What Makes A Harley-Davidson A Screamin' Eagle?

Indian Motorcycles has Elite Motorcycles, BMW has M Division, and Mercedes-Benz has Mercedes-AMG. Harley-Davidson, on the other hand, has the Screamin' Eagle. These labels aren't separate models, but a branded package that forms an exclusive club within their respective marques. For America's most popular touring bike maker, Harley-Davidson, the Screamin' Eagle is a performance and styling upgrade package that's exclusively developed by its in-house performance wing, Screamin' Eagle.

Simply put, Harley-Davidson's Screamin' Eagle is what the Scat Pack designation was to Dodge. Therefore, anytime you see it slapped on a Harley, it means the specific bike has been significantly upgraded with high-performance parts and modifications, with a focus on engine performance. Think of your reaction when you spot an AMG badge or the BMW M badge, the Screamin' Eagle has the same effect, but on the two-wheeler side of things.

The Screamin' Eagle was actually born out of Harley-Davidson's elite CVO (Custom Vehicle Operations) division, and its branding usually features some of the most powerful and visually striking bikes out of the Milwaukee production line. In Harley-Davidson's own words, "Screamin' Eagle takes performance to the next level." It's a culmination of CVO origins, high-performance parts, bigger engines, and exclusive styling.

Many Screamin' Eagle motorcycles are actually CVOs, which are factory-customized options and are the crème de la crème when it comes to Harley-Davidson bikes. They are limited, built with premium paint, chrome, and accessories right from the bike manufacturer's shop. From 1999 to the mid-2000s, many CVO Harleys featured the Screamin' Eagle in their model name. For instance, the 2000 Screamin' Eagle Road Glide and the 2006 Screamin' Eagle Ultra Classic Electra Glide, aligning CVO with Harley-Davidson's performance parts division – Screamin' Eagle.

However, in the late 2000s, Harley dropped the Screamin' Eagle from its official model names, and CVO became the main brand, as seen in the 2009 CVO Ultra Classic Electra Glide. Still, Screamin' Eagle continued as Harley-Davidson's performance parts wing, but the only difference this time was that it wasn't used as a built-in part of the CVO bike name. The move was likely made to make CVO stand as a brand of its own as Harley's premium factory custom line.

It's quite simple to separate a Screamin' Eagle Harley from one that's not. A dead giveaway is the branding. But Screamin' Eagle Harley-Davidsons are more than just a badge; they feature high-performance parts, including upgraded cams, high-flow intakes, big-bore kits, performance exhausts, and tunes. These Harleys are incomparable to stock versions since they have significantly more horsepower, torque, and better throttle response. Additionally, as well as being some of the coolest Harley-Davidson CVO bikes, Screamin' Eagles packed larger-than-standard engines during their era – good examples are the 103, 110, and 117 cubic inches. Before these displacements were common on regular models, they were exclusive to Screamin' Eagle.

Other than performance parts, Harley-Davidson added a street element and included exclusive styling for Screamin' Eagle bikes — these were limited edition paint schemes, hand-applied graphics, customized seats, wheels, and a bit more of that Harley-Davidson chrome that makes them so conspicuous. A Harley becomes a Screamin' Eagle if it's either a factory-built CVO with the name or a regular Harley-Davidson that's been upgraded with Screamin' Eagle performance parts and bits.