For Daytona Bike week this year, I rented an '17 M8 Street Glide. I had demo'ed an M8, yet had not spent any real time on a touring model until now.

Before I speak on the motor, I would like to talk about the Street Glide specifically. At 6' 1" and 225 pounds, the SG fit me just fine. I was perfectly happy with the stock ergo. The handle bars remind me a bit of my buckhorns, but better. The seat was fine for 150 mile days. I imagine any serious touring would require a better option. I really liked that the bat wing fairing moved the cold air away from my hands. I either wore lightweight, fingerless or no glove at all in 50 degree weather. I kept the top fairing vent closed, which appeared to cut a small bit of turbulence. Turbulence was evident, yet manageable. There was an aftermarket windshield mounted and it worked surprisingly good. I'm not sure of it's height, but it wasn't much taller than stock. It did have a curled lip.

As for the Infotainment system- I didn't get much into it. I viewed the map, but never used the GPS function per se. As for the audio - I have the SiriusXM app loaded on my IPhone. It worked just fine. I could hear the music mostly clear at 70 mph, and that was with ear plugs. My only complaint is the small compartment where the phone sits. A little more room would have been nice. The bags are large enough and the single latch system worked great. Handling was better than I could have hoped for. However, the low profile front tire can become skittish on an uneven pavement. Overall, it handled very good for it's weight. Parking lot maneuvers could be tricky. I contribute most of that to my inexperience on a touring model.

And what about the new M8? This is a very good motor. Good power, good torque. Dissipates heat nicely. My right leg did have a tendency to touch the rear rocker cover, which I don't on my twin cam. A simple heat deflector would solve this. I did notice that idle is a little more noticeable than my twin cam. Not a deal breaker. Though the sound of the pipes are subjective, it's fine with me. In fact, this is the only Harley motor I would leave stock, pipes and all. My biggest issue was with the clutch pull. In heavy Daytona stop and go traffic, my left hand got a workout. Another thing that can be easily remedied.

I didn't want to like this bike. I still feel that my Super Glide is the best all-around model in the HD lineup. After the first day I was still on the fence. After day two, I could see adding this, or an Ultra Classic, possibly in my future.

 

I test rode two M8s and loved the engine and suspension both RGUs, I will agree with you on the clutch pull. However when I purchased my M8 RGU it seemed that after a few days of owning and riding that the clutch pull either got easier or I did not notice it any more. Or maybe after a few days of riding it my grip got stronger LOL

I do see where someone with smaller hands could have an issue with the pull as well as the fact that the friction zone in the clutch is at the end of the release

 

A few other comments: I liked the matte charcoal. I've always liked my toys nice and shiny, but this finish looked cool. It received a lot of compliments.

Euro 5 in 2020 will probably mean all Harley's will become water-cooled, thus, the M8 may be the last air-cooled HD.

 

Technically the TC is the last true air cooled. The M8 is either air and oil cooled or air and liquid cooled.
Bob

 

seems like HD is a bit behind. And it sounds like the new m8 engine will soon become the old m8 in about 2-3 years. Revamping the current engine to support a fully liquid cooling system may not be practical. I'm sure MoCo has already pushed that envelop as far as it can go, otherwise wouldn't the m8 already be fully liquid?

 

I also notice that I can hear the stereo much better with earplugs in. They greatly reduce the wind noise and surprisingly the tunes come in much more clear at a lower volume level.

 

I wear earplugs even when driving in my car on any road trip. It cuts down tire and wind noise massively while allowing the (slightly turned up) radio tunes to come in loud and clear.

 

+1 on the earplugs! They are like a poor mans version of a power amp! Amazing what you can hear when you filter the wind noise!

 

Tony P, nice review. I see in your signature, you're coming from a Dyna. Any comments on the handling difference between the 2? I'm on a Switchback, but made the very stupid mistake of test riding an M8 RK and was very impressed with it. I'm wondering how livable the additional mass is to manage day to day.

 

They keep an engine in production usually around 17 years. They would not have invested as much money in the M8 just to toss it out in two or three years, especially since it was a completey new design, not a simple refresh or displacement increase of the twin cam.

I think some people are reading too much into the Euroweinie bullshit and internet rumors.