When my 09 SERG arrived I was surprised to see the huge brake light. I didn't know there were two versions of the bike. That got me wondering what other differences there are that I don't know?
Looking at the Parts Catalog, there appears to multiple versions of the beast (2009 CVO™ Road Glide®)
First division is market produced for; First position in the VIN, VIN Code “1” is sale within the US, VIN code “5” is sale outside the US.
Then “Model” or the fourth position in the VIN. While they’re all “PV” models, there is a major difference between Japan and all others; The FLTRSE3 model is a 110 cubic inch, and FLTR3-CVO model is the Japan version (see next reference 96 cu in (or Japan)).
The fifth position in the VIN then identifies the Engine. An “8” is the 110 cu.in. (1800 cc), and a “4” is the Twin CAM 96™, or 1584 cc.
The sixth position of the VIN identifies “Introduction Date” (Regular, Mid-Year, or Cosemetic changes and/or Special Introductory Date)) and also further breaks down California (Cali) or non-Cali versions. Please note, I see nothing in the parts catalog that refers to any parts change based on production date, so I suspect a 1 or a 3 is all that's really out there.
1=Regular, 2=Mid-Year, 3=Cali, 4=Cosmetic changes and/or special introductory date, 5=Cali cosmetic changes and/or special introductory date, and 6=Cali mid-year.
I’ve personally lost count on how many versions that makes. However, HD's not done!
As you get into the actual parts there is further delineation based on “HDI” (Harley-Davidson International) country of sale. As Identified in the VIN Japan has a significant difference in many engine parts. In addition to Japan, there are further HDI differences occurring with others, and parts are commonly identified with Domestic, Australia, Canada, England, HDI, and Japan. Many are simple differences such as the speedometer presentation (MPH, KPH, MPH/KPH). In most case, it appears, lighting, mirrors, and exhaust/emissions are the major difference in all but Japan versions.