What is the general consensus on this engine now that it has been out for a while?? From what I understand the transmission has been reworked as well?? I am sure there are several threads going on these subjects?
Please give opinions or at least point me in the right direction......

 

I love mine. I ride it hard and it responds. Over 13000 miles and no major problems

 

You might get better replies here:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/milwaukee-eight-m8-198/

 

I've been following the M8 closely on two forums. I planned to buy one in spring '18...

The good...

Excellent engine performance. Per tuners working on aftermarket parts, it has a lot of room to grow. Most who own one love it and consider it the best HD engine they have owned..... It makes great torque in the areas where most people ride. Many have mentioned they think the OEM performance is more than they need, and won't bother with Stage I, II, III, or IV upgrades.....

Early M8 resolved issue:

Some oil pressure issues popped up early on. MoCo was all over it. Appeared that a cam plate vendor left manufacturing debris in cam plate passages... Most with the problem have been dealt with quickly & fairly by Moco


Current Issues:

Oil migration from transmission to primary- many reported cases. Can be reliably duplicated in bikes that have the issue. Somehow oil is migrating to the primary, from the transmission, via the clutch push rod in the main shaft... MoCo is aware, but not admitting to the problem. The cause hasn't been identified, or the fix... at least not that the MoCo is admitting to. They have replaced a few transmissions, but I have not read that the few with new trans has fixed the issue. Some aftermarket shops and tuners are working to try and figure out a cause/fix... some guesses, but nothing definitive. Only new things on the trans are the case, main shaft bearing, and scissor gear for backlash... problem has to start with one of those...?

Oil sumping- A few people with upgrade kits complaining of oil sumping and reduced power because of it. If they idle for a few minutes, the oil pump catches up and symptoms go away. The MoCo is aware of it, but is not admitting to it. The cause has been been found to center around two issues. 1) The piston oil jets have come loose (one fell off) causing much more oil in the sump than designed. 2) At some higher rpm riding, the oil pump is not scavenging enough to avoid sumping. The fix: MoCo has increased the torque value of the piston jets to avoid them getting loose and 2nd hand info thay have redesigned the scavenging inlet to the oil pump, to increase scavenging efficiency. Both should avoid sumping. Unfortunately, the MoCo is remaining closed lipped on this.. it appears there is a new oil pump that is being used in new production engines, along with new torque spec..

Balancer bearing issue- I have only heard of 5 cases, but the roller cage to the balancer bearing melted on five 107s with 114 kits. I saw pics of the damaged bearing. Per the bearing number, a couple techs said that bearing number uses a "polyamide" cage with a max temp of 250°.... I haven't heard anything more of this issue... Obviously, the MoCo is silent on this also.

The way I see it.....

The oil transfer is most troubling to me. It would be a pain to manage, and the MoCo is not forthcoming on this issue. If you go on a long ride, who wants to continually fill the trans and have to occasionally drain the primary!?!?

It appears the sumping may be handled, but again, MoCo won't say anything. I have learned that the M8 went from piston jets with o-rings (twin cam) to piston jets with a gasket... kinda of a step backward from a technical standpoint... Why!?!? With the MoCo's silence, there are several customers who may not realize the issue or have it, until warranty is over.... then what?

Too little info on the bearing to know if it is a real issue, but this is one where my concerns are based on whats at stake, not the odds of it happening.... If that bearing should go, and the bike is off warranty... what, 15 hours for just the labor, not counting what parts it could take with it... If reports on the bearing are correct, I would hope they go to a higher rated bearing... But we will never know...

I put my plans to buy an M8 on hold. A good friend is using this to try and get me to buy a BMW 1600TGTL instead.... not there yet, kind of a die-hard Harley guy...

As far as I'm concerned, the MoCo better deal with these going forward and take care of the those with 2017 bikes, or they'll lose my M8 purchase in spring....

 

We are now what, 11 months or so into the new 2017 M8 engines? Often times it takes this long for problems to show up. Currently there are several pretty serious problems which are showing up with the engine. The MOCO up to this point is totally quiet on them so far. How the MOCO addresses these engine issues will dictate how the public views the Harley warranty. If they step up to the plate and admit to the problem it will likely restore confidence in the brand. If they choose to refuse to fix the issues with the transmission transfer and the sumping issue then I would have to council anyone who asks me if they should buy a new one or not, to STAY THE HELL AWAY!

If the factory chooses to fix the problems on their nickle then I would say go ahead and buy a new one because they stand behind their warranty. It is really up to the MOCO now because there are a lot of people watching what happens regarding warranting these issues. With all the talk on various motorcycle forums so far I am looking for one of the major motorcycle magazines to (print or otherwise) jump in with their coverage. That would certainly motivate the MOCO to fix these affected bikes. Too early to speculate what is going to happen.

 

........ that's ok
... they're not making an FLTRU in yellow again for '18, so i'll give'm another MY to work the bugs out.

 

[QUOTE=Retrop;16400230] If they choose to refuse to fix the issues with the transmission transfer and the sumping issue then I would have to council anyone who asks me if they should buy a new one or not, to STAY THE HELL AWAY!

I can't recall a past mechanical problem that MOCO has refused to address and repair.My advice is if you want a new M8,buy it with the knowledge that MOCO will stand behind its products.

 

Good info Hattitude -

I too am interested in the M8 and would like to get the 114 upgrade when as part of the deal.

I had been thinking about getting a new bike this fall - may be next spring will be better.

Any reports of the base gaskets leaking - that was a step back in my mind.

 

Lovin it. 11000 miles since Sept,
Did 1050 miles in 2-days this weekend, sore *** was my only complaint.
Much quicker and handles far better than my prior 2 Harleys, re: Softail and Dyna, I love the power band, and the bike loves to be beaten.
I think Harley got it right this time, and basically qualifies as a sport-tourer, but a heavy one.
I've done the tail of the dragon 3-times,and cannot wait to go back.

To be honest, it was a good 1000 miles before I really got comfortable and trusted it. Then wow, what a ride.
My only suggestion: upgrade the audio to stage 2 or better.

 

I am pushing 11,000 miles without any issues on mine so obviously Im giving the thumbs up. This bike is head and shoulders above the 2014 touring with 34k miles that I traded in.

There are those that are or have had issues, however there is a lot of miss information being spread around so if your looking to the Forums for the good and bad, my advise is to read very carefully.