires can be fitted and the factory tire pressure sensors can be retained.

Front Wheel Modification spoke CVO

The 23-inch rim bed is milled from solid metal, while the rim star remains original.

Powerful hydraulic solution – with everything you need: incl. new clutch fitting, slave cylinder, new brake lever and cover for master brake cylinder.

Our Shark triple clamp is the perfect combination of geometry and riding physics

Suitable proportions

However, the package is far from complete. To restore the brake discs to the correct proportions, we also include our 340-millimetre brake discs called Wave. And to ensure that the brake callipers mounted radially on them also fit, we supply the matching brake calliper adapters. Our lightweight GRP front fender for 23 inches is also suitable.
The CVOs have the upside-down fork from racing technology anyway. But for handling, we also have our triple tree called Shark 4° 23”, which is adapted to the 23-inch wheel. Only with everything together does it roll properly.

We kept the rear wheel original, but turned and reworked it in our milling machines to make it shine in bicolor. And the calling card of the front end gets its final apostrophe with our 35-centimeter Atlas handlebars and the Atlas riser kit.

The 35-centimeter-high Atlas handlebar sits atop our Atlas riser kit. The only thing that makes it noticeable is the hydraulic clutch. We provide the hydraulic reservoir

The hydraulic clutch at the bottom doesn’t have to be hidden

Our license plate is the literal source of the tail light

We treated ourselves to the Jekyll and Hyde system to set acoustic accents as well

A feeling of luxury

Please note the hydraulic clutch that we have fitted to the CVO. This kit allows you to convert from a mechanical cable clutch to a clean, powerful hydraulic solution – and it comes with everything you need: new clutch linkage, slave cylinder, matching brake lever, and a cover for the master brake cylinder. The look? Two-tone black in an elegant contrast cut finish.

In addition to the massive switch assembly, the hydraulic solution also requires its own hydraulic reservoir, which of course also comes from our Thunderbike forge. And it’s not just in the case of the CVO that we consider the hydraulic clutch to be absolutely essential – because the factory-fitted Bowden cable clutch may have character, but it hardly conveys luxury. That only comes with our hydraulics.

Do we even need to mention the Jekyll and Hyde system we’ve installed? You’ll hear it, that’s enough. And that sets the acoustic tone: The Road Glide CVO is exclusive. Our Red Bullet is even more exclusive. Only now is it exclusive enough.