First thought, why automatically assume a motorcycle or car salesman is telling you the truth? After reading this thread so far, I'm amazed that no one has mentioned the possibility that this salesman was less than 100% accurate.
Second thought, why would anyone who has ever dealt with a Harley dealership be so surprised that $$$$ outweighs doing the right thing or supposedly protecting the value of your CVO purchase? Now that CVO's are produced in higher volume than some entire brands of motorcycles, I don't think even the Mothership cares all that much about maintaining the "exclusivity".
Third thought, are you certain those were real CVO skins, or could that perhaps be a copy by a custom painter? Another person posted about a CVO paint job on a standard model not too long ago, I believe it was at Bartel's; that one was reported to be a copy.
Fourth thought, don't be so convinced that having to turn in that fender or tank with a defective paint job in order to get a new one has anything to do with maintaining exclusivity. Those returned parts are sent back to the vendor who actually does the painting, and they "eat" the warranty cost. They also recycle the parts, so when the next guy needs a new warranty replacement he may well be getting the repainted warranty return from the first guy.
Jerry