Not looking for smart *** answers, just curious to see if there may be any validity to something I was told by an ex dealer mechanic recently.

My question is has anyone taken a 17 -18 M8 in for regular service or warranty work and they feel they have gotten back a changed motorcycle performance wise and I'm not referring to stage kits or dyno runs? Does the performance curve of the bike feel less than what it was when you took it in? Thanks in advance.

Sorry about the headline auto fill killed me again.

 

Im curious as to what the dealer mechanic told you. Do you think they detuned them for longevity or something?

 

I'll pay attention this weekend because my 2018 goes in for the 1000 mile service Saturday morning.

 

How would they de-tune the bike?
Wouldn't they need to at least "marry" a Pro Street Tuner to the bike in order to reflash the ECU?
My dealer claims that they don't have the ability to reflash the ECU with any other method.
With modern ignition and engine management systems, I'm not sure how they would accomplish a de-tune, short of swapping out expensive components.

Personally, I didn't notice any performance change after my first service. If anything, it is running quieter and smoother on full synthetic oil.

 

Performance tunes, no. But factory calibration updates...absolutely they can. I suspect the OP feels maybe they're detuning them with a calibration update. I've seen it at Ford, so there's no reason to believe that HD couldn't do it also.

 

Take note of your usual shift points, RPM's and the speeds you usually run around town and in general before you go in.

 

Thanks for that information. The reason I stated what I did was because my dealer said they couldn't raise my unstable idle speed to 950 RPM without a Pro Street Tuner. I had assumed that changing other parameters would require the same.

 

I have had 2 service's done to the bike and warranty work. bike feels exactly the same. 17 Road glide standard

 

Curious... You stated unstable idle; does your bike start in gear? I ask because the clutch lever switch is known to cause that condition.

 

I'm not sure where this is going. Unless you're saying it might feel under powered after you're getting it back so you're shifting at a higher RPM due to perceived power being lower. Otherwise, the RPMs and MPH at your shift points are going to stay the same.

My 2018 is going in Thursday for the 1000 mile. I dont know if it makes a difference in your theory, but I've already thrown a Power Vision on mine. I'll try and pay attention either way.