Introduction to M8 Softail Service

Hey everybody, it's Mike Roen, "Fix My Hog." Got a great new video for you. As you can see, we got Harley's all-new M8's Heritage Softail. Now, everybody's familiar with the old Softail. The bike's been around since 1986, and right out of the gate, the thing was a hit. I mean, it had the cool retro look. It was kind of a new style that was old style, you know? The rear shocks, they took 'em and they tucked 'em underneath the transmission so it gave it that rigid look, you know? And that was kind of the whole deal, as everybody liked that that cool, old school look. And they had the Fat Boy and the Heritage, and they ran that all the way to '99 with the Evo motor. And then in 2000, it got the Twin Cam B motor, 88 cubic inch five-speed. They added a Deuce and a Deluxe, and then eventually in '07, it got the six-speed tranny, 96 cubic inch, couple more models, and then eventually, the 103. Well, that's all changed now. Now, it's a completely new chassis. It still looks similar to what it was, but that's kinda what Harley's trying to do. They want to keep that look. But if you look real close, there's a lot of big changes. We're gonna go over that today. It's got a new frame, new chassis, a Mono Shock rear shock, and of course it got the M8 motor. It's still rigid-mounted, and it's a balanced motor. It's not like the M8 Touring motor because that's still rubber-mounted with one balancer. This has got two balancers, so. And like I said, we're gonna do the full service today. Kinda just touch base on all the new features. Now, you probably bought the motorcycle new 'cause it's a new model. If you do buy it used, make sure you get the owner's manual. It's got a lot of the servicing specs in it, and actually kinda goes through how to do the basic maintenance. But if you're really gonna marry this thing and you're gonna run it out the whole life of the motorcycle, I guess I'd recommend getting the factory manual. They're up to 130 bucks now. Spend the money. It's worth it. If you're gonna be doing all the maintenance, you're gonna want it. The whole tranny, engine, wiring. It's got all the specs pretty detailed. It's well worth the money, so invest in that. And let's just touch base on this again, 'cause if you do buy the manual, here's what Harley does. I'm gonna open this up here and show you. Okay, so when you're looking in the service manual, here's what they do. They go by the letter designation, and the Heritage used to be an FLSTC. Well, they've changed that now. Now it's an FLH, and the code is YA. So, when you're looking in your service manual, it's gonna put down the particular code or the letter designation to what model you're looking up the specs. For torque specs, or however the procedure's done. So, don't fool yourself and start looking up things for an FLDE, the Deluxe. Make sure you're looking at your particular model. That's kinda handy 'cause that's hard to find. People always call me up and want to know what their model number is, and I don't know it off the top of my head. So, that's something you're gonna want to refer to. So, this bike comes with a two-year warranty, and if you're looking in your owner's manual, what they're saying is you don't have to take it to the Harley dealer. They're trying to lead you to believe that you want to go to Harley, and spend the money, and get all the routine maintenance. But in reality, no. You don't have to, to keep your warranty valid. What they do want is detailed records. You're gonna want to date your stuff, you'll want to document the mileage. And really, if you want to do it, maybe you want to go to the dealer and buy OEM. And when I say OEM, original equipment manufacturer. That'll probably help you out. Say you had a catastrophic engine failure. They're gonna be all over your records. They're gonna want to know what you've done, when you did it, and the parts you've used. Now, we do use a lot of aftermarket oils and filters, and they're top brand, so it's gonna be your discretion. If you want to buy OEM, maybe support your local dealer, support your local motorcycle shop and go in and buy all the parts. Have your receipts. Just be prepared because if you do have a problem, it's a big deal, and they can void your warranty. And speaking of voiding your warranty, if you're reading in your manual, they're gonna pretty much know if you do a stage one with a high flow exhaust and a download, that's gonna void your warranty now, is what it sounds like. So, really check with your dealer before you do that, or put the motorcycle back to stock when you bring it in, 'cause they're gonna flag the bike otherwise, so. What we're gonna do is we're gonna start going down the checklist now, and get the service done.