My plan was to upgrade the oil pump in the beginning since those weren’t the greatest design. Once I started that, things went downhill from there, so I decided to start from the ground up and do it right.

I couldn’t agree with you more. I don’t understand how they can make a product like this and still have a following.

I’m jealous of your year round riding in Florida. I’m in Vermont. The seat did break in a little bit, but it’s still a pretty firm seat. If you’re looking for a seat that works really well for riding aggressively but still lets you do a couple hour afternoon ride, this is a good seat. I think if you want to travel distance, it’s not comfortable enough. I am a pretty small person so the narrow profile is good for me, but someone larger might hate it. It really depends on your size and type of riding.

I’m sorry to hear you have the same problem. If it was me, I would always replace the cam plate with the oil pump. Keep in mind there could be other reasons your engine is sumping. Make sure to check your crank runout while you’re in there. If your runout is too much, you will just destroy the new parts you put in. A compression test is also an easy test that can tell you a lot.

I have added that since this video. It’s nice piece of mind.

The bigger the engine and more power, the better the design needs to be. Personally I feel like Harley’s design could handle the m8’s power as long as the engine is put together well. The fact that Harley finds .012 runout acceptable on a crankshaft is crazy to me and as long as they are putting their engines together with tolerances like that, there will always be engines that fail. The short answer, I wouldn’t rebuild an m8 unless I started hearing or feeling symptoms. But, after two m8’s in a row that had some sort of engine issue, I wouldn’t buy another one.

The original cause was the crankshaft having too much runout.

2019. The crankshaft was within spec according to Harley Davidson, which is outrageous. They say .012 is the allowed limit for runout. Ask any engine shop and they will tell you that’s way too much. Harley hasn’t changed their limits so this could keep happening even with the new bikes.

That’s cool that you recognize it!

That’s terrible! I feel your pain man. Super happy that I went to the Honda. Do you think you’ll keep your Harley?

Lol. None taken. Yeah, I’m a little like a flea on an elephant, but my power to weight ratio is better than most. The bike handles fine and as long as I rode smart, never had an issue. Loading the bike up with a passenger and gear is when I started to feel very small.

That’s awesome! The Goldwings are in a class of their own for sure. Glad you like it. Thanks for watching!

Thank you! The seat was custom done by Mean City Cycles. They used my stock seat pan.

Yeah, there isn’t much info out there about this tensioner. I had it recommended to me by Baker transmissions and another mechanic in Maine. It seems to work well. It’s nice to not have to open up the primary to adjust it all the time.

I’m very happy that I got the standard. Chrome is a very tough finish and holds up well. The difference in power and torque aren’t really that much. If you spent the money difference on a stage two, you’d have more power, better sound and a bike that is more fun to ride. Unless you really like the blacked out finishes, I don’t think the Special is worth the higher price.

Glad you like it! It’s an S&S stealth air cleaner.

Vermont. Summertime is amazing here!

I had the dealer install it, but yes. You will need to get the switch to go in the dash and the wiring harness for that.

That sucks. .10 is a lot! I wish HD would cover stuff like that. You do need to drill some holes to do the conversion, but I can’t imagine how it could weaken it enough to cause issues. Darkhorse Crankworks would be good people to talk to if you’re really worried about it. Harley used to have Timken bearings stock, but they changed to the current setup to save cost.

Haha. You’re not wrong. I have had some metric cruisers blow some pretty hot air from the radiator on me. Design is very important.

That’s so cool! I lived in NH for a while and still have lots of family there. Glad I could help!

I would say that it depends on the type of riding you do and the condition of the roads you ride. I spent under $1000 for my Ohlins. It is a big improvement over stock and makes a nicer ride, but there is no replacement for travel. Other model motorcycles have a lot more travel.

Thank you! It’s too bad that Harley tolerances don’t keep the crank at less of a runout. Would save a lot of people a ton of money.

Sorry to hear that. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’ll try to make some more videos and not speed them up. I’ve gotten a few requests for that. I first thought people would be bored at normal speed, but it seems like people want that.

Thanks a lot. From my experience, I would recommend 1000 mile break-in. Vary the rpm during this time, but don’t run for long periods at high rpm or the same rpm. I ended up doing the front suspension after the build because they were so bad. The front suspension helped over the bumps a lot, but the handling and brake dive was the greatest improvement. The rear shock makes the ride feel more plush and greatly benefits the passenger. The fronts focus more on handling/performance, but the chassis felt way more stable over bumps once I got all of them done. I always recommend Ohlins to people because they can be valved and sprung to a specific person. Legend doesn’t have the same customization. That being said, Legend does make a good product. It’s like a tux, if it’s tailored, it’s better. Just the way it is.

Haha. Thanks! I made the tune when I was in a music class in high school.

I know they use gel in the seat, but I’m not sure if they extend it into the passenger section. Either way, I wouldn’t plan on it being comfortable for a passenger.

I put in the Alloy Art Cush drive. Revzilla sells them.

I wanted the torque to come later in the rpm range. The 465 is very low, which is what most Harley owners like. I prefer torque that builds as the RPM climb. Just a preference thing. I do think that the 465 would have been smoother because it’s a lower lift cam.