2013 Harley-Davidson® FLHTCUSE8 - CVO Ultra Classic® Electra Glide®, Harley-Davidson’s limited-edition tourer affirms itself as the king of the road.

The battle for the wild west has re-ignited. On the back of sustained competition from resurgent competitor Indian, Harley-Davidson has updated its popular touring range in Australia and ultimate bragging rights are on the line.

Intent on pushing the boundaries of luxury, performance and technology, the latest derivative from HD's specialist Customer Vehicle Operations (CVO), the CVO Limited tested here, sits atop the local line-up priced at a not-inconsiderable $50,990 (plus on-road costs).

The CVO Limited conjures images of free-spirited rides on barren highways, fitted with a broad, comfortable seat and a comprehensive infotainment system complete with aerials and other paraphernalia.

It looks and feels the part on such journeys, too. Three new colour combinations and the inclusion of a tyre pressure monitoring system, integrated key fob (for keyless start) and new LED front and rear turn signals further leverage the CVO both visually and technically from the regular Ultra Limited the $38,250 (plus on-road costs) younger sibling.

One thing the lesser-powered Ultra Limited cannot compete against is the CVO's powertrain, a mammoth 1801cc V-Twin that cranks out a respectable 156Nm of torque.

The engine is undoubtedly the take-away feature from the CVO. Be it in urban scenarios, where our trip starts out, or on the open road, it is immense in its power delivery and with huge reserves of useable torque.

Cranking over the engine is a fairly straight-forward process with the key fob feature. As long as the key is within close proximity, just flick the ignition to start, fire the red button and the CVO cranks over to life.

The sound is somewhat meek and downbeat at idle, almost akin to a Singer sewing machine. But the CVO soon adopts the Milwaukee firm's signature bellow with revs, and while that may not ignite the senses among hardcore enthusiasts, it means the CVO offers the best of both worlds: you can roll out of the driveway without waking up the neighbours and still invoke that glorious soundtrack when on the open road.

The CVO produces its power much more consistently than its soundtrack, which is to say it feels strong across the rev spectrum, irrespective of speed or gear. As with most Harleys the gearing leaves a little to be desired first gear is especially tall and highway revs are up around 3000rpm but the engine is full of character. That it revs so effortlessly to its circa 6000rpm cut out simply reinforces the CVO's muscular personality.

The CVO features a not surprisingly heavy duty premise to its clutch, brake and gearbox calibration. Each control requires a little more muscle power to operate compared with ordinary Japanese bikes amounting to quite an organic riding sensation. Th