So the promotional video boasts that the M8 gives a 2 to 3 bike length improvement in acceleration compared to the engine it replaces.
With such a relatively insignificant performance gain I'll be happy to keep my 103...

 

When you are riding with your buddies and everyone rolls on their throttles, you don't want to be that guy left in the dust.

While the 103's are pretty easy running, the new 107's run quieter, cooler, better sounding, lower emissions, and are more powerful. Whats not to like?

Twinkies are about at the end of their development cycle. New engine will be the basis for future development for many years to come.

Touring bikes are getting heavier, and Americans not getting any lighter. Extra power is always welcomed.

Saw the same thing when touring bikes moved from 88 to 96 to 103. Gotta keep moving forward.

PS. Love my 103

 

My riding buddies don't ride for the race. I'll be happy to be left behind. That said if I was in the market sure I'd buy the new motor. But the motor having a counter-balancer is a reason I ditched my softail.

 

I'm keeping my 103, but I'm more interested in things like did they fix the .012 crank runout, compensator, wheel bearings. You know, stuff that really matters in the long run. Also, how much heat reduction was achieved for the rider? I could care less about a .25 second faster 0-60 time or if I'm left behind for .5 of a second.

 

Can you explain what you mean about the counter-balancer? What about it you didn't like?

 

Lol at the new 107.

There is a reason why I didn't buy a Rushmore bike when I decided to jump from my Dyna to a Touring bike.

I knew I wanted a Street Glide, but the vent on the 2014+ models (functional as it may be) is ugly as sin and I hate it. Second was the fact that the motor was unchanged, why go with a Rushmore bike when a 2013 has the same 103ci engine minus the ugly **** fairing vent?

The only other thing better than the 2013 on the Rushmore bikes was the new radio and the SGS hand adjustable shocks instead of the air shocks. Oh, and the Enforcer wheels, I like those.

So what did I do? I bought a 2013 Street Glide. Then I put 2014 SGS shocks and Enforcer wheels on it. Boom, it's like a Rushmore bike but without the ugly fairing.

The new 107 leaves much to be desired, from what I have seen so far. Hell, at this point, I'd rather drop coin on a bigger S&S motor than buy a new bike.

 

I can't speak for SuperFly but I rode one of the balanced softails for a few hours and I didn't enjoy it.

My rides are an old Evo and a newer rubber-mounted touring bike. On those, the engine shakes the whole bike at idle and at speed you can still feel the vibrations. It sounds crazy but it feels right.

The smoothness of the balanced engine didn't feel natural. It made me feel like some of the bike's soul was missing. I was happy to get off.

I read that the engineers dialed back the balancer on the new engine to keep some of that soul kicking. I hope they were successful.

 

To me when I fire up my harley it's supposed to shake. I need to look at it and see the motor shaking the entire bike.

You don't get that on the softail. It's missing. I can't really explain it but it doesn't feel the same. the touring harleys feel plenty smooth at speed. Not sure why they needed to go with a counterbalanced motor but I'm not entirely against it.

 

I'll keep my 103 until there is some real life testing done on the 107/114.

 

The Counterbalance was added for the shaking, its for the new solid mounted frame coming in a couple of years.

Beary