I'm looking to buy a '26 Lowrider S, coming from a '17 Dyna version. Starting my research.
Looks like a whole lot has changed in the past decade. Been out of the loop for a while.

Any reliability issues? (The dyna has that 110 lifter issue, and I though the early M8s had oil issues)

The factory 'Heavy breather air kit' make any difference?

Any needed mods? It looks like stock it's putting out more power than my Dyna even after all the work I've put into it. Any reason to use a PowerVision? Seems motorcycle companies have just intergraded all the standard mods bikes use to need. Does the engine need anything? There is always more power to be had but I feel like companies are catching up to what we used to mod a bike to become.

So far from what I've come across is it just a buy it and enjoy it bike... a long ways from the, "You need full exhaust, full Powervision tune, cams, suspension, this and that and this..." that I knew when I bought my dyna. At this point I'm just thinking a slip-on for a little more noise (S&S made a big difference on my dyna) and then calling it good.


Thanks, appreciate it.

 

I would start by finding any local dealers that have gotten a '26 Low Rider S or ST that you can go sit on. They are different than the earlier TC Dyna's, not in a Bad way, just different. If you find that it fits you then see about a test ride. Once you've gotten that far many of your questions will be answered. As for power, that's all up to you but there are lots of people still modifying them with Cam, exhaust, A/C and tuning.

 

How tall are you, how long are your legs? It is a bit tight on legroom. I just picked u p a 25, great bike, lots of power and hadles very well.

 

I'm 6'0, but only a 34" inseam. Usually prefer mid-controls for handling reasons. Sat on one years ago, don't recall anything in particular being a problem for me.


I remembered Fuel Moto and went through their dynos, whole lot of power to be had with just an exhaust and a tune, like 20 more hp and 15 more torque. Stock I think the '26 is on par with my '17 and the mods I've done, and I was looking to do more, so the '26 will probably be a better platform rather than putting more into the dyna. Plus I have a lot of gravel to deal with on the roads so traction control is a big welcome.

 

I have a 2025 LRST, from the Harley website it doesn't appear that anything has changed for '26 except the color lineup.

The main consideration on the LRS and LRST is the seating position. I have know a few taller riders that aren't bothered by it, but I found it to be about as uncomfortable as I have ever been on a motorcycle and I have had numerous motorcycles with mid pegs down through the years. I am 6' with a 34" inseam also, but I am also 71 years old, so I don't bend as well as I used to. This has been rectified for me by installing the footboard mounts from a Fat Boy and footboards. Some other remedies that riders go with when they found the mid pegs uncomfortable have been to install the footboards that bolt to the mid-mounts or some have gone to forward controls. This is a personal issue that you will have to discern for yourself.

As for the power, I think I can say that this is the first Harley I have owned that I didn't immediately feel the need to do something to increase the power. I have changed the muffler to a Tab with the performance baffle, but that was more of a sound issue, the stock muffle was way too quiet. I have a SE Wedge air cleaner to put on it, but that is going to require a tune and am not in a huge hurry to relinquish the warranty just yet. I could buy the Harley tuner and keep the warranty, I just haven't decided about that yet.

There are indeed a few cams for the Gen 2 engines. They already have 5.5 injectors and a 58 mm throttle body, so they do respond well to being pumped up. They also have a pretty aggressive cam from the factory, for a Harley anyway.



It is like you said, a good exhaust and air cleaner with a dyno tune and they make some impressive power for a basically stock engine.

 

Interesting.

The Dyna version was something I could ride comfortably stock, but the rider triangle was as far as I could go and remain comfortable for a long stretch, the pegs are forward-mids stock. Guess I'll need to test ride the '26 before I know for certain what I can do with it.

One of the reasons I'm looking to switch up is the traction control. There is a lot of gravel where I ride. It looks like Fuel Moto knows how to tune it and keep this working properly, but if I'm honest I'm a little weary of messing with that system. Especially when it's one of the reasons I'm looking to buy a new one.

Looking at the dyno tunes a stock '26 should be pretty close to what I have with my '17 (full powervision tune, did the wide band 02 sensors as well, did some slip ons), and I find I'm pretty happy with that. I might have thrown a new cam in for the fun of it when doing the roller rockers, but I'm not sure how much of all of that is doing something cause I need it to have more power or I'm just looking to spice things up. The bike needed the powervision tune, but I never saw myself going past a new cam with it. While more power can be had, things are reaching a point where you can ruin it with too much power. I'm of the school it's more fun to ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow, so I'm looking for that sweet spot where I'm comfortable riding it hard but not looking for any more out of it.

Guess that's something I'll have to sort through and see if their tuner will work, cause I used my warranty on my '17 and it's very nice to know you have it... course it wasn't for the engine.

Well, won't know any of this without a test ride. The M8 is a different engine than the Twin Cam, I don't know how the power delivery feels in comparison, and if they did anything to the gearing the same power could pull very differently. Time to ride it and find out... but it's almost December in Wyoming, so that's a question for a couple months from now.

 

M8 Softails rule. I’m on my 2nd Softail (22 LRS, 20 Softail Standard) and 3rd M8 total (21 RGS). I’m a dyed in the wool Dyna fan, had dozens of really, really good ones and even a stock Softail is way better than most modded TC Dynas. Tue 2nd Gen M8’s are proving to be monsters with just simple mods, a tune alone with. PowerVision is making crazy power. Add your cam/exhaust/air cleaner of your choice and it’s a beast. The aftermarket is strong so there’s a thousand ways to set em up however you want. Do it.

 

Good to hear.

From everything I've seen the new softtails handled a lot better out of the box. They were about a month or so away from releasing the M8 and the new softtail when I bought my Dyna. Don't regret it, been the bike I wanted and highly enjoyed it. And I tend to prefer to wait a year or two on anything new till they have the bugs worked out. But it's time to upgrade as the dealers say, lol.

I like a sporty ride, comfortable cause I want to be on it all day... but there is a happy spot where you're riding at legal speeds yet pushing a machine far enough to achieve something. When I ride my Harley I'm leaning a lot more, even forward (you'll discover you suddenly have way more control on the bike if you're never tried this, but you can't have forward pegs really) and pushing the machine more. When I ride my sports bike... well that bike just does it. Faster? Yes. Easier? Yes. More fun? Nope. Kinda boring at legal speeds actually.

Guess I'm more of a Mustang GT being pushed than putzing around in a Lamborghini kinda guy. Fast isn't what's fun, it's that experience of going fast. No one is having the time of their lives in a Boeing 777 doing 500 mph lol.

 

I was opposed to the M8's until they worked out the bugs. I still prefer the feel and comfort of my FLD Dyna, but the power and handling on my 25 Lowrider S is far superior. I am also getting used to the position of my legs. I may or not need the Tallbot seat I have on order. I'll find out when it arrives next week.

Best of luck with whatever you decide.

 

Two words.
Buy Used.
So many low mileage bikes on the market at a good discount compared to the cost of a new HD.
The money you save can be used to correct the suspension, and other needed improvements.
Or buy a new bike and spend the money to increase the overall cost another 25-30%.