Went for First Ride on a Milwaukee-Eight Tri-Glide - First Impressions
#1
09-16-2016, 08:23 PM
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Went for First Ride on a Milwaukee-Eight Tri-Glide - First Impressions
A couple of weeks ago we spent a few hours with a Milwaukee-Eight Street Glide.
We rode it, listened to it, & took it apart a bit...you can see photo's and a video in this THREAD.
Last weekend was our first chance to spend some time on a M8 Tri-Glide.
Our first impressions were a mixed bag.
Perhaps my expectations were too high? After riding the M8 Street Glide and noticing the significant improvement in power of the stock M8 over the stock Twin Cam HO103, I was expecting the same out of the M8 Tri-Glide.
It DID have more power down low (just like the M8 Street Glide), but once the RPM's hit 3000 and higher it was completely unimpressive.
(pic from before the ride, when I was looking forward to being impressed)
I tried at different speeds, in different gears, I just could not get a feeling of life out of the engine at 3000 or higher RPM. It felt completely choked down, bottled up. I was really surprised, because the M8 SG did Not feel that way.
With that said, I do believe there is a lot of potential with this motor, it just needs to be able to breathe freely, and have a good tune.
I am getting almost 106 ft. lbs out of my 2014 Tri-Glide with a Performance Plus Stage I Kit, and I am hoping that with a similar PP Stage I on the M8 that we will see 115 ft. lbs, or more! Time will tell.
(pic after a 25 minute ride, a bit disappointed, & listening to it idle in EITMS mode)
Other impressions-
The ride seemed smoother than the earlier year models of the Tri-Glide. This could be from improved front suspension, or maybe the combination of the roads, tire and shock pressure were just ideal. The rear shocks on the TG are still the same as previous years, as is the frame.
It dragged the pipes leaving and coming into the driveway.
While I did not ride it long enough to get fully heat-soaked, it was apparent that there was less felt heat for the rider with the Cat positioned about 8" further back than previous years. It did seem that there was still a lot of right side heat for the passenger.
As with the M8 Street Glide, the drive-train was much tighter! The reduction in primary lash was very apparent, as was the reduction in vibration at the low idle of 850 RPM.
Top end mechanical noise is almost non-existent!
At certain RPM's in low load situations, I could hear the whining from the gears driving the balancer. Not irritating (to me), but definitely there.
Exhaust note was louder than previous years. (video coming soon).
There are quite a few other changes to the M8's. I outlined a lot of them, with pics in the other thread...see link above.
Today I had a M8 reserved for rental. Devin and I were going to spend the day with it, getting it heat soaked, checking the temperatures, measuring for parts development, etc. Alas, the dealer SOLD their rental, so there was no M8 for us to ride.
Seems like they are selling well!
Hopefully we will get our hands on one in the next week or so and have a lot more nuts and bolts to report.
In the meantime, barring any unforeseen weaknesses in the M8 powerplant, we are really excited about its' potential!
We rode it, listened to it, & took it apart a bit...you can see photo's and a video in this THREAD.
Last weekend was our first chance to spend some time on a M8 Tri-Glide.
Our first impressions were a mixed bag.
Perhaps my expectations were too high? After riding the M8 Street Glide and noticing the significant improvement in power of the stock M8 over the stock Twin Cam HO103, I was expecting the same out of the M8 Tri-Glide.
It DID have more power down low (just like the M8 Street Glide), but once the RPM's hit 3000 and higher it was completely unimpressive.
(pic from before the ride, when I was looking forward to being impressed)
I tried at different speeds, in different gears, I just could not get a feeling of life out of the engine at 3000 or higher RPM. It felt completely choked down, bottled up. I was really surprised, because the M8 SG did Not feel that way.
With that said, I do believe there is a lot of potential with this motor, it just needs to be able to breathe freely, and have a good tune.
I am getting almost 106 ft. lbs out of my 2014 Tri-Glide with a Performance Plus Stage I Kit, and I am hoping that with a similar PP Stage I on the M8 that we will see 115 ft. lbs, or more! Time will tell.
(pic after a 25 minute ride, a bit disappointed, & listening to it idle in EITMS mode)
Other impressions-
The ride seemed smoother than the earlier year models of the Tri-Glide. This could be from improved front suspension, or maybe the combination of the roads, tire and shock pressure were just ideal. The rear shocks on the TG are still the same as previous years, as is the frame.
It dragged the pipes leaving and coming into the driveway.
While I did not ride it long enough to get fully heat-soaked, it was apparent that there was less felt heat for the rider with the Cat positioned about 8" further back than previous years. It did seem that there was still a lot of right side heat for the passenger.
As with the M8 Street Glide, the drive-train was much tighter! The reduction in primary lash was very apparent, as was the reduction in vibration at the low idle of 850 RPM.
Top end mechanical noise is almost non-existent!
At certain RPM's in low load situations, I could hear the whining from the gears driving the balancer. Not irritating (to me), but definitely there.
Exhaust note was louder than previous years. (video coming soon).
There are quite a few other changes to the M8's. I outlined a lot of them, with pics in the other thread...see link above.
Today I had a M8 reserved for rental. Devin and I were going to spend the day with it, getting it heat soaked, checking the temperatures, measuring for parts development, etc. Alas, the dealer SOLD their rental, so there was no M8 for us to ride.
Seems like they are selling well!Hopefully we will get our hands on one in the next week or so and have a lot more nuts and bolts to report.
In the meantime, barring any unforeseen weaknesses in the M8 powerplant, we are really excited about its' potential!
The following 3 users liked this post by DK Custom:
#2
09-17-2016, 12:39 AM
Tourer
A couple of weeks ago we spent a few hours with a Milwaukee-Eight Street Glide.
We rode it, listened to it, & took it apart a bit...you can see photo's and a video in this THREAD.
Last weekend was our first chance to spend some time on a M8 Tri-Glide.
Our first impressions were a mixed bag.
Perhaps my expectations were too high? After riding the M8 Street Glide and noticing the significant improvement in power of the stock M8 over the stock Twin Cam HO103, I was expecting the same out of the M8 Tri-Glide.
It DID have more power down low (just like the M8 Street Glide), but once the RPM's hit 3000 and higher it was completely unimpressive.
(pic from before the ride, when I was looking forward to being impressed)
I tried at different speeds, in different gears, I just could not get a feeling of life out of the engine at 3000 or higher RPM. It felt completely choked down, bottled up. I was really surprised, because the M8 SG did Not feel that way.
With that said, I do believe there is a lot of potential with this motor, it just needs to be able to breathe freely, and have a good tune.
I am getting almost 106 ft. lbs out of my 2014 Tri-Glide with a Performance Plus Stage I Kit, and I am hoping that with a similar PP Stage I on the M8 that we will see 115 ft. lbs, or more! Time will tell.
(pic after a 25 minute ride, a bit disappointed, & listening to it idle in EITMS mode)
Other impressions-
The ride seemed smoother than the earlier year models of the Tri-Glide. This could be from improved front suspension, or maybe the combination of the roads, tire and shock pressure were just ideal. The rear shocks on the TG are still the same as previous years, as is the frame.
It dragged the pipes leaving and coming into the driveway.
While I did not ride it long enough to get fully heat-soaked, it was apparent that there was less felt heat for the rider with the Cat positioned about 8" further back than previous years. It did seem that there was still a lot of right side heat for the passenger.
As with the M8 Street Glide, the drive-train was much tighter! The reduction in primary lash was very apparent, as was the reduction in vibration at the low idle of 850 RPM.
Top end mechanical noise is almost non-existent!
At certain RPM's in low load situations, I could hear the whining from the gears driving the balancer. Not irritating (to me), but definitely there.
Exhaust note was louder than previous years. (video coming soon).
There are quite a few other changes to the M8's. I outlined a lot of them, with pics in the other thread...see link above.
Today I had a M8 reserved for rental. Devin and I were going to spend the day with it, getting it heat soaked, checking the temperatures, measuring for parts development, etc. Alas, the dealer SOLD their rental, so there was no M8 for us to ride. Seems like they are selling well!
Hopefully we will get our hands on one in the next week or so and have a lot more nuts and bolts to report.
In the meantime, barring any unforeseen weaknesses in the M8 powerplant, we are really excited about its' potential!
We rode it, listened to it, & took it apart a bit...you can see photo's and a video in this THREAD.
Last weekend was our first chance to spend some time on a M8 Tri-Glide.
Our first impressions were a mixed bag.
Perhaps my expectations were too high? After riding the M8 Street Glide and noticing the significant improvement in power of the stock M8 over the stock Twin Cam HO103, I was expecting the same out of the M8 Tri-Glide.
It DID have more power down low (just like the M8 Street Glide), but once the RPM's hit 3000 and higher it was completely unimpressive.
(pic from before the ride, when I was looking forward to being impressed)
I tried at different speeds, in different gears, I just could not get a feeling of life out of the engine at 3000 or higher RPM. It felt completely choked down, bottled up. I was really surprised, because the M8 SG did Not feel that way.
With that said, I do believe there is a lot of potential with this motor, it just needs to be able to breathe freely, and have a good tune.
I am getting almost 106 ft. lbs out of my 2014 Tri-Glide with a Performance Plus Stage I Kit, and I am hoping that with a similar PP Stage I on the M8 that we will see 115 ft. lbs, or more! Time will tell.
(pic after a 25 minute ride, a bit disappointed, & listening to it idle in EITMS mode)
Other impressions-
The ride seemed smoother than the earlier year models of the Tri-Glide. This could be from improved front suspension, or maybe the combination of the roads, tire and shock pressure were just ideal. The rear shocks on the TG are still the same as previous years, as is the frame.
It dragged the pipes leaving and coming into the driveway.
While I did not ride it long enough to get fully heat-soaked, it was apparent that there was less felt heat for the rider with the Cat positioned about 8" further back than previous years. It did seem that there was still a lot of right side heat for the passenger.
As with the M8 Street Glide, the drive-train was much tighter! The reduction in primary lash was very apparent, as was the reduction in vibration at the low idle of 850 RPM.
Top end mechanical noise is almost non-existent!
At certain RPM's in low load situations, I could hear the whining from the gears driving the balancer. Not irritating (to me), but definitely there.
Exhaust note was louder than previous years. (video coming soon).
There are quite a few other changes to the M8's. I outlined a lot of them, with pics in the other thread...see link above.
Today I had a M8 reserved for rental. Devin and I were going to spend the day with it, getting it heat soaked, checking the temperatures, measuring for parts development, etc. Alas, the dealer SOLD their rental, so there was no M8 for us to ride.
Seems like they are selling well!Hopefully we will get our hands on one in the next week or so and have a lot more nuts and bolts to report.
In the meantime, barring any unforeseen weaknesses in the M8 powerplant, we are really excited about its' potential!
Kevin, I can't wait until you and Devin get your hands on a 2017 M8 Tri Glide for 24 hours. Since you know these trikes inside and out and have done very extensive and careful testing with them both on dynos and on the road, I am sure that you two will come up with enhancement mods that will be extremely additive. It must be weird to ride a Tri Glide without a DK Comfort Lift kit? I couldn't imagine being without one for a number of reasons that we have all talked about (ride, steering, braking, etc.) In some ways, I am not surprised to hear that the M8 was so significantly different than the TGU vs. the SG. As we know from other pursuits such as general aviation aircraft, the same powerplant in different models of airplanes can translate into huge differences in performance based on factors like weight/balance and aerodynamics. I think these issues are fairly applicable to the current brief experiences you have had on these relatively dissimilar machines. Looking forward to that day of rental when it hopefully comes sooner than later. Bob
Last edited by captbob; 09-17-2016 at 12:41 AM.
#3
09-17-2016, 05:16 AM
With that said, I do believe there is a lot of potential with this motor, it just needs to be able to breathe freely, and have a good tune.
I am getting almost 106 ft. lbs out of my 2014 Tri-Glide with a Performance Plus Stage I Kit, and I am hoping that with a similar PP Stage I on the M8 that we will see 115 ft. lbs, or more! Time will tell.
I am getting almost 106 ft. lbs out of my 2014 Tri-Glide with a Performance Plus Stage I Kit, and I am hoping that with a similar PP Stage I on the M8 that we will see 115 ft. lbs, or more! Time will tell.
#4
09-18-2016, 06:04 PM
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Red Banks, Mississippi
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#5
09-18-2016, 06:08 PM
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I honestly doubt you'll see 115 ft/lbs with Stage 1, they're only seeing 109ft/lbs with a good tune, on a M8 107 with the Stage 2 torque cams on a 2 wheel bike. A trike has more parasitic drag due to the differential, 2 axles and the 2 back tires, vs a 2 wheel bike. Trikes are always going to be roughly 15 - 20 percent less HP and TQ than what a 2 wheeler will see. Your current 14 is a rare one with 106 ft/lb of torque, the Rushmore 2 wheel bikes with Stage 1 and good tune are averaging around 107 ft/lbs torque.
We are quite used to getting better than average #'s out of our PP Stage I upgrades on Twin Cams and the Sportys. We're hoping for the same on the M8's, time will tell.
#6
09-18-2016, 06:50 PM
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Kevin, I can't wait until you and Devin get your hands on a 2017 M8 Tri Glide for 24 hours. Since you know these trikes inside and out and have done very extensive and careful testing with them both on dynos and on the road, I am sure that you two will come up with enhancement mods that will be extremely additive. It must be weird to ride a Tri Glide without a DK Comfort Lift kit? I couldn't imagine being without one for a number of reasons that we have all talked about (ride, steering, braking, etc.) In some ways, I am not surprised to hear that the M8 was so significantly different than the TGU vs. the SG. As we know from other pursuits such as general aviation aircraft, the same powerplant in different models of airplanes can translate into huge differences in performance based on factors like weight/balance and aerodynamics. I think these issues are fairly applicable to the current brief experiences you have had on these relatively dissimilar machines. Looking forward to that day of rental when it hopefully comes sooner than later. Bob
When I got back I spoke with the local dyno operator. He showed me a few charts he had from some stock M8's. (I should have gotten some copies)
They show almost full torque at 2000 RPM, and then tapering off after 3000 RPM, which corresponds with what I felt while riding the TG.
#7
09-18-2016, 08:02 PM
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#8
09-19-2016, 10:50 AM
Looks like curlydee has a pretty darn nice running Stage 2.
#9
09-19-2016, 12:58 PM
Yeah, it was a bit strange riding without the Comfort lift...also with the stock bars (which I do not like). What was terrible was no feeling of power when twisting the wick.
When I got back I spoke with the local dyno operator. He showed me a few charts he had from some stock M8's. (I should have gotten some copies)
They show almost full torque at 2000 RPM, and then tapering off after 3000 RPM, which corresponds with what I felt while riding the TG.
When I got back I spoke with the local dyno operator. He showed me a few charts he had from some stock M8's. (I should have gotten some copies)
They show almost full torque at 2000 RPM, and then tapering off after 3000 RPM, which corresponds with what I felt while riding the TG.
I did notice that I feel much more heat on my right leg than the 13 but it had floorboard extenders and not the 17 yet.
I have ordered floorboard extenders, comfort lift and tour pak re-locator from your site this weekend. Hopefully that will help my tail dragging and hot leg - also the wife will appreciate the added room.
Thanks,
#10
09-19-2016, 01:29 PM
Join Date: Jul 2011
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That's the first Harley I've heard that sounded a lot like this thing - that's not a compliment... 
I'm guessing it will sell a lot of aftermarket mufflers. Or maybe it's just the video - is that really what it sounds like idling?
http://vid1158.photobucket.com/album...al%20thief.mp4
I'm guessing it will sell a lot of aftermarket mufflers. Or maybe it's just the video - is that really what it sounds like idling?
http://vid1158.photobucket.com/album...al%20thief.mp4