The Milwaukee-Eight: An Evolution?

The Milwaukee-Eight is an evolution. And the Milwaukee-Eight-powered motorcycles are Evolutions, as well, I guess. Bear with me for a moment. I’m not talking so much about the similarity between the engines specifically as the platforms that used each engine.

Nine years ago, I stood in Wisconsin as Alex Bozmoski, Chief Engineer at Harley-Davidson, explained the intricacies of the then-nascent M-8. It’s hard to believe we’re coming up on what will probably mark about the halfway point in that engine’s life if Harley holds true to its century-old-plus pattern of overhauling the Big Twin every generation or so. 

As I look back, I have to say that The Ocho has impressed me.

And this is why I say it’s an evolution (and an Evolution). The development of aftermarket parts like our own shows how the M8’s history tracks the Evo’s in a way marketing fluff can’t. Let’s turn back the page for a moment. The Evo was the bike that helped H-D turn the corner financially. It’s also still a legend for its good power, reliability, and oil tightness. The Evo took Harley out of the dark ages. Sure, the chassis left a little to be desired but the drivetrain finally worked. 

And the aftermarket flourished. In fact, most custom choppers were based on 1984-1999 Softail; you’ll see that fitment all over the place for Evo-powered customs and factory bikes alike. That was a radical change because now people were taking that reliable drivetrain and heavily modifying the bikes that carried it because it was worth it. You could make one heck of a bike out of Evo running gear. We’ve had more than a couple Evo-powered bikes through the building here in Ohio.

I’ll even make it personal for a bit: My first Harley-Davidson was an Evo-powered chop, and I’ll spend the rest of my life stopping to look at something that has a Blockhead nestled in between the frame rails. I still have an Evo-powered machine, and though it wears antique tags in 2025, nobody’s waiting for me on a spirited ride.

Now, in fairness, those bikes all need massaging. Everything I work on for myself gets a cam and an air cleaner and suspension bits. The brakes are a little hopeless; I just graft late-model, aftermarket, or stuff from Japanese motorcycles on.

Now those links are in here not because I’m shamelessly trying to sell you stuff. (I mean, I am, please buy things from us.) Instead, I'm trying to underscore how many products we offer to meet rider needs; note that much of the selection there is for older motorcycles. And my comment about swapping in brakes is relevant, too—late-model Harley pieces from wrecked machines are good parts. They’re worth having. The Milwaukee-Eight guys know this; it’s why take-off parts are hard to come by now and expensive when they pop up.

And oddly enough, that’s good for all of us. The magic isn’t contained to just the M-8 engine, of course, it’s the complete platform. If you look at the modifications riders are making (and the reflection of that, the parts we make), you’ll notice the core isn’t what it was for those 1984-1999 fitments (rip it apart and give that drivetrain a chance to shine).

Instead, it’s tweaks. Refinements. A current M-8 motorcycle is reliable and oil-tight; that’s table stakes at this point. The M-8 bikes have triple-digit horsepower, torque that feels like the hand of God is pushing your back, ABS and brakes that are peachy for any street scenario I’ve ever ridden, traction control with rider modes, and a suspension that makes it such that even some of us over-the-hill guys can ride all day and feel pretty good when we finally get off the bike.

And the proof is right there in the parts. Look at the stuff we make or look at what parts the other outfits out there are slinging. You’ll notice a theme: they’re geared largely towards refining the already-great bikes for individual riders. Adjusting where your hands land (or your feet) or repositioning your body or your pillion’s on the motorcycle is the crux of most efforts. Of course there’s the endless customization of finishes or other aesthetic items that aren’t rooted in function, but those start to feel more important when the core of the bike is already pretty sound.

And that is evolution.

In a way, the products the aftermarket offers and the volume at which they move is a report card for the designers and engineers a decade prior. As we approach that ten-year mark and I examine the marks, I’m pretty proud of Harley-Davidson. The bikes are great. They’re modern. They do what we ask of them, and they retained the magic that traces all the way back to the bikes that came before us all.

And they’ll never be perfect, for as long as we humans come in varieties, there will always be a need to alter the objects around us to suit.

However, the vast majority of parts that move in droves are ones you can buy and install in an afternoon. They'll help to make your Big Twin pretty close to perfect—for you.

They're a far cry from the rigid frames and six-speed transmissions and endless engine internals of yesteryear. Happy ninth Anniversary, Milwaukee-Eight. Hope to see ya around for another decade.