I think they really need to redesign the frame for better suspension. There simply is not enough travel in the rear of the current frame set up. Indian and Victory had 5 and 6" of rear travel and it was felt by the nice plush ride. Harley needs to go to a monoshock to keep the ride height low and have the kind of travel we need on our touring bikes. My 2017 M8 RGS is better this year, but still not where it needs to be.

 

Marketing!!!

Thousands of riders will race to dump their now "obsolete" low mileage 2017's, for a shiny new 2018 that might ride just a little better.

 

The first thing 99% of Harley buyers would do is Install lowering blocks or shocks with 2" of travel.

 

No ****

It boggles my mind these guys buy a low riding heavy wide bike then slam it down so it can't clear a decent speed bump then bitch about the ride and how the tech is so old.

 

They're going to save money by having a more standardized frame

 

Aluminum frames are probably going to happen one day, but in the meantime, I sure do appreciate that "heavy" touring frame when I am on the highway with 20 mph cross winds hitting me. I hate getting blown around on the highway.

I doubt if we ever see a touring frame on the dyna and softail models. that would really be against what the riders of those models want. But you never know.

 

You would think an aluminum frame would save weight but often since they need to make the aluminum strong enough for a motorcycle, it winds up weighing just about as much as the steel frame. Ask Honda about that when they went to an aluminum frame on the 2001 Goldwing 1800. Didn't really lose any weight when compared to the prior steel frame Goldwing 1500. And to this day, they are still having problems with the aluminum frame cracking.

 

 

The problem with aluminum as a structural material is that ALL stress is cumulative in aluminum, unlike steel. In an aluminum structure, any stress, no matter how small will contribute to eventual failure.


Think about that next time you get on a commercial airliner.

 

I agree! The Indian uses an aluminum back bone with steel down tubes. And the Polaris Indian actually has 4.5 inches of travel, which is more than enough compared to the Street/Road Glides 2.1 inches.