Does ANYONE Like Their M8??
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2016
Posts: 154
Likes: 100
From: Wisconsin
Does ANYONE Like Their M8??
I own K1600GTL and for a number of reasons want to trade it on a different touring motorcycle. I rented an Ultra Limited for a day and my wife and I rode it for about 300 miles of Interstate, country highways, rural roads, and suburban streets. We liked it. Nice power, comfortable seats, handled well, etc. It worked well for us. We are seriously considering buying one.
Reading this forum I get the impression that everyone hates the M8 for one reason or another. I'm sure that's not entirely true, but still. I'm prompted to ask: Does anyone like their M8 Harley?
Reading this forum I get the impression that everyone hates the M8 for one reason or another. I'm sure that's not entirely true, but still. I'm prompted to ask: Does anyone like their M8 Harley?
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2018
Posts: 1,182
Likes: 719
From: Indianapolis
My first Harley (cruiser for that matter), but so far so good. 1100 miles. Since you're asking about the M8 specifically, I'll try to say away from model specific stuff.
The first service really made a difference. I put Redline in the transmission and primary. Shifts easier and neutral is much easier now too. I've been on motorcycles for a while and the clutch assist for acceleration is a good thing on a heavy bike with a lot of torque, but for decel it still hops the rear wheel in panic situations. The hydraulic clutch is also pretty heavy compared to the race bike's I'm accustomed to (not all M8's have hydraulic). 2-1-2 exhaust looks nice, but the converter being right under your thigh on the right side causes a heat issue. As for power, the only comparison I have is race bikes, so to me it's kind of gutless. But, it never struggles and the power is very smooth. No signs of sumping or transfer issues on mine. About the only real complaint is the position of the oil filter. Just more proof engineers don't have practical experience.
The first service really made a difference. I put Redline in the transmission and primary. Shifts easier and neutral is much easier now too. I've been on motorcycles for a while and the clutch assist for acceleration is a good thing on a heavy bike with a lot of torque, but for decel it still hops the rear wheel in panic situations. The hydraulic clutch is also pretty heavy compared to the race bike's I'm accustomed to (not all M8's have hydraulic). 2-1-2 exhaust looks nice, but the converter being right under your thigh on the right side causes a heat issue. As for power, the only comparison I have is race bikes, so to me it's kind of gutless. But, it never struggles and the power is very smooth. No signs of sumping or transfer issues on mine. About the only real complaint is the position of the oil filter. Just more proof engineers don't have practical experience.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,679
Likes: 11,472
From: State of Confusion
keep perspective...for starters.."Reading this forum"...or any forums for that matter, know that can contribute or cause loss of proper perspective..."I get the impression that everyone hates the M8"...lack of proper perspective led you to this gross misperception...no denying issues, but reality is they are the exception not the rule, so no..'they don't all do that'...you'll get the few chronic haters chime in and it'll be painfully obvious who they are
Last edited by mjwebb; Jun 15, 2018 at 09:12 AM.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 17,148
Likes: 6,171
From: SE Michigan
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Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2017
Posts: 217
Likes: 86
From: alexandria in
uh, yeah, i hate that my m8 turned my twin cam into trash. i demoed an m8 softail, and could hardly even ride my 2017 twin cam anymore. the m8 is an incredible motor, i bought it knowing full well what issues they have, and mine blew an oilline at 200 miles. even with all that i would still have the new bike even if i had to replace the motor every 500 miles.
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Joe Kucinski
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 3,268
Likes: 3,085
From: Westchester, NY
I love mine also. So far I trust it, but I haven't had any problems yet. I wont deny there is a little doubt in the back of my head that expects a problem to pop up at some point, but honestly if I never found HDF, I wouldn't have any doubt or any reason to doubt the bike. I think its mostly blown out of proportion here. On the other side of things, should I run into a problem, I'll at least be informed about it now.
Edited to add - I did have one problem, some of the gaskets had gone bad. I guess the earlier motors had gaskets that were creating issues so changed the gaskets under warranty of course and ever since then its been trouble free.
Edited to add - I did have one problem, some of the gaskets had gone bad. I guess the earlier motors had gaskets that were creating issues so changed the gaskets under warranty of course and ever since then its been trouble free.
Last edited by BTLorys; Jun 15, 2018 at 09:28 AM.