Imagine lining up at a 2.3-mile, 15-turn road course aboard a machine with full saddlebags, a working stereo and a six-gallon fuel tank. That is exactly what RevZilla's Ari Henning did at the Podium Club in Arizona in early 2025, threading the 2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR around corners[1]2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR first ride review“131ci engine producing claimed 155 hp and 150 ft-lbs; 785-lb curb weight; only 131 units produced; billet swingarm machined from 220-lb block to 18-lb assembly” at speeds approaching its 120-mph governor. The experience crystallized something about Milwaukee's current engineering trajectory: Harley-Davidson is not merely keeping pace with its rivals — it is redefining what an American motorcycle can be.
What makes the CVO Road Glide RR so remarkable?
The numbers begin to tell the story. The 2025 CVO Road Glide RR produces a claimed 155 horsepower at 5,750 rpm and 150 foot-pounds of torque at 4,750 rpm from a 131-cubic-inch Screamin' Eagle Milwaukee-Eight engine[1]2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR first ride review“131ci engine producing claimed 155 hp and 150 ft-lbs; 785-lb curb weight; only 131 units produced; billet swingarm machined from 220-lb block to 18-lb assembly” — the most powerful engine Harley-Davidson has ever put into a production motorcycle. Priced at $110,000 with only 131 units to be produced[1]2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR first ride review“131ci engine producing claimed 155 hp and 150 ft-lbs; 785-lb curb weight; only 131 units produced; billet swingarm machined from 220-lb block to 18-lb assembly”, the RR is unabashedly exclusive. But the engineering philosophy behind it flows across the entire lineup.
The bike's billet-aluminum swingarm is machined from a 220-pound block down to an 18-pound assembly — 10 percent lighter and 10 percent stiffer than the steel swingarm on the CVO ST[1]2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR first ride review“131ci engine producing claimed 155 hp and 150 ft-lbs; 785-lb curb weight; only 131 units produced; billet swingarm machined from 220-lb block to 18-lb assembly”, borrowed directly from the brand's MotoAmerica King of the Baggers (KotB) race bike. So are the Öhlins FGR 43mm inverted forks, the Brembo GP4-RX calipers and the titanium Akrapovič exhaust. Carbon-fiber fairing, fenders, saddlebags and seat pan complete the weight savings, bringing curb weight to a claimed 785 pounds — 50 pounds less than the CVO Road Glide ST it replaces[1]2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR first ride review“131ci engine producing claimed 155 hp and 150 ft-lbs; 785-lb curb weight; only 131 units produced; billet swingarm machined from 220-lb block to 18-lb assembly”.
Henning came away genuinely impressed by the chassis. Race Team director Jason Kehl told reviewers that the chassis offers so much control that Harley has raised its internal rating scale as a result[1]2025 Harley-Davidson CVO Road Glide RR first ride review“131ci engine producing claimed 155 hp and 150 ft-lbs; 785-lb curb weight; only 131 units produced; billet swingarm machined from 220-lb block to 18-lb assembly”.
The CVO handles remarkably well and changes direction far quicker and easier than expected.
Ari Henning, RevZilla Common Tread
How does the Street Glide hold up against Indian?
The RR may be a halo bike, but the argument for the Harley lineup is most compellingly made at the everyday tier. In October 2025, Rider Magazine[2]2025 Harley-Davidson Street Glide vs. Indian Chieftain PowerPlus Comparison Review“Dyno figures: Street Glide 84.2 hp, 112 lb-ft; Indian 110.6 hp, 122.8 lb-ft; Street Glide 811 lb vs Indian 842 lb; H-D wins KotB in 2021, 2023, 2025” published one of the more rigorous data-driven showdowns in recent memory: a 350-mile, two-day head-to-head between the 2025 Harley-Davidson Street Glide and the 2025 Indian Chieftain PowerPlus 112, with both bikes dynoed on a Jett Tuning rear-wheel dyno[2]2025 Harley-Davidson Street Glide vs. Indian Chieftain PowerPlus Comparison Review“Dyno figures: Street Glide 84.2 hp, 112 lb-ft; Indian 110.6 hp, 122.8 lb-ft; Street Glide 811 lb vs Indian 842 lb; H-D wins KotB in 2021, 2023, 2025”.
The Indian's fully liquid-cooled PowerPlus 112 is numerically the stronger engine. But the full picture is more nuanced.
Street Glide vs. Chieftain PowerPlus — Jett Tuning Dyno Results
- 84.2 hp Street Glide (Milwaukee-Eight 117) at 4,600 rpm
- 112 lb-ft Street Glide peak torque at 3,200 rpm
- 110.6 hp Indian Chieftain PowerPlus 112 at 5,500 rpm
- 122.8 lb-ft Indian peak torque at 3,400 rpm
- 811 lb Street Glide wet weight vs. 842 lb for the Indian
- 41.7 mpg Street Glide fuel economy vs. 40.2 mpg for the Indian
Rider Magazine's Greg Drevenstedt gave the overall nod to the Chieftain on aggregate criteria — the Indian