The rear mono shock Softail, hasn't that been what victory has been doing for over 10 years?
Should the 2018 Softails be considered the most state of the art Softails at this time compared to other companies?
Are they much superior to the 96ci twin cam?
I here a lot of hype just like to hear feed back from non sales people.

 

Mono shocks have been around a lot longer than Victory. And by the way Victory failed big time, in just about every way.
The 2018 Harley Softails are compared to the HD softails that came before it. They Have a look inspired by the 1950's but done in a more modern way.
The M8 engine is just once again Harley going it's own way. Purchased a RGU with the M8 last year.
Harley may not be for you. That is fine there are those of us that ride Harley's and then their there are those that ride others.
Go ride one. Demo's are free.

 

Would you say in 2018 as for softails concern, no one does it better than Harley as of now? I'm not critiquing Harley I'm just inquiring on there latest feats and the advancements they've been making. I still ride my 1990 Evo Heritage

 

They have a USB charge port on the neck, left side.

 

First of all, Yamaha had their monoshock on the YZ PRODUCTION models in 1975. That's 42 years ago. If you look at the frame of the Yammie, it is not at all dissimilar to what HD is offering in 2018. The reasons people generally buy HD are several; revolutionary cutting edge technological advancement is unlikely to be one of them.

Having said that, the frame is entirely new, having an infinitely better, stronger, stiffer, and lighter design with 3.5 or 4.5" of suspension travel, roughly double that of the earlier models. From the worst of frames, (for perhaps a short while, anyway) Softails now have HD's best frames. The Showa forks are WORLDS better than what I was riding with.

My TC 103 was significantly more torquey than my 96 TC, and the bike had substantially better acceleration though it weighed about 100 pounds more than my 96. The TC 103 was followed by a higher output 103 with greater torque. Currect Softails with a 107 or the 114 M8 have 109 and 119 ft pounds of torque respectively. In stock configuration, the 114 intake looks to be a MUCH better breather than the stifling football cover.

Remember that until very recently, CVOs were only powered by TC 110 engines!

Depending on models, weights have dropped between 31 and 35 pounds, handling is improved due to this and other reasons. Brakes have improved. My TC 96 didn't even have ABS. Most models have LED lighting. My old Fatboy and my old Road Glide had me fearing dusk. Unfortunately, no power point was added, yet a USB connection is now possible. The SEATS are reportedly all a huge leap forward. I understand that shifting, tranny, and clutch are all improved. Clutch pull is lighter. In the case of the new FatBoy, I love the looks (subjective of course) the huge tires and wheels, the more relaxed seating position (I was leaned forward on my old FB) is perfect for me. Lean angle has somewhat improved, even with floor boards. Instrumentation has improved markedly. The engines run noticeably cooler.

I'm sure I'm forgetting something without a doubt. And since none of these new or TC 96 engines sounds like a Knuckle or Pan head anyway...

 

There's really nothing new on any bike.....

News flash, Victory didn't create/patent anything on their motorcycles. They were all recycled & revamped technology, made to look like a Harley....

Even a tech-laden bike like BMW, is just applying available technology to it's motorcycles... maybe some new & innovative ways to use existing tech, but doubt there's anything that hasn't been done/tried in one form or another before... most vehicle tech trickles down to bikes from racing (drive/brake systems) or high-end cars (radio/nav/video screens).

As far as "state of the art softails" go, other than using their trademarked name, Harley doesn't really have one anymore ... they have a frame with a mono-shock on a triangular swing-arm. If the exhaust wasn't hiding where the frame meets the triangular swing-arm, it would be obvious it no longer resembles a hard tail but w/shocks.... this new geometry is why people appear to be impressed...

Sales hype is always hard to sort through, but all I've read about the M8 engine in the softail/dyna variant is very positive.. the people who have ridden them and/or bought one seem to be very impressed..... you read a lot of superlatives thrown around when writing about their new bikes....

Go test drive one and give us your impressions... you may end up trading that EVO for one... of course, you could keep the EVO and just get one of the M8 bikes....

 

The monoshock is from Buell. You know the company that H-D owned. So it is not new but it is in house. The 4 valve head was a Buell design for the Evo back in the day. H-D dusted it off and and revamped it to fit the M8 engine.

So no it is not new it is evolutionary. Few if any manufacturer tries to reinvent the wheel. Less time and cost to use existing concepts. Plus the cost of reviewing any possible patent issue with a new design that someone could come out of the woodworks claimming they already have it.

Hardly anything on a car or motorcycle wasn't tried in the 20's to 40's.

 

Still love my Evo, but the M8 is awesome. All that and a bag of chips. Does everything well. Feels like what the Evo was supposed to become as a motor. The frame/suspension just works well. Nice package for two wheels.

 

Ride it. Try it. Like it. Don’t like it. Your money.

We are talking about a motorcycle company that is the epitome of heritage. We aren’t talking about a company building a cutting edge phone or computer.

I tried a 2017 Street Glide Special last year. I liked it. I also tried various twin cams, none of which I liked regardless if it was the A or B version of the 103. I tried a VROD Special that I loved but it was better as a second bike than having it as an only bike. I have not tried the 2018 Softails. On paper, they are fine machines with a stiffer chassis and better suspension front and rear and an engine that has the potential to breathe better than previous Big twins.

Keep the Evo and try out an M8 as a potential stablemate.

As for as Victory and the current iteration of Indian, they are not even in the same league. I want to like the Indians, but there is so much that I just don’t like that it is like trying to eat liver. I hate liver. I have drowned liver in hot sauce so that it was nothing but pain to mask the taste and I still hated it.

 

Bold new graphics ? ..nah !