The weather in NC finally cleared up and I was able to take the bike out for its first REAL (3 hour) ride.
My body stats are
5' 7"
235 lbs (yeah I have a one pack)

Comfort
I was holding on for dear life. Wind shield has been ordered and is on the way. 18" King.

Definitely felt the need to stretch out at times. I think if the floor boards were further away from the frame it would be a more natural riding position. I will look into this. May be some after market I could use. The highway bars are on the way which will provide one or two more foot placement options. I still have the adjustable foot pegs that never sold from the Ultra.

I will definitely need to do something with the seat. I am trying to find a sundowner that I can test .. if that works, I will then see if the Grasshopper will fit with the Sundowner. If there is too much bull surrounding this, Ill probably just bite the bullet and get the Ultimate.

I have to wait for the wind shield and seat .. but the handle bars might need to be adjusted. RIght now .. feeling like 2-4 inches up and 1 to 2 back would do it. But have to wait on the other parts first to see the effect.

Performance
A$$ meter is a ten .. although I didnt hit it hard ... believe in following the mannys break in suggestions .. the M8 does perform much better on a 600 pound platform rather then the 800 pound.
Handling was good. THe bike feels kind of light ... but thats probably because Ive been riding the 800 pound VTX 1800 and the WIng.
Exhaust .. no .. whats Harley doing here ? it needs to be replaced. The WIng rumbles more ... too quiet .. These are on the way

They were hard to find. Not sure why. I usually go with Rinehart. Im an old guy 55 .. dont like loud. I like the deep rumble / tones. The Rineharts sound too loud .. at least for me.

The only other thing I ordered was the two pouch wind sheild bag to carry my tool kit and cell phones .. The motherwells luggage rack should be here today or tomorrow.

So the seat and backrest and some bag 15" x 12" at least to carry my laptop and rain gear.

... ofcourse, I still have the WIng for the long hauls that require I bring along the kitchen sink.

Other observations
The Mirrors were installed too far forward. So when I went for the clutch and brake, my hand hit the bottom of the mirrors. Ill loosen the acorn and move them. Will probably get the Kuryakyn mirror extenders.
Hard to find neutral.
BIke surges forward if starting in first with clutch pulled in.

 

 

Thanks for these posts. The Deluxe is the only M8 that's caught my eye, but our dealers haven't had any available for test rides, so it's helpful to have your comments

 

I can find neutral easy when bike is shut down, but with engine running...almost impossible.

Over 4K miles and my Cherry still surges forward when starting in first with clutch pulled in. More so when cold than when hot.

 

Yeah .. Ive read alot about this voiding of the contract. I havent heard of many that have had warranties voided because of slip ons. Other stuff .. yes .. but not slip ons.

 

Mean City Cycles can do wonders to the existing seat to make it lower and narrower while improving comfort with their memory foam mod. $$$ a lot less than a new aftermarket seat.

 

 

Sweet lookin' bike. I do love the looks of white walls on blue bikes.

You mentioned using the windshield bag for a tool kit and cell phone. If by tool kit you mean the two tools you get with the bike, you'll be fine. I have the two bag version and they are small. I have a cell phone one bag and other contains cigars, matches and a trimmer. They're way too small for anything much larger than a pair of sunglasses.

 

What is the Ultimate seat? I have the Hammock on my '18 Slim now and it is super sweet. I've had a Sundowner re-worked by Mean City and while it was a huge improvement over the original Sundowner the Hammock is way more comfortable than the MCC Sundowner. Any seat was better than the original seat and I definitely will have MCC do more seats for me but the Hammock I have no need to modify .

 

Yo,it looks chunky hey !
I like it.