I've been lookin at things for longevity and all that fun stuff and I've come across the primary tensioners and I saw the M6BT17-M8.
https://www.cyclesolutions.com/product/hayden-m8-primary-chain-tensioner/
It's automatic, but doesn't ratchet. 126$+tax is a fairly reasonable price.

So what is it this thing really? Is it worth checking out for the idea of reducing the stress on the bearings, and making neutral easier to find and easier shifts?
I really quite like the idea of never having an overtightened chain.
I am riding the bike rather hard, quite often hitting 100~120+ and accelerating fairly hard and riding twisty roads as fast as I can. And this will only get ridden after I install stage 2 parts.
I am planning on swapping out primary fluid and testing a different fluid at the moment anyways, so I'm not too broken up about having to pull the cover off to install this.

Is it fluff, is it junk, is it a legitimate upgrade for longevity?

 

Hayden tensioners used to be excellent, but lately NOT. I think they changed the shoe material. They break easily IME.

 

I've tried Hayden twice, they both broke. I talked to Moonshine Harley when I was installing my compensator upgrade about the hydraulic tensioner they had promoted, they said that they had problems with it and that they were using the stock tensioner now. That's what I did.

 

May I ask what broke on it?
Was it the springs?

 

I had one in my 2014 RK with 50+k miles. I also had one in my '06 Nightrain... The spring in my '06 did break at about 40k so I just bought a new spring from Hayden... still going at 96k when I sold it. I had no problem with the '14. Just keep the stock one in case your's decides it's not what was intended... BTW, the '06 was in hot weather... and I was using syn oil. In the '14 I used a heavier weight oil in the primary and the tranny. There is a chain in the primary, after all.

 

Just my 2 cents. But I have never had an issue with a stock unit. I would save my money

 

Not IMHO. The stock tensioner works well on the M8.

 

May I ask your opinions on why the m6 tensioner isn't worth it? I am curious about negative opinions of it.
I've seen a few saying it breaks, but then I've see a few people say they're really good and it reduces the issues of strain, noise, and finding neutral.
I'm not sold on the part, but I am interested in discussing it. Similarly how I was interested in the compensator eliminator that I was intending on getting, but ultimately did not get because I found the toolsteel compensator ramp replacement fit my bike and let me keep the benefits of a compensator in my power training.

 

It's been a while, I really don't remember what the malady with the Hayden was. I do remember opening the primary and the unit had come apart. I haven't had a problem with the stock unit on any bike that has had the self adjusting tensioner, to my knowledge. If your primary chain tensioner doesn't work properly, it's not going to cause an immediate failure or leave you stranded on the road. I was good with the old style adjuster that you adjusted at oil change intervals. I have run the Baker Attitude adjuster in one bike, probably the '09. It's just kind of a pain because you have to pull the outer primary cover every time you want check or adjust it. This was a case of fixing something that wasn't broke. I still have the Baker somewhere in my parts cache.

The compensator on my '09 RG was one of the stock components on that model that was suppose to fail. My '09 RG still had the stock compensator in it when I sold it and as far as I know still does. At one time, companies manufacturing vehicles made most of the components in house. Quality control was on them. Now they outsource a large amount. Any part can have a bad run, faulty metallurgy, bad cast, etc. that gets missed by inspectors or is not readily apparent. The compensators on the M8's now are an example. Do they fail? Yes. Have they all failed? No. More than likely a bad run of product that has affected a significant number of bikes. I replaced it on the '21 Sport Glide because I was in the primary. The '17 RGS is still running the stock compensator. It has lasted 14K miles and I won't replace it if it doesn't break.

The sumping problem and the transfer problem are both caused by design flaws. My '17 has never sumped and it still has the oil pump it came with. I have the latest pump and I will get around to installing it, it's just not a priority to me. The bike did transfer and I went so far as to engineering "The Fix" to prevent it. The bike still has "The Fix" in it. Was this necessary? At the time it was, but with the primary vent and relieving the inner side cover (which is the real problem), there is really no need for "The Fix" now. So what I'm getting at is some times it is good to be proactive, but also if it ain't broke don't fix it is a good mantra to have.

I guess what it boils down to is, do you think there is a problem with your stock adjuster? If so, try the Hayden. It is inexpensive and it didn't hurt anything when it failed on my bike. Some people have had good results with it, just like some people have had good results with the stock unit.

 

As I understand it compensator design has evolved almost continuously because Harley can't find one that works on the bigger CI engines. My 06 Nightrain went about 95k with no problems in an 88 CI. My '14 RK's compensator died as 33k (103 CI and waaayyy heavier a bike). I wouldn't count on 17k as dependable on much of HD's parts that are made in Taiwan. I also replaced many of the common issues on my RK (shift lever, left hand control module, neck bearings due to improper seal installation from the factory, etc.) I am a long distance rider... extended warranty with a tow package comes in very handy. Just part of the drill... HD doesn't develop for non-bar hoppers and garage queens apparently. Guess what... I still buy them.