HARLEY-DAVIDSON MILWAUKEE EIGHT
FIRST RIDE
P98
gest improvement was not so
much the extra torque, but the
lack of vibration. The reduced
vibes and nicer throttle re-
sponse made the ride so much
smoother, and the extra torque
meant I would often ride a gear
higher than I would normally use
and just ride the torque, rather
than shift. The new motor pulls
smoothly from exceptionally low
revs, and the ride is now a bit
more relaxed than the 103 ci
motor. More muscle means less
effort to do the same job.
I jumped on the Street Glide
for a run on the COV 114 engine
and it has just that little bit more
of everything, more power, more
torque and a similar nice throttle
application. Again, you can let
the motor run exceptionally low
in the revs in a gear higher than
you'd expect and it'll pull you
out, no problem. This would be
my pick of the two purely be-
cause it felt easier to manage
than the 110. It's not an enor-
mous difference, but having that
extra torque was a good feeling,
especially on the wet roads we
encountered on this trip.
Harley's new motor may not
be what many would consider
technologically advanced, but it
sure feels it. The new single-cam
motor feels more refined in every
detail to the former lump, while
retaining all the sounds and feels
that define the brand.
As one of only nine motors in
its history, it'll probably be a long
time before we see a new one,
so Harley needed to get this one
right. Good news is, they did. CN
You couldn't
miss this thing
even if you were
blind as a bat.
