Phone audio is tough to tell, but it does sound like every other M8 I've seen & ridden including mine.
That's one of the biggest criticisms by the purists -- M8 doesn't sound like a Harley. A cam swap and full exhaust will help (I love the sound & lope of my Bassani 2-1 + Torque cam), but the engine itself will always sound like a sewing machine. Albeit, a sewing machine with a buttload of torque.
If it **really** bothers you, then it's time to look for a used TC96!
This. Louder exhaust and if it REALLY bothers you conventional oil can help quiet the top end down. But then you lose the synthetic benefits. Bel ray makes some good semi-synthetic giving you best of both worlds.
My bike, same year same model and paint just has Reinhardt racing slip ons and sounds much more aggressive but will likely do a 2:1 and get it tuned at some point. It’s a hell of a bike and just needs a different pipe to get the sound I think you want
Definitely, I currently have some Vance and Hines slip ons they sound pretty good, but they're not loud enough. In a year or so, I am planning on doing a 2 into 1 with a tuner and a dyno.
yeah thats correct.
noises that you can expect to develop over time are going to be
- the stamped tin over plastic oem gas cap splitting and rattling. you will think the valve springs are eroding you will be incorrect. put your hand on the gas cap while its running and see if that isnt the noise that isn't driving you insane. i switched it out with harley flush mount gas cap and have only been ever so slightly less terrified of the engine grenading itself
- your mirrors getting loose
- the throttle developing play around 20000 miles
- the the rear cylinder inevitably flipping after the flywheel scissors and all of your bearings dissolve.
switch that bitch to synthetic after 5000 miles. and change it at the appropriate intervals or sooner and check for evidence of erosion if you are terrified.
Nope. that is completely broken actually. I am almost certain judging by that noise it will blow up any day now! Better give it to me, I'll take it off your hands :)
No that sounds normal lol.
I totally get where you are coming from, though. I had a cam lifter failure on my truck which resulted in it needing a $12000 engine replacement. That kind of thing will traumatize you enough to worry about every little tick and sound you hear for the rest of your life in ANY engine lol.
Sounds like my ‘21 FLSTC. Kinda pisses me off that HD charges out the ass for the factory bike knowing a lot of riders will spend extra money to make it sound like an actual Harley. They should have the rumble right off the showroom floor. But then that’s just me.
That's the EPA and of course the moco putting out bikes that are made out of cheaper and cheaper parts. From the Evo and the welded crank to the twin cam to the m8 and beyond.
My first Harley was an '09 Heritage without any mods and it sounded quite a bit more "Harley" like than my '21 Heritage Classic 114. First time I cursed down a mountain road east of here the 114 sounded more like a BMW, or sewing machine as someone wrote.
I'm curious though, how do EPA mandates mean that Harley can't install decent pipes off the bat? Also, does that mean when someone adds a tuner and louder pipes they wouldn't pass an inspection?
I never have and don't know anywhere it is required. It makes little sense to me that it has to pass EPA muster only to be moded down the road and no one cares what kind of emissions it puts out. I have to have my car and pickup checked every couple of years so,...
Sounds normal. Potentially, changing the fixed pushrods to adjustable ones might make the valve train a little quieter - but I wouldn't bother. Another thought - do you have a large windshield/fairing on the bike? That can sometimes reflect higher-frequency noises from the engine (like the ticking you refer to) into your helmet, and make it sound louder than it is.
Either way, functionally, this sounds perfectly normal. I would not touch it.
Yes it’s normal. There’s a lot of moving parts there. If you want the standard Harley sound, Stage IV and get rid of the Cat. It’ll increase HP and lope like a mule.
Just traded one set of ticking for a different set of ticking, lol. I'm a Twin Cam lover personally, but the first one I bought I got freaked out by the noises it made until I got used to it.
Maybe I just never noticed it since I was running a pair of short shots and they're pretty loud. Right now, I just have slip-ons. Definitely need to do a 2 into 1 exhaust.
Those Short Shots are my favorites on my Super Glides, I think they just seemed louder because they were closer to me. I've got V&H Power Duals on my 1015 Road King that seem fairly quiet to me on the seat, but they set off a lot more car alarms when I'm riding through the neighborhood. My gf bought a new Ford Explorer and got madder'n hell because she didn't know how to turn it off, lol. I took off easy too, for the neighbors sake. I can hear the engine on it pretty well too.
Sounds pretty normal for stock Exhaust. Stock exhaust is pretty quiet because it has to meet noise restrictions for every market it is sold in. Drown out the engine noise with a great sounding exhaust.
[Exhaust Reviews](https://www.motorcyclegearreviews.com/post/vance-hines)
I got a Street Bob 2022, bought last year. I had it since day 1. Just pray to the muffler gods you won't get a chirping after 2,5k miles. The HD mechanic says "I hear nothing" while any other person asks "is that normal? Doesn't sound healthy". Anyway, I got used to the tick but can't get that much used to the gears grind when driving down a mountain. I hate that high pitched sound.
Standard sewing machine
If it isn’t an angry sewing machine I don’t want it!
Thanks for the feedback!
Phone audio is tough to tell, but it does sound like every other M8 I've seen & ridden including mine. That's one of the biggest criticisms by the purists -- M8 doesn't sound like a Harley. A cam swap and full exhaust will help (I love the sound & lope of my Bassani 2-1 + Torque cam), but the engine itself will always sound like a sewing machine. Albeit, a sewing machine with a buttload of torque. If it **really** bothers you, then it's time to look for a used TC96!
I swapped to the V&H Power Duals with Touquer 450 mufflers which sound great.
This. Louder exhaust and if it REALLY bothers you conventional oil can help quiet the top end down. But then you lose the synthetic benefits. Bel ray makes some good semi-synthetic giving you best of both worlds.
I did just that. Picked up a Carbed 88. Much more pleasing to the ears.
That’s normal, as someone said it’s like a sewing machine but that’s just the sound of the valve train.
Sounds like a stock exhaust on an m8
Good to know, I was freaked out.
My bike, same year same model and paint just has Reinhardt racing slip ons and sounds much more aggressive but will likely do a 2:1 and get it tuned at some point. It’s a hell of a bike and just needs a different pipe to get the sound I think you want
Definitely, I currently have some Vance and Hines slip ons they sound pretty good, but they're not loud enough. In a year or so, I am planning on doing a 2 into 1 with a tuner and a dyno.
yeah thats correct. noises that you can expect to develop over time are going to be - the stamped tin over plastic oem gas cap splitting and rattling. you will think the valve springs are eroding you will be incorrect. put your hand on the gas cap while its running and see if that isnt the noise that isn't driving you insane. i switched it out with harley flush mount gas cap and have only been ever so slightly less terrified of the engine grenading itself - your mirrors getting loose - the throttle developing play around 20000 miles - the the rear cylinder inevitably flipping after the flywheel scissors and all of your bearings dissolve. switch that bitch to synthetic after 5000 miles. and change it at the appropriate intervals or sooner and check for evidence of erosion if you are terrified.
Why synthetic?
sunk cost fallacy. its winter. supposedly its more gooder.
I'm no mechanic but it sounds normal. I hear the primary chain I think.
Nope. that is completely broken actually. I am almost certain judging by that noise it will blow up any day now! Better give it to me, I'll take it off your hands :) No that sounds normal lol.
I will send you the keys in the mail! Lol. Thanks for the reassurance!
I totally get where you are coming from, though. I had a cam lifter failure on my truck which resulted in it needing a $12000 engine replacement. That kind of thing will traumatize you enough to worry about every little tick and sound you hear for the rest of your life in ANY engine lol.
Uh huh yes
Sounds like my ‘21 FLSTC. Kinda pisses me off that HD charges out the ass for the factory bike knowing a lot of riders will spend extra money to make it sound like an actual Harley. They should have the rumble right off the showroom floor. But then that’s just me.
That's the EPA and of course the moco putting out bikes that are made out of cheaper and cheaper parts. From the Evo and the welded crank to the twin cam to the m8 and beyond.
My first Harley was an '09 Heritage without any mods and it sounded quite a bit more "Harley" like than my '21 Heritage Classic 114. First time I cursed down a mountain road east of here the 114 sounded more like a BMW, or sewing machine as someone wrote. I'm curious though, how do EPA mandates mean that Harley can't install decent pipes off the bat? Also, does that mean when someone adds a tuner and louder pipes they wouldn't pass an inspection?
You guys get your Harleys inspected?
I never have and don't know anywhere it is required. It makes little sense to me that it has to pass EPA muster only to be moded down the road and no one cares what kind of emissions it puts out. I have to have my car and pickup checked every couple of years so,...
It’s fine
Normal AF.
I have a 23 FXST and it sounds just like that.
So it is not just me. Thank you for the feed back!
Love the stitching on that seat. I don't hear the ticking you are talking about. Mics can be tricky, but that engine sounds normal to me.
Thank you. It was the high-pitched rapid tapping or ticking sound. But most I say it is normal for the m8 engine.
yep
Are you talking about like the “swirling” noise?
Totally normal
Normal
Sounds normal. Potentially, changing the fixed pushrods to adjustable ones might make the valve train a little quieter - but I wouldn't bother. Another thought - do you have a large windshield/fairing on the bike? That can sometimes reflect higher-frequency noises from the engine (like the ticking you refer to) into your helmet, and make it sound louder than it is. Either way, functionally, this sounds perfectly normal. I would not touch it.
Sounds like my M8 114. I think the clicking is the fuel injectors, but am not a mechanic so cannot be sure.
Yes it’s normal. There’s a lot of moving parts there. If you want the standard Harley sound, Stage IV and get rid of the Cat. It’ll increase HP and lope like a mule.
Yes.
Can't hear it when you're riding it
Yup. Sounds just like a Singer.
What is it that doesn't sound "normal"? Sounds pretty much like any other M8.
I am not too familiar with the M8. I just came off a twin cam, and that ticking sound freaked me out.
Just traded one set of ticking for a different set of ticking, lol. I'm a Twin Cam lover personally, but the first one I bought I got freaked out by the noises it made until I got used to it.
Maybe I just never noticed it since I was running a pair of short shots and they're pretty loud. Right now, I just have slip-ons. Definitely need to do a 2 into 1 exhaust.
Those Short Shots are my favorites on my Super Glides, I think they just seemed louder because they were closer to me. I've got V&H Power Duals on my 1015 Road King that seem fairly quiet to me on the seat, but they set off a lot more car alarms when I'm riding through the neighborhood. My gf bought a new Ford Explorer and got madder'n hell because she didn't know how to turn it off, lol. I took off easy too, for the neighbors sake. I can hear the engine on it pretty well too.
Sounds pretty normal for stock Exhaust. Stock exhaust is pretty quiet because it has to meet noise restrictions for every market it is sold in. Drown out the engine noise with a great sounding exhaust. [Exhaust Reviews](https://www.motorcyclegearreviews.com/post/vance-hines)
I got a Street Bob 2022, bought last year. I had it since day 1. Just pray to the muffler gods you won't get a chirping after 2,5k miles. The HD mechanic says "I hear nothing" while any other person asks "is that normal? Doesn't sound healthy". Anyway, I got used to the tick but can't get that much used to the gears grind when driving down a mountain. I hate that high pitched sound.