Dr. Strangebike or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the M8
 

With the change in living circumstances (divorced finally, and moved to southwest Virginia) I traded in the '16 and the Pan Am and bought a 2022 Road Glide Limited.

Took the '22 out for 300 miles today, and I have thoughts...

Today's the first day I've seen the bike out in the sun. I've said before that the paint on my '16 was the best-looking paint ever put on a Road Glide, and I still believe that, but damn, the Gunship Gray pops in daylight. The fit & finish on this bike is stellar. I can forgive the Jiffy Stand being chrome....Powdercoat doesn't last well on them (I've recoated the one on the Night Train 3 times, and it's due again), but the saddlebag latches? C'mon Harley, that's just stupid.

Speaking of stupid, it's beyond stupid that a $34,000 premium motorcycle comes with a single security fob, no bag liners, no heel shifter, and they took away the vent doors. And as of March 1st, there's now a $1,000 "surcharge" on new bikes. Stupid.

On the plus side, there's the kick-ass GTS infotainment system that boots up so much faster (but still doesn't get loud enough), TPMS, RDRS, hill-hold, 90 degree valve stems (finally!), heated grips, and did I mention that gorgeous paint?

Since the BRP is in my backyard, I figured that'd be a great road to get the break-in miles done.

I left the house at 9 this morning with 25 miles on the bike. Headed south up and over Bent Mountain to get past the closure on the Parkway. Since I never rode an inch on the stock seat or rear shocks, I can't comment on them. But the bike felt just like the '16 - which is a Good Thing. The new "Dual Bending Valve" forks work much better than the stock forks on the '16. Not as good as the PA front end, but not the huge gap the old bike had. As I wound my way through the mountains, I was pleasantly surprised with how well the bike tracked, and how well the front end did its job. The '16 had a True-Track brace and engine mount, and at today's speeds I didn't miss them. The '22 has 18" wheels, and there's a difference in ride and handling between them and the 17/16 setup on the '16. Turn-in is better, ride harshness isn't.

Ugh though, the stock bars. Had 14" KST Pathfinders on the '16, and I'd forgotten how bad the stock ones were. I have them rolled all the way forward, and they're too low, the wrist angle is all wrong, and they're too narrow. And I can't see a damn thing in the mirrors. Gonna need to fix this posthaste, as my back is complaining.

And then there's the motor.

There's a whole bunch of my posts on various Harley forums stating clearly that I wasn't at all interested in the M8. I still don't like the way it looks. I still don't like the sound at idle. I loved the Twin Cam, and I still maintain that it's a fantastic engine. Looks great, sounds great, and it's what I'm used to. Starting The Gray Ghost this morning, I was like, "ehh". Hopefully the Street Cannons, tune, and Stage II help this poor thing out. Nothing is going to make those heads look better though.

Once I got past 50 miles, I started working the motor up to 3,500rpm, and things got interesting. My '16 had a really good Stage I, and ran great. What I noticed immediately was the torque. Even stock, this thing pulls much better down low. And from the rider's seat, the bike's got a decent tone. Really decent. I worked the gearbox a lot on the '16, and didn't need to do nearly as much today. In 200 more miles I'll see how it does at the upper ranges, but my gut says that this stock bike would flat run away from my '16. And that hurts a little bit.

Overall, I'm very happy with this thing. With the Stage II and a bar swap, it's going to make me even happier. I could have dumped a pile of cash into the '16 to add power, the painted inner fairing (didn't think I'd like this as much as I do), the GTS, and so on, but that would have been on a 6-1/2 year old bike with no warranty and a transmission that ate itself last spring.

Looking forward to wearing this thing out.

Congrats Russ. :woohoo: I love breaking in a new motor and feeling the compression build. I've only had 2 bikes in 16 years, but 5 motors/builds to break in.

Very nice!

Super ride report. We did a loop today on the old 2012 and I really need to repack and quiet the mufflers before my next long trip down to the southern tip of Texas.

Congratulations!

My obsolete 2015 had two fobs, guess the corporate greedy bastards found another way to squeeze more blood from us turnups, selling it with only one fob.:badmood:

Just remember to put in a T/S security code to unlock the system if you loose the fob.

How much extra does another fob cost?:doh:


Maybe it's the micro chip supply shortage excuse?

Good to see you here Russ and congratulations on the scooter. I’m on the mend and installed a reduced effort clutch thingy with a new well lubed cable and rode about 20 or 30 miles Sunday. Last time I rode was October of 2020.

:woohoo:

Great to talk to you today Warren.

Hopefully you and the NoVA guys can meet up with me and Dave somewhere between here and there.

Good write up. You’re spot on on the cost cutting measures. I can’t believe they left off the heel shifter. You should read what the CVO guys are complaining about missing on their $50K bikes.

I plan to add a red shift 468 cam. If you look up some vids on YouTube they make an m8 sound awesome.

The m8’s are so strong and super smooth. You’re going to love this motor.

Good luck, hope to ride with you soon


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Factory 47 14" Miter bars and the H-D "Power" cam going in next month.

Why did you choose the power cam over the torque cam?


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Have you met me? I spend a lot of time over 5,000rpm. The torque cam gives up at 3,500. That's when I start smiling. And there's no deficit below that. Harley riders want torque, and that's why they sell so many of those cams. But the Power cam is - by far - the better cam on paper.

You sound just like that Russ guy I used to know.