Hey cvork,
Lets face it, the only thing to make one go from cvo to non is the price. So looking from the perspective of a harley owner and not a normal person. It makes almost no sense to buy non and purchase add-ons to ones likings comparable to a cvo. Relatively speaking it is like throwing money onto the roadway...sorta like the geico motorcycle rider. Investment wise...yeah I know its NOT the right word to use, but money wise it would be better to take the hit now all at once in the beginning instead of over the course of a couple years. Parts and labor, especially MoCo, only gets more expensive year after year. Also if you are looking to defer the cost of add-on parts, that can be done by taking out a loan for the cvo over a number of years. There is value to having parts and labor installed on your motorcycle via the cvo model, for sure not as much as we would like but there is some value...where as there is almost no return on your dollar with after market parts...MoCo or not.
However, if all you INTEND on doing is to ride it and not enhancing it then an argument can be made for the non cvo, but who we kidding here, we know that ain't ever gonna happen so no use discussing that BS any further.
Now looking at it from a normal persons perspective...he would not buy a harley period. Yeah its true...we are not normal...but we all know that...don't we?
Good Luck with your choice...Choose Wisely.