Gonna buy a new bike???

 

I had stopped testing due to flooding and various other things. In the time since my last test, the Milwaukee 8 has been released. So, it only made sense to test a bike with that engine.

I was going eat lunch today at a seafood restaurant but was too early. The restaurant shares a parking lot with the Harley dealer, so I figured I would just go have a look around. I met a very nice bike salesman and we hit off pretty good. He currently rides a shovel head amongst other things despite being younger than I am. One thing lead to another and I ended up test riding a 2017 Street Glide.

Initial impressions by just straddling it and sitting on it was it does not feel top heavy like all the touring bikes I have ever ridden or tried out in my life. The engine, in particular the heads and rocker boxes look better in person than online. It reminded me sort of like a knucklehead and in some ways a flat head, but smoothed and rounded over. The air cleaner box is enormous and looks 100 times worse in person than online. Fit and finish are top notch, typical Harley Davidson.

How do you start this thing? After I signed the papers and strapped a helmet on, they brought the bike outside and told me to have fun and went back inside. I must have spent five minutes if not longer trying to figure out how to start it. There are so many buttons on both sides of the handlebars it is unreal. They have funky symbols on them that I couldn't figure out what they meant other than an arrow on on the left side and an arrow on the right side. I figured that must be turn signals. About that, well I must be getting too old for this ****. I had the emergency flashers on for most of the ride, because apparently it is a separate button for them instead of hold both signals down like on my bike. I must have turned the hazards on while trying to figure out how to start it.

So anyway, I eventually got it started. There is no valve train or other clanking noise like an Evo. I know that might sound good, but it really is good. It gave the impression of parts fitting together and working well together with controlled tolerances. Much has been made about the lack of shake at idle and some claim it is too sterile and Goldwing like. Bullshit. It shook less than a twin cam touring bike. It shook about like an Evo Softail at idle, but with less harsh hits on each power stroke. In other words, at idle it felt like the TC103 WideGlide I recently test rode. Rubber mounted for isolation but not going crazy like a paint shaker. So, at idle, I believe they got it right.

The transmission is smooth through all the gears, including first. That's right. No hard clunk going from neutral to first. I was skeptical of the hydraulic clutch but I like it. One complaint about the hydraulic clutch is you don't get any feedback like you do on a cable operated clutch. The trade off is the action is very smooth, consistent, reliable and low maintenance.

Because it's a touring bike, it has dual disc up front. I have ridden other bikes, big and small of all makes and the only bike that had better brakes was the vrod. Other bikes might stop quicker, but only because they do not weigh 800 pounds.

The engine pulls hard right from idle. The power is very linear with no spikes or dips. It continues to deliver until you are ready to shift. It does not drop off at high rpm's like most bikes with low rpm torque. Throttle response was immediate with no latency whatsoever. The engine responded immediately without having to wait for it to spin up. Power delivery was smooth but not sterile. Remember I complained of sterility with the twin cams I reviewed. To describe what it was like is going to sound weird but here it goes. It is like an Evo and a VROD had a baby and it was given a steady diet of steroids. This was the regular 103" engine, not the CVO, not Stage 1, or anything. There was so much power that I would not want to spoil it by taking it apart for a big bore kit or anything internal like that. Yes, it would leave my Evo in the dust, whereas none of the twin cams I ever rode could. Again, right from idle until however many rpm's you want to go before shifting.

Exhaust note was fairly quiet at idle but had some bark when blipped. At speed it was not harsh and was too quiet for my taste. I don't like loud bikes and I still thought this was too quiet. I think when the aftermarket catches up, a nice set of Rineharts would sound good on it. It sounded like a stock vrod at speed.

Suspension was great. Hands down better than any Harley I have ever ridden. Tires felt planted. There was enough feedback to let you know what was going on but yet very smooth. Handling was very sure footed. Overall, a very good ride.

I mentioned that it did not feel top heavy like all the touring bikes I have ever been on. That being said, ther was something that did not feel good. The seat was comfortable but extremely wide. It was wide even on the front where it met the very wide 6 gallon fuel tank. What this meant was I was bow legged. By being so bow legged, it made my legs seem shorter. While standing up it isn't a problem. Sitting down is not too much of a problem if a conscious effort is made to scoot so far forward on the seat that you are nearly on the tank. But regular stopping and staying seated in the normal position felt somewhat awkward. I am 5' 9" tall with a 29" inseam pants size. Probably a different seat would fix most of this problem but it was something that stood out that I did not like.

About halfway through the tide I figured out how to turn the emergency flashers off amongst the maze of buttons. That allowed me to have functioning turn signals which is a good. I did not mess with the radio etc because I don't like radios on a bike. All the buttons etc made for information overload and they were not intuitive. The symbols on them were meaningless to me instead of being obvious. Then again, I don't like radios and all kinds of crap on a bike. Next test ride will be a Road King which should have simplified switches.

I never like bikes with a fairing because I feel like I can't see what is directly in front of me because of them. Somewhere along the line apparently the bat wing has gotten smaller. It gave me fantastic wind protection but still allowed me to see what was ahead. I was impressed with that. I still don't like radios, but I can sort of see the utility of GPS. This was a regular Street Glide, not a Street Glide Special so it did not have GPS. The mirrors were also very good and well placed. Better than I have experienced on other bikes with fairings.

In summary, Harley Davidson hit a home run with this engine. Out of the box, it's better at everything. I love my Evo and its simplicity but if I had to give it up for something more modern and computerized, this is it. This engine is so good that it makes the twin cam look like a side step, because this is what really should have replaced the Evo.

No,I am not buying a new bike. When this engine makes its way into a Softail frame, I am going to have to make a very hard choice. As it is, I am looking forward to trying out a 2017 Road King soon.

If a person is looking to buy a bike, they should buy an Evo or a Milwaukee 8. No, I am not spouting hate of a twin cam. What I am saying is these are the two best choices in my opinion.

Omaha had mention concerns of it being too refined, too much like a Goldwing, or an electric motorcycle. I shared his concerns. Today I discovered that is not the case. It still feels mechanical but with some of the harshness tamed. A person could ride an Iron Butt on a bike like this and it would not be much of an accomplishment because you don't get fatigued or feeling like you've been flogged but at the same time, the raw power is still ready on tap.

Afterwards I went home and turned a few wrenches with some stupid crap I have been dealing with on my Heritage and finally fixed it. I started it up. In the garage. Garage doors were closed. There is nothing like an Evo. On the other hand, I could see one day potentially trading my Corvette in for a Milwaukee 8 to park alongside my Heritage.

Time for a tag line.

Harley Davidson is making motorcycles great again!

 

Well that was one of the best reviews I have read. You should get paid for this. I do not have your history, my first Harley was a 2015 Breakout, twin cam. Lots of upgrades and money later, I love it. Had sport bikes for many years, but I will never go back. And of course I would never trade my Breakout. The wife has a Fatboy "S" and I seriously doubt she would ever consider trading that bike either. But both of us really like the 2017 road king. Maybe a third bike we can share? Anyway thanks for the info.