Custom Vehicle Operation Screaming Eagle Electra Glide Ultra

FLHTCUSE

Twenty three thousand pounds, £23,000, £23K - whichever way you say it then it is a lot of money.  Back in 1967 I paid £5 for my first proper motorcycle a BSA C15, 250cc's of riding Nirvana and all that for £5!  Now 39 years older and wiser and I spend twenty three thousand pounds on one motorcycle; what price progress?

To be fair the BSA was a non runner and I had to push it home the 3.3 miles from East Sheen to Petersham with two flat tyres and then spend the next few weeks stripping, painting assembling and nurturing it back into running order.  I did it all myself, I did use Mum's oven to dry some parts that she was not best pleased about that and my Dad pointed out that the timing was 180o out (he let me spend all afternoon kicking it first though just for a jolly wheeze) and the first 'ride' was up the garden path; which would have been OK if my foot had not slipped off the brake and the bike embedded itself in the garden fence as I sailed through the air to make close acquaintance with our neighbours cabbages!  However the Motorcycling heritage which was passed from father to son was established.  I don't know how many miles I covered over the South of England on that trusty steed but most of them were with a set of mole grips as the gear lever as the spline on the shaft were rounded off and a gear box rebuild was for me a step too far; then it was off to Suva in Fiji Islands to join my first Shell tanker and all things motorcycling consigned to the 'Must do that latter' category.  I think the urban myth of a '65 Panhead Duo Glide had filtered into my psychology at that stage because it was always the dream to own an American Legend in the form of a Glide.

Advance those fleeting short years by 39 and I rode out of Just Harleys on that American dream in the form of an FLHTCUSE, a Screaming Eagle Eletra Glide Ultra Classic (I think the name is this much of a mouthful to justify that huge price tag) one sunny morning in May 2006.  It had everything, I could not squeeze another thing onto it.  Out of the box you get an awesome piece of kit.  My previous two Glides had suffered from my fetish of having every conceivable extra added for that long haul riding comfort, and I say suffered because the ride did suffer.  Each little extra added weight, some small and some much larger.  Centre stand for instance, great idea, very practicle but it weighed a ton and all those extras added to a very heavy bike that was already quite a heavy bike.  I found this out when I cleaned and stripped all those extras that had earned their way onto Silver Dream, my 100th Anniversary Glide, ready to trade in and riding her for the few days days without all those extras transformed her handling.  The CVO Glide is like that lighter 100th Anniversary Glide, it handles extremely well for an 800lb bike, in fact it handles better than I hoped and I soon found myself gaining confidence and riding with gusto.  Perhaps some tweek to the frame or suspension is the reason for that superior handling, I'm not sure.

103" (or 1700cc in European terms) of V Twin motor delivers what you need with a fully loaded touring bike, torque and power.  It is the blend of torque and power that delivers riding pleasure in bucket loads.  Two up, fully loaded the Alps present no problem.  In the past such a barrier would require downshifting, keeping the revs up but so far I've never found my throttle demands wanting.  She responds effortlessly, powerfully and willingly.  Speed limits are easy, cruising all day at those fastest European boundaries of 130kph (about 85mph) are a breeze; I've not been on an unrestricted Autobahn yet so that pleasure awaits us; I know the CVO Glide will not be found wanting.  One cloud was the two sheared bolts on the air cleaner and the four or five times it has come lose.  Now sorted with a Doherty Machine air filter and power valves.  This small addition replaces the stock plastic air cleaner backing plate with a light billet aluminium plate that supposedly adds 6 more horse power to the already full stable of horses residing inside those 103" of Screaming Eagle performance.  An added bonus is the throaty induction growel that lets you know you have a serious bit of kit between your legs.

Harman/Kardon 40 watt per channel boosted sound is as good as most DJ's at your local bar have, it is a mobile disco with four speakers, and of course helmet sets, to harmoniously while away those riding miles.  Along with all the usual Glide features you get an MP3 player so you can burn a CD with MP3 files and get about 120 of your favourite tracks in one easy to operate package.  Adding the bluetooth phone kit was a must for me and this works brilliantly.  The calls are managed from handlebar controls with the radio display giving all the cell phone display information ensuring your calls do not compromise your safety.  Talking of safety I did think I needed the added night time confidence of a High Intensity Discharge headlight.  I believe this is standard on CVO Glides in their own backyard but harmonisation with strict Swiss laws on lighting mean that although legal in UK we get European Specification bikes with the Swiss calling the shots so no HID lights.  They're very good.  A brilliant, bright, white light and on a recent return trip from Malaga eased the strain of high speed night riding,

With the above list of standard features it's easy to see why additions by a mere mortal of an H-D customer are insignificant; but I managed!  The offered GPS is expensive and feature starved, even the Garmin Quest as offered as an H-D extra is way overpriced and an under performing piece of kit; I stuck with my trusty Garmin GPS2610 a set up that has served me so well over the years; new bike did mean new investment into a chromed RAM mount for my old Garmin though!  I also invested in directable batwing lower air vents and Kuryakyn heat shields that redirect the heat from your family jewels that rises from that efficiently heat dissipating twin cam motor.  Comfort is another reason to add the next higher screen, I like the look of the screen it came with but reserve it's use for summer days, the next size up is more practical if a little less pleasing on the eye.  Final extra, well exchange really, was the rear view mirrors.  I had run with four mirrors on Duches (my 95th Anniversary Glide), I did also on the 100th Anniversary Glide but after installation realised that the standard mirrors had improved so much the fairing mounted ones were superflous, but I recently saw an HD set up that had more in keeping slotted aluminium arms and a second blind spot mirror all built into a really cool looking set up; had to have 'em!

Five months and 16,000 miles into CVO Glides life and I love it.  We have ridden the Inner Hebrides, Northern Pyrennes, Normandy Beaches of France, Borders of Scotland, Hoggin the Humber, North Yorkshire Moors, Highlands of Scotland, Southern Spain and we have plans to ride many more miles and many more journeys together.  I've often said I'd like to put 100,000 miles on one of my Harleys; wonder if it will be this one?

Twenty three grand is a lot more than the five pounds my first bike cost; can I justify spending that much on one motorcycle, of course not, do I need to justify it, of course not.  But what is money?  Does the £2.60 for a cup of tea at Motto Services Blyth reflect the cost of the hot water and a few tea leaves?  Does the £1,000 paid for a Garmin GPS2610 three years ago relate to their £240 price tag now?  These fiscal questions are not for the faint hearted; I recently heard Gordon Brown explaining why the VAT not quoted for by the London Olympic main building contractor would have no effect on the cost, add 17.5% and it has no effect?  Then Terry Wogan tried to explain this to his TOGS, even more confused.  So complete with all that is a CVO Glide really worth £23,000, well YES, YES, YES bring on my next ride, I haven't had this much fun since sex was safe and riding motorbikes was dangerous.