Is anybody getting real use out of the slipper clutch in our M8's? Mine does not seem to work at all. In the wet nothing. In the dry down shifting going into a corner on the aggressive side of life rear wheel hop or rear wheel tire howl seem to be the norm.

Is it the useless oem tire or over simplified design, engineering or execution on HD's part? It's like what slipper clutch.

 

If you'd ridden a previous year touring bike without one (aggressively) you can tell the slight difference. Mine is working fine.
Normal every day popping the clutch out on a downshift is now much smoother; however, you can still hop the rear tire if you downshift hard (too low ratio for speed). It can only do so much...

Also: The slipper clutch has nothing to do with wet or dry pavement. It's about smoothing out the difference between trans/engine vs tire speed during down shifting although it does apply clamping force during acceleration as well.

 

the clutch is worlds better than was on the 16 SG I owned briefly, however some of the credit has to go to the much better engine

 

I had an 06 flhti for 7 yrs and then went to a 2014 Night Rod Special with the slipper clutch. As for my 2017 FLTRXS the master tech at the dealership where I bought it mentioned it's a slip and assist clutch and definitely not a slipper clutch. Found this online which may explain it a bit better.
The slip-assist APTC has a helix on the internal hub that basically screws the clutch together under power (augmenting the spring force) and unscrews under deceleration, effectively opening the clutch and allowing it to slip.

 

Yep, I like it.

 

Clutch on the M8 is fine with me. And the rear tire has proven to be outstanding in rain .

 

I rev match my 2017 FLHXS even with the slipper clutch, downshifting is as smooth as silk.
I did a double down shift, one time by error, and the slipper clutch did not allow the rear wheel to lock up at all.
I've double downshifted on my 2015 Heritage, by error' and the rear wheel does lock up and the tire chirps in protest.