Same here. My '02 fits me like a glove & is all day comfortable. Demo'd a M8 Street Glide & while it was pretty quick, it was just way too cramped & not as comfy as my Super Glide. No matter- I don't have new-bike money anyway & a "heart transplant" would be one hell of a lot cheaper than a new M8, should I feel the need for "more" at some point.

 

Changed to 3 clicks, maybe a tad too much, but overall really nice. Bike feels so planted, and jolts from road imperfections are negated to an *** massage from love nymphs. Everything I read suggest Ohlins are better as a shock. I was seriously thinking of getting a setup for my bike. After my new shock revelation, ......no need. The forks have Gold Valve Emulators and Racetech springs. While much better than stock, having the shocks really dialed in reveals the still less than awesome front end. The Emulators are adjustable, but the testing involves a complete tear down of the forks. Contemplating an Andreani setup, which allows user preload, compression and rebound adjustment without a fork tear down.


Also, redid Autotune with the FP3. Bike is humming.

 

Will get a pic or 2 tonight.

 

Is it wrong that I want this bike, but chromed out, apes & a sick metalflake '70's paint job?

 

Remembered to get the pic late last night. Sorry for the crappy quality.
The bars are Khrome Werks Bobber 12", 1" diameter drilled for the wiring. From this link, if you drill down and select the 12" bars, there will be a diagram showing the measurements of bars in the pics. Be warned, I had to open up the holes in the grip area as the holes weren't wide enough for the connectors to pass through. The area where your hands go only has an angle of 30.4 degrees and they are flatter across than most bars. They approach the flatness of drag bars, but not quite as extreme. I find them very comfortable. I had Street Bob bars previously. They have more of a down angle and angled more inward. Aesthetically, I like that the vertical stalks/stem (not sure of correct terminology) are more in line with the forks than the Street Bob bars. I would have gone with the 1.25" bars, but they are 2" wider than these and 3" wider than stock. Just wide enough that I wouldn't be able to get my bike down the driveway with the car in it.


Edited to add, I had already replaced the clutch and throttle lines to Street Bob lines. Still have the stock brake line. In order to still use the stock brake line, I had to remove the Switchback risers (up 2, maybe 3" and back 1") and use Street Bob risers (up 1-2" and they don't move the bars back).



I have test ridden the M8 in a new RK, SGS (with Stage III) and an RGS. I have to say the Stage III was impressive. Of them all, I REALLY like the RK. My wife has voiced concerns over my obsession with that bike. But as you say, my bike "fits me like a glove & is all day comfortable". The thought of getting a new bike and then trying to figure out what works / what doesn't work is an expensive proposition on it's own, let alone the cost of a new bike. A "heart transplant" is a lot cheaper.



It sounds like bliss is not found with your bike. What prevents the blissness?

 

How did you like riding the RK?

 

I don't know if I'll ever be content. In all honesty I'm thinking of going back to the Heritage soon, but may wait to see what 2018 brings on that thought. The Dyna as she sits now isn't the most comfy thing to ride; she's gritty and things start going numb if I don't take breaks. I was going in the "Club" look direction, but may put my apes back on since I really love the bobber look the best. If I end up staying with the Dyna I'll need a seat for me and my passenger, shocks and some sort of sporty wind protection that doesn't look like a$$ on bike if I go full on Bobber. However I do like Carl's FL conversion and thought about that, too, as it looks like a very comfortable ride.

 

I love this thread! It's really hard to beat a bike once you've made it "your own." I totally get it.

 

I'll say it this way...

I LOVED LOVED LOVED riding the M8 RK. The smile on my face and the laughing out loud said it all.

The stock M8 motor blows away any stock variant of the TC. Lots of grunt off the bottom and the top doesn't run out as fast as the TC. I've seen some dyno's from Fuel Moto with their 222 cam and the power pretty much matches the HD Stage III.

Forgetting about the motor, the RK is really surprisingly nimble for a bike that's 100lbs heavier than mine. Really, I never once noticed the weight. Even in that blip of a moment when I couldn't find the engagement zone of the hydraulic clutch (my only gripe with the RK, or any of the new bikes is the clutch engages all the way at the end of the travel), and I thought the bike was going to drop in the parking lot of the dealer, it came together at the last microsecond and ......phew, just made it. I had a big smile and was laughing during the test ride. The new suspension is very noteworthy as well. While not up to par against Ohlins, Hagon Nitros, Works, etc., it is A LOT better than what came on my bike. As an aside, I had test ridden the SGS and RGS, both with the same exact stock suspension components. The SGS had close to 1k on it and it was, dare I say it, plush and very controllable, whereas the RGS was new and it felt very jarring and every road imperfection was felt in a non pleasant way.
Again, was really surprised by how well the RK rode. Since that test ride, my wife says I've been obsessing. I call it Road King curious.
Comparing it to the faired bikes, while having the gauges up high and the radio is cool on the SG(S) / RG(S) / Ultras, I like having full visibility in front of me. More than anything though, I like the look of the Road King. It's like a supersized version of the Switchback that's more refined. When I close my eyes and picture doing the cross country trip, riding through the desert, etc., the view from the RK cockpit is what I envision.


I can relate. For me, I've learned comfort matters more than "the look". I haven't found where these 2 attributes converge well.
The first evolution of my bike had Wild 1 Chubby's Psycho Street Fighter drags that looked very cool. After a trip to The Dragon and what not, I realized the bars had to go. They were too flat and only had, IIRC 25 degrees or so of bend and not far enough back. Went back to the stock bars for a while, but didn't like the turned in feeling nor the height of the stockers. Went to Street Bob bars for awhile, which weren't bad, but still too turned in. The Khrome Werks Bobbers that I currently have are the most comfortable bar setup I've had yet. I don't anticipate trying to replace these. The angles are perfect for what I'm looking for. They don't look as cool, but they work well.
Seats are another avenue of exploration for me that, unlike the bars, I haven't found the Goldilocks setup yet. I've run the HD Tallboy seat (which is surprisingly comfortable, pushes the rider up 2" and back 1.75"), a Corbin Classic Solo (love the leather and that it locks to the bike, but I get hot spots on the underside of my thigh where it crosses the edge of the seat after about 3 hours in the saddle. Corbin foam is very hard / dense, but it doesn't affect comfort ......for me - pushes the rider back 1" or so and down an 1" or so). My wife also has an FLD and runs the HD Sundowner Solo (moves the rider up 1" and back 1", unlike the Sundowner Dual which moves the rider up 1" and forward 1"). Tis not a bad seat at all. Currently running a Mustang Wide Touring solo with backrest. I do not like the Mustang backrest. The Corbin BLOWS IT AWAY in that respect. The Corbin backrest is very nicely contoured and allows much better fitment with it's positioning. The Mustang moves the rider up about 1", but don't think it moves the rider back much if any. I ride it w/out the backrest.
I've come to the conclusion my ideal seat would be leather, incorporate the Corbin backrest, lift the rider 1" and back 1" and be at least 13" wide, preferably wider. NOBODY makes this setup, so it's a compromise for now.
For what it's worth, the Switchback also has floorboards which helps comfort on long rides. Also, I can not express enough the difference in ride quality with dialed in quality suspension. More than any other mod I've done to my bike, suspension has had the greatest impact on a joyful ride.

 

Thank you. And yes, it is a very comfy ride.

I'm an orthopedic wreck from too many years of paratroopin' & intentionally set this bike up for ergos & comfort. I sit up straight, hands at shoulder height & the FLD footboards give me all kinds of room to move around & stretch out. In fact, my Super Glide has more leg & arm room than the new baggers.

If you want a custom seat, done right & for not outrageous dollars, check out C&C. Very comfortable seats & you can do 'em up in your choice of leather & stitching for very reasonable. Good folks to deal with, too.

Suspension is pretty basic- FXDF shocks & Progressive Monotubes in the forks. 16" front makes ALL the difference. It just rides so much smoother than the 19" & handles much better as well. I always felt like I was fighting the front end with the 19", while the 16" just rolls on over, easy as you please & is absolutely planted in the turns.

I would really like to lace up a pair of aluminum hoops, 16x3.5 rear & 18x3.5 front to lose several pounds of unsprung weight & rotational mass. The improvement in ride & handling from a set of lighter wheels is amazing.

I had thought about KW's bobber apes, but ended up going for their standard 12" bar. Wish Burly would do a standard width version of their narrow apes. I ran the 14" narrow apes before doing the front end & the bend was perfect- minimal drop & very little pullback.