When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Asked for advice, what this site is for, then contradicted knowledge claims to have, then tells only one specific reply he’s clueless while using same interwebs to justify what everyone is free to “bet” on. I find it hilarious. Ask for advice and opinions, then discount it. Personally, I just ride my M8, and it’s awesome…ride on.
My "advice", which was based on my personal experiences, is that the aftermarket upgrades available can barely be considered an upgrade for the stock M8 primary because unlike previous engines, the stock component has become so good in terms of functionality and reliability that it is no longer necessary to "upgrade" it.
I was a big fan of Hayden tensioner with my 07 FLHTC, I sold it to my maintenance guy about 3 years ago and he still has it in there with probably 100000 miles on the Hayden, the bike has 125000 miles on it., I also installed one in my 14 Tri Glide, never an issue. I bought my current 21 Tri Glide with 1900 miles on it and I will leave the stock tensioner in it because from what I’ve seen, the latest version seems to be the best HD has come out with in a while. If it starts to give me issues I do have a 5 year extended warranty on it and will let the dealer deal with it .
I know there are a lot of Hayden Haters out there but I think it’s a good design if installed properly.
I got 125000 out of the stock one.. Replaced with updated because I had a later one laying around. Was led to believe the original was junk.
My "advice", which was based on my personal experiences, is that the aftermarket upgrades available can barely be considered an upgrade for the stock M8 primary because unlike previous engines, the stock component has become so good in terms of functionality and reliability that it is no longer necessary to "upgrade" it.
Except in those rare times that it ratchets one notch too tight, like mine did...twice
This is why I went to a manual adjuster.
Not saying this is an "issue" I think I just got lucky
Hayden has always had a good reputation, but made a mistake when they came out with the M6 BT-07 Tensioner for the '07 - '17 Touring models.
Either something changed around 2010ish models, or Hayden didn't do their homework before they came out with the '07+ tensioner model. The springs didn't work in the '10ish and up models.
There were a lot of people trying to install it, but with just the supplied springs and no shims, it was far tighter than Hayden's install instructions called for.
Many were complaining about the inability to adjust the Hayden tensioner to the supplied specs, and how tight it made their primary chain... which was the very issue they were trying to avoid.
This issue soured the Hayden tensioner in the minds of many people.
FWIW..
I bought one for my 2012 Limited. Before I installed it, I started reading the numerous complaints about the issue on this forum.
Hayden listened, and stepped up. They changed the M6 BT-07 to shorter springs, and even sent me a set of shorter springs, to replace the long ones my tensioner came with.
I'll give Kudos to Hayden for their customer service over the issue.
However, during the wait for the new springs, I learned about the history of the HD adjustable primary chain tensioners. I learned the "B" version in my 2012 Limited was a pretty good design with far less issues than the earlier versions.
At that point I decided to leave the OEM "B" tensioner in place. I never had any issues with the "B" tensioner in my 2012 Limited, or the 2016 Ultra Classic I traded in the '12 for. The '16 has had a 124" crate engine (135HP/151TQ) in it for the last 25K miles of it's 51K total miles. The OEM "B" tensioner has not had any issues in that application either.
I have the Hayden on a shelf with both sets of springs.
Here's a couple pics with both sets of springs. The longer of each spring came with the unit, and the shorter of each spring were sent to me by Hayden.
Last edited by hattitude; Nov 22, 2025 at 09:42 PM.
I have a brand new Baker attitude adjuster still in the box I would love to sell for cost. I had to install one on my 15 and assumed it was still a problem and purchased one for my 20. My 20 never showed the signs of failure
like my old bike so there it sits.
I know the Baker is a solid choice but I always like active adjustments. I will open up my primary this winter sometime. I do have a few projects planned but I have to get my heart issues fixed first. I’m not really worried at 11000 miles yet.
