When the explanation (justification) is longer than the original post, well... it speaks for itself.

 

it is ok and not a problem..he expressed his concern on this 'potential' issue with his brand new bike that doesn't have the problem, and I, as the author/thread starter on this topic here with personal experience in the matter nicely replied to just ride it and go from there..but how is one supposed to reply to the subsequent response that is, 'what if all the doom and gloom grease fire of this problem happens to me'?

uhm, for the time being don't worry until it does, which it most likely won't, ride it, enjoy it and deal with problems the same way everyone else would if they happen is still the right answer

you and Heatwave are welcome and free to craft a more appropriate example of a response to allay the new owners' concerns if you desire..based on your personal experience with this particular problem of course, but don't recall either of you ever reporting you have

 

There you go again..... there's almost 3100 posts ...dealing with fluid migration .... ON THIS 1 THREAD ALONE! Yet, somehow you feel it necessary to refer to anyone discussing this topic as being focused on a "doom & gloom grease fire". Delusion and denial have clearly run amuck amongst the fanboyz.

Exactly what and how will the fanboyz respond if/when HD completely redesigns the 3 yr old M8 design this coming August for the 2020 models?? And what if those new designs are specifically re-engineered to address sumping and fluid migration?? If that redesign happens for the 2020 bikes (as I suspect), the denial by those that own the 2017-19 defective M8 designs and have been shouting "don't look behind the curtain" ..... will border on manic depression.

 

Nope never seen the issue on my 2017 CVO Street Glide??? Unless you consider over 44oz in the primary an issue within 2486 miles. I have a pic of the odometer if you'd like to see it.

 

How would you know if they did? It’s not like HD is gonna announce the new 2020 models by stating “the engine has been redesigned to fix the sumping and fluid migration issues”.

 

Nope....HD would never publicly "admit" they have a design defect. Too many product liability lawyers in the marketplace for that to go down well.

But this forum is filled with technical geeks, interested shade tree mechanics and a few professional mechanics that are notorious for scoping out the part #s, schematics, revisions and even the most minute change in the Service Manuals from prior years within days of their release. And the 2020 Service Manuals will be available within days of the 2020 Product launch which is likely to be scheduled in late Aug 2019 for the 2020 models.

Trust me, the entire world will know exactly whether or not the M8 was redesigned to address sumping, fluid migration and any other design defect that may have existed in the original M8 design. The HD Kimono will be spread wide open for the world to see within days of the 2020 HD Bike launch.

 

Well to make your life easier, get the Speed-Check Transmission Dipstick (chrome 37103-08 or black 62700192). It makes it so you don't need an Allen wrench to remove the dipstick. Your dealer might tell you it won't work on the M8, but it does. Then if you detect that you have a transfer problem there are remedies. The fat pushrod is probably the easiest to install and it seems to have a good track record. It's just been redesigned to work with the 2019 models. Less than $100. Not much for peace of mind.

 

and yzernie, keep Formula + in trans and primaryas opposed to swapping with different fluids that aren't compatible..after x amount of time you are comfortable you don't have an issue then you can play around with different types and brands if that's your thing

 

Well, you bought the best bike, for sure. I got my 18 RGU on St Patrick's Day of 2018 in Santa Fe. I put 500 break-in miles on it, then rode it normal-like to LA and stayed there, bought a house and moved all my other stuff in. Since April of 2018, I've put another 15k miles on the bike, most of it two-up with my lovely wife on back, and some of it loaded to the gills with travel stuff. I ride in all weather conditions, hot cold wet and dry. Last summer me and the wife plowed all over SoCal on the bike in temps as high as 107f. Lots of freeway stop and go, high speed cruising at 85 mph.

I didn't know about the transmission/primary transfer or sumping when I bought the bike. I found out about this a few days later. I do my own maintenance, and so when I get a new bike I go over it with a comb to see what the factory and dealer shop missed. At 50 miles, on Day Two, I found my transmission fluid level AT the bottom line on the dipstick. I always expect to find oil levels at the top mark on a new bike, so this concerned me. I did some Forum reading and learned of the transfer issue. I topped off my trans oil, adding about 4 oz to bring it up to the top line. After I rode the bike to LA I checked the trans oil again, and found it exactly where it was a thousand miles before, right smack at the top line. I kept a close eye on the trans oil level, checking it every couple hundred miles. Around 6k or 7k miles I started to notice some oil loss. A very small amount, and this rate of loss has remained constant until today, with the bike at 16k miles.

My bike's rate of transfer has stayed constant at about an oz of oil every couple thousand miles. To me, this is insignificant. Back in the days of chain drive long-haul bikes, I would spend way more time attending to my chain than I do keeping an eye on my trans oil level and keeping it topped off. I'd rather not have to do even this much work, but it is what it is. If mine was transferring five oz every 500 miles, then I'd be major po'd, and so I understand those whose bikes transfer so much so quick. Based on what we read in this forum, most bikes transferring do so the way mine does. Only a very few transfer huge amounts in short time, and those are truly defective, needing immediate repair. Probably, all of them transfer the way mine does, but most riders don't maintain their own bikes, and are unaware of it happening.

Long and short, my advice to yzernie is to ride the bike the way you like to ride. Check your trans oil every thousand miles just to be careful, chart your rate of transfer (if any) and continue to monitor until HD comes up with a fix.

As for sumping, this is extremely unlikely to happen. My 18 RGU was built in September of 2017, and so it doesn't even have any of the redesigned oil pumps in it. My stock RGU runs great. I pull it to redline pretty much every time I ride it, and am not afraid to do anything with it that I would do with any other bike I've ever owned. I wouldn't dream of riding any of my bikes pegged at redline for any length of time, pretty sure this would destroy most engines or at least greatly shorten life.

Enjoy your RGU. This is the best configuration HD produces.

 

Ok that is what I expected, no response to your accusations. If you'd like to see the 24 oz of oil that came out of my primary when it sumped, I can share that too. Like most that have an issue, I document everything. Both transfer and sumping(twice) in my case. It's why I traded the bike for my 2018 CVO. I only wish all the issues had been fixed. My bad of course for not riding it out longer to see the reports.