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[GregKhougaz]

Over some very impressive competition, Rider magazine has named the Milwaukee 8 touring family of motorcycles it's 2017 motorcycle of the year. I was surprised.

Rider’s 2017 Motorcycle of the Year

When Harley-Davidson relaunched its Touring family of bikes in 2014 under the Project Rushmore banner with a large dose of customer-driven enhancements and precision liquid-cooling for the Ultra Limited, we were impressed by the bikes’ more powerful engines, nice new features like hydraulic clutches, better lighting and latches and more comfort, and how much cooler its flagship touring machine was between the knees. Little did we know the best was yet to come for 2017 with a new engine for the Touring family, the Milwaukee-Eight. Named for its birthplace and the total number of valves, the ninth generation of Harley’s big twin had to meet a lot of demands, not the least of which are more stringent emissions requirements here and abroad, now and in the future. Competition is also heating up in the touring arena, and Harley’s customers were demanding a new V-twin that has more power, runs cooler, vibrates less at idle and is narrower, yet still has that famous Harley-Davidson iconic look, sound and feel.

The new four-valve per cylinder Milwaukee-Eight V-twins meet all of these demands and more, yet stay true to that gorgeous traditional style. Bikes without fairing lowers like the Road King, Street Glide and Road King Special get the air/oil-cooled Milwaukee-Eight 107ci engine, and the 107 V-twins in the bikes with lowers like the Road Glide Ultra and Ultra Limited have oil and precision liquid cooling. All get new front and rear Showa suspension as well. At this stage we’ve ridden and dyno tested most of the 10 regular-production Touring models, and can happily say that they make more power and gobs more torque down low, with ample pulling power for two-up touring or just flying down the highway. They also shake less at stops, don’t heat up your legs and are narrower to make it easier to get your feet down at stops. The new suspension helps them handle better than before and improves the ride, too.

The refinement and development timeline that began with a new chassis for the touring bikes in 2009 is now complete, resulting, as we said in our December 2016 issue, in a truly integrated package, one that honors the past, embraces the future, offers more performance and makes the rider’s and passenger’s comfort, safety and enjoyment a top priority.

[iski]

Thanks for posting Greg.  M8 was/is a huge improvement over past HD engines. More power, where most of us want it, and less heat to deal with.  Suspension improvements were much needed as well.  Of the HDs I have owned, my 2017 CVO Limited is the best by far.  Also the most expensive....

Know there are some who do not like the new platform.  My opinion on that is: changes are liked by some and not by others.  Does not matter so much what the change actually is.  And some just don't like much of anything, no matter what it is, but that is a different story.

When Harley does something right, they deserve credit.  Too many times we read about the negative stuff, and the positive stuff is just taken for granted.

[ultrarider123]

Thanks for posting, Greg.

I'm not disputing the Rider Magazine article but this reads like it's straight from the MoCo publicity department.....interesting timing on it, too.  Sales down, factories slowed/stopped, lay-offs....hmmm

I'm not disputing the M8.  Seems like from our site reviews and miles in the saddle from members, it's a very good motor.  Issues with the "Rushmore" bike changes beginning in 2014 were not as smooth as the article infers, however.  I don't like playing the skeptic but "MOTY"?....

[iski]

Why not MCotY?

Most motorcycle magazines write articles that read like the ads the MC companies put out.  That has been the case since I subscribed to a few of MC mags in the late 60s, when I was too young to notice.  Each issue touted Kawa or Yama or Suzuki because of " innovative wummerful ___________ blah blah."  Through the years have not seen much to change my opinion.  There are a few places - like this forum - where writers will give you warts and all.  Not as likely in a MC mag unless there is a recall or something disastrous in the MC world.

HD did a lot with Rushmore.  Some of it was "not ready for prime time."  Some of it was.  So far the M8 & suspension from 2017 get good reviews from those who ride them. 

Most all MC sales are down.  Millennials evidently do not ride MCs or drink beer at the same percentages of population as previous generations.  Thankfully there are many exceptions to that, but from what I see, there are a lot of "pajama boys" out there - something with 2 wheels that makes a loud noise will scare them.  No amount of marketing can overcome that.

[Lars]

This is what I enjoy about this forum, good debate from both sides of an issue done with respect.

Thanks Iski, Thanks Haird. 👍👍

Lars.

[muddypaws]

I sure like my 2017 CVO much batter then the 2012 I had.

[J.D.]

I agree that the new bikes are good, especially the M8 vs. the large Twin Cams, but with that said they still have some technical issues to sort out (e.g. clutch, compensator, oil pump).

[ultrarider123]

This is what I enjoy about this forum, good debate from both sides of an issue done with respect.

Thanks Iski, Thanks Haird. 👍👍

Lars.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.....

[iski]

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.....

 

Better than I could have said it.

[dghboy]

All the improvements are good or great, however HD has priced themselves out of the reach of many. The improvements they have designed are not to merit the prices of these modernized dinosaurs. I love the brand, I love the lifestyle that it tries to inspire, but no more new bikes for me. They depreciate worse than cars. Plus paying for a bike more than most cars has sent me in a different direction. I will always have a Harley in my stable, however there are much better quality and comfort bikes out there for the current rider. JMO


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