To get back on the original topic I went to my local HD dealer yesterday to test ride one of the new 2017 touring bikes with the all new Milwaukee Eight engines.
The reason for this was that I am currently between bikes having sold my 2009 Harley Road King and replacing it with a 2015 Yamaha FJR1300ES that was a super bike but the footpeg position just didn't work for me (leg circulatory issues) so in the process of selling it and looking for a new two wheel ride and wanted to give Harley another chance.
I was now limiting my search to a motorcycle with foot placement either under and slightly forward like the Goldwing or F6B or the floor boards of the Harley that I had grown very use to and found to be comfortable.
Well, they rolled out the brand new 2017 Street Glide Special and off I went for about an eight mile circuit ride. Here is my analysis of the new Harley engine and bike.
The engine is certainly smoother than the prior twin cam motors at both idle and at running speeds. This is probably due to their adding a counter balance to the engine. The engine raps up a lot faster than the prior engines and the seat of the pants gauge is that it has more HP and torque and gets it to the back tire with ease. As a former F6B owner I can say that the new Harley might even be able to keep up with a F6B in acceleration and there will now be no reason for someone to spend a couple of grand on a brand new bike to get it to run better. It also seems to be a little cooler running but that was difficult to gauge as the outside air temp was approaching 100 degrees F yesterday mid afternoon but due to better oil passages in the heads it should be a little cooler running but it is still an air/oil cooled engine.
Those were the positives, now for the negatives.
The engine does not have the same feel as all prior Harleys and by this I mean the vibration cadence seems to be different and strange and this could be a real turn off for the die hard Harley fans. One of the service advisers said that it had a Japanese feel to it which is probably a good thing but could be bad for Harley if the diehards don't buy into it.
The exhaust sound is much louder than prior stock exhaust and to me it bordered on way too loud. This was a negative for me but for the dyed in the wool Harley rider it will probably be welcomed.
The new slipper clutch wasn't an improvement that I could tell any difference versus my prior Harley and it still clunks loudly going into first gear from neutral. They should have never gone to the hydraulic clutch as I preferred the cable system on the 2009-2013 touring bikes. Just something else to give trouble.
The Street Glide did not handle that well compared to my most recent ride, the FJR1300ES but than what does. I am also used to less hung weight on the front end with my old Road King and not used to the SG with its batwing fairing so to me it didn't handle as well as the old Road King. Harley claims they improved the suspension but I didn't feel it. The F6B has it and any Harley beat in the large bike handling department.
Overall it is probably an improvement over the prior twin cam engine especially if the cam chain tensioner and bad charging stator and weak lower end issues are now corrected. But, is it worth $24K+ for the non liquid cooled models and $27K+ for the Ultra Limited with cooled heads, not in my opinion. Harley has been losing sales to Indian and Victory and this new engine is their response to stop the loss and these changes may work but it is still a very hot running machine with less than desirable handling and a big price tag. The only real fix is a fully liquid cooled engine and they know that once they go that route they will have to compete head up with the Japanese bikes and they will loose that battle.
All in all, the F6B is back on the top of my list and waiting on a local dealer to call me back regarding a 2015 deluxe in silver that they have in inventory.
May be XXXHarley soon.
Ride safe,
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Originally Posted by unsub
