It's cheaper for HD to just wait for the aftermarket to fix their problems for them then steal the designs.

 

I'm sure Harley is like most other companies when it comes to in-house talent. That talent covers the entire spectrum relative to competence, from some of the very best to some that are pretty much useless and many in between.

But even the very best can have their hands tied by corporate policy and directives.

 

I feel bad for the OP as he had spent top money for the 2017 CVO Street Glide. I fon't know how much the '17 model costed but the '18 CVO Street Glide is $40,000 before tax. So I imagine the '17 price should be about the same than the '18.

If I spent $40k for a motorcycle, I would expect top build quality and performance. Anyhow, hope things will get better for the OP. Thankfully, his dealer seemed to be very helpful.

If anyone had $40k for the CVO SG, may I suggest to get the regular SG for $21k and spend $16k on the BMW S1000RR. The latter has 200hp stock and red-lines at 14,000rpm, that should satisfy the power crave while having the regular Street Glide for cruising purpose.

And lastly, when one bike is down, one still has the other to ride

 

If I spend ANY money on a product......30 bucks for a coffee pot...I expect it to perform as expected and advertised.

 

Certainly not just Harley’s. Had a brand new Suzuki 1200 Bandit in 2001. Engines were using oil like crazy due to oil relief holes being drilled too big and peeking out above the piston ring groove. Suzuki fought the owners like crazy.

 

I remember that. They eventually owned up to it, and at least Suzuki didn't drag the issue out into 2002 though.

 

I bought my 2017 HD Ultra Limited M8 FLHTK on 7/29/17 and left it stockswith the 107. On 8/26/17, I took a 2 hour trip up to Collins Lake from the Cameron Park area on Hwy. 50. After riding up to Marysville on Hwy 65, I turned onto Hwy 20 and tried to accelerate. The bike began acting like it had a governor on it set at 30mph or I was suddenly trying to pull a semi truck or it had gone into limp mode.It wouldn't accelerate at all and felt like it was running on 1 cylinder. I pulled off at a gas station and filled up with gas and let it sit for awhile. The oil level was fine, so I continued on. Returning home later in the afternoon, it did it again. I stopped and checked the oil level and it was down almost a qt, so I added oil and continued on. I took it over to Oakland Harley where I bought it and they kept it for a week. They couldn't duplicate the issue, so I brought it home and kept riding it. The sumping has continued off and on for 10-12 times overall. Yuba City HD was finally able to duplicate it a few weeks ago and installed the new revised oil pump. All was fine for a week and it did it twice sgain. Yuba City grabbed the bike a week and a half ago and still couldn't get it to act up. I picked it up last Saturday 2/17/18 and it sumped again thus morning after riding hard for 45 miles. At this point, I'm just livid. This is my 4th Ultra starting in '93, then '03,'07,and now '17 with around 300,000 miles. I also graduated from CHP Motor School in '81 riding enforcement bikes for a living. I ride 80 miles minimum daily back and forth to work, so I'm not just a weekend warrior. This is beyond absurd and just wanted to let you guys know it's not just the big bore bikes!!! If there's a class action lawsuit being put together, I'd live to sign up!!!

 

unfortunately Harley spends most on paint ( best in the industry ) chrome, stuff that looks good. Not the quality of there motors. I understand they want simple powerplants that are relatively easy to work on considering how many are tore down for upgrades after purchase.

that said, Harley needs to be known for durability, quality, American workmanship. Instead the motor has Chinese parts, because they are cheap. Wish all those with issues on the M8 best of luck. Harley did pay out some claims on the problem 07 CVO 110 motors due to a class action suit, there is hope for you.

 

It really began in 2008 when HD started getting sued for quality problems.Nothing has changed and won't because they have deeper pockets and so many people jump in buy a bike and in four years the sell the bike with 4000 miles and buy a boat or get divorced .The cycle starts over,how many 88 or 96 motors do you see on the road ? What HD learned is compared to the market they are and always will be the number one in motorcycles. I remember a time when Victory was gonna run HD out of town. So my advice is leave it stock buy a ESP and ride the **** out of it.

 

while I generally agree with this post, I was surprised to see so many Harley owners buying the new BMW K1600B or Bagger and K1600GA or Grand American. Generally the buyers tend to be riders that really like to tour and wanted more performance, handling, brakes along with all the other features. They also tend to be longer term Harley riders that really know there bikes.

None of them knock the Harleys, they just understand the differences.

for these reasons I agree that Harley will continue to lead in the USA, but not world wide. I also see there sales dropping from current levels due to there base getting old and all the quality competition. The new Goldwing, the new BMW K models, the new Yamaha Venture, the new Indian touring line. All great competition. Most were not around until recently. Add to That, younger riders tend to be less loyal. They buy what works the best for them at the best value.

Now that I have ridden the new BMW K1600B I realize how much Harley needs a modern frame/suspension for their touring line. They also need to install the largest and highest quality motor possible into those bikes. Most of the competition does this, there bikes out perform Harley touring bikes off the showroom floor.