HD Forums Australia
Home
Topics

About to purchase my first harley. Tips on handling it?

1/3
  • ammity
    ammity
    4 years ago
    Hey lads, I'm about to get my full license here in NSW and I've been eyeing up either a '95-'99 wide glide or even one of the newer 1690 ones.
    I've only ever ridden dirt bikes so I'm used to riding basically a heavy push bike and was curious as to if a Harley is a bit of a nightmare for a newcomer? Is the weight that bike of a deal? cheers guys
  • Ratbob
    Ratbob
    4 years ago
    Hi Ammity, welcome to the forum.
    There’s no one answer to your question, some of it depends on your build and ability. Depends what you’re after too but Wideglides, while I like em too, aren’t the best handling creations.

    To me the only sure things to do are test ride lots and when it comes to buying, don’t be in a hurry and be prepared to walk away. Unless the bike is really something special I figure there’s always plenty of Harley’s for sale out there.
    Be patient and good luck.
  • ammity
    ammity
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ratbob on 03 May 2019 04:25 AM

    Hi Ammity, welcome to the forum.

    There’s no one answer to your question, some of it depends on your build and ability. Depends what you’re after too but Wideglides, while I like em too, aren’t the best handling creations.

    To me the only sure things to do are test ride lots and when it comes to buying, don’t be in a hurry and be prepared to walk away. Unless the bike is really something special I figure there’s always plenty of Harley’s for sale out there.
    Be patient and good luck.

    cheers mate.
    It may sound silly but I'm not really after something that handles well etc I just really really like the aesthetics of the wide glides. I'm just unsure of what it actually feels like and I don't really want to test ride a brand spanker at the bike shop as my first ride. Do you have to be wary of where you're parking/stopping, pay more attention to the road surface as they aren't really quick to stop? things like that. As I'm used to riding a registered 450 on the road all of those things are negligible because dirt bikes are extremely forgiving.
  • Ratbob
    Ratbob
    4 years ago
    Quoting Ratbob on 03 May 2019 04:25 AM

    Hi Ammity, welcome to the forum.

    There’s no one answer to your question, some of it depends on your build and ability. Depends what you’re after too but Wideglides, while I like em too, aren’t the best handling creations.

    To me the only sure things to do are test ride lots and when it comes to buying, don’t be in a hurry and be prepared to walk away. Unless the bike is really something special I figure there’s always plenty of Harley’s for sale out there.
    Be patient and good luck.

    Quoting ammity on 03 May 2019 04:30 AMedited: 03 May 2019 04:30 AM

    cheers mate.
    It may sound silly but I'm not really after something that handles well etc I just really really like the aesthetics of the wide glides. I'm just unsure of what it actually feels like and I don't really want to test ride a brand spanker at the bike shop as my first ride. Do you have to be wary of where you're parking/stopping, pay more attention to the road surface as they aren't really quick to stop? things like that. As I'm used to riding a registered 450 on the road all of those things are negligible because dirt bikes are extremely forgiving.

    Well mate you won’t be test riding a spanking new Wideglide, they’ve been dropped, oops, bad phrase, but there’s plenty of used to try. Personally I prefer the later models, 2010 up. They have a 36 degree rake vs say a Fatbobs 29 plus 2” on the fork tubes so yeah they handle different at low speeds, doing uturns etc and you’ll soon feel your way with braking. The WG’s 21” skinny low profile front tyre can skip out a bit when pushed hard, I’ve experienced it many times but it never completely let go, just scared me....a lot, so I moved to a Twin Cam Fatbob.
    Same rider on a Fatbob or Lowrider etc should get through the hills quicker than a Wideglide but Widies are fine on long runs.
    You need to test ride various bikes over the same terrain and you’ll soon discover what feels right for you. If you’re really feeling uncertain, try a Sporty first, great bikes and it’ll give you the feel of a torque rather than power style bike.
  • fatbat
    fatbat
    4 years ago
    I've never ridden a wideglide but always been tempted to get one as they are the coolest looking harley ever made IMHO. Look at one of the later ones with the 103 engine and abs. I wouldnt consider anything earlier and the cost differential isn't great for the extra cubes, performance, reliability and abs that you don't get on the earlier models. I don't think they're sufficiently heavy or quick to not adjust to quickly. 
  • Moss
    Moss
    4 years ago
    Welcome to the forum. I'm new to Harley Davidson's as well. Two months now. My last bike was a  Vstrom 650. There is a great difference between the two. I own a 2017 Road King, and the differences are chalk and cheese.  I could throw the Vstrom around, and traffic was never an issue, neither was parking. It was an uncomfortable bike to ride, I always felt cramped, the seat was hard, the fairing was useless, and the bike was not ever meant to be on freeways. The rear mono shock felt every bump. The best thing about it was it was cheap, and didnt matter if it got scratched, or dropped, and I could leave it anywhere. Last  year I only did 3000 kms on it. It was unpleasant to ride after 40 minutes.
    My Road King on the other hand is the exact opposite in every respect. I've done 7000 kms in eight weeks, and can see that that will be the norm. I can't leave it alone. It fits me like a glove. It is the most comfortable transport imaginable and loves the freeways and highways. Eats up the kilometers. It handles the twisties well , I love wrestling it into tight turns. It has a fair lean angle 32 degrees I think. I haven't scraped the floorboards yet. I'm sure I will as I get more used to throwing it about. 
    What I do miss is the commuter aspect of riding. Ducking and weaving down to the shops, and parking it on the footpath, riding over gutters, and squeezing between tight places. I want a second bike. (Dreaming) The Triumph T100. It's only 715mm wide and with a 900cc engine will do the job nicely. 
    My Road King is for the long haul trips. My favourite app now  is Google maps. 
  • Ratbob
    Ratbob
    4 years ago
    Quoting Moss on 03 May 2019 06:10 AM

    Welcome to the forum. I'm new to Harley Davidson's as well. Two months now. My last bike was a  Vstrom 650. There is a great difference between the two. I own a 2017 Road King, and the differences are chalk and cheese.  I could throw the Vstrom around, and traffic was never an issue, neither was parking. It was an uncomfortable bike to ride, I always felt cramped, the seat was hard, the fairing was useless, and the bike was not ever meant to be on freeways. The rear mono shock felt every bump. The best thing about it was it was cheap, and didnt matter if it got scratched, or dropped, and I could leave it anywhere. Last  year I only did 3000 kms on it. It was unpleasant to ride after 40 minutes.
    My Road King on the other hand is the exact opposite in every respect. I've done 7000 kms in eight weeks, and can see that that will be the norm. I can't leave it alone. It fits me like a glove. It is the most comfortable transport imaginable and loves the freeways and highways. Eats up the kilometers. It handles the twisties well , I love wrestling it into tight turns. It has a fair lean angle 32 degrees I think. I haven't scraped the floorboards yet. I'm sure I will as I get more used to throwing it about. 
    What I do miss is the commuter aspect of riding. Ducking and weaving down to the shops, and parking it on the footpath, riding over gutters, and squeezing between tight places. I want a second bike. (Dreaming) The Triumph T100. It's only 715mm wide and with a 900cc engine will do the job nicely. 
    My Road King is for the long haul trips. My favourite app now  is Google maps. 

    Good advice Moss, that’s the thing Ammity, Moss found the Harley that fits him. 
    I hate Roadglides, yes they’re a great bike but far to uncomfortable for my long legs. 
    A mate of mine who rode Heritages fell for the new Breakout when it was first released, no test ride, found the colour he wanted in Qld, trucked it to SA, rode it for less than a year and traded it on a new Deluxe. It just didn’t fit him. 
    As I said, test ride many, a decent dealer will help you along the way to a purchase, if not, move to another dealer.
  • Benno
    Benno
    4 years ago
    Ammity, 
                 Getting back to the model you first mention that you are looking at, the HD range is diverse, and your riding style and needs should be the deciding factor. There  is a regular contributor to the forum  (Wideglider)that has a similar model to what you are thinking of buying, he may pick up on the thread, and add some advice, sounds like you have an eye for the WG. I have a 2007 WG and can honestly say, it’s the best of the 3 HD’s I’ve owned so far.
     That said, I am nudging 50, if I wanted to hit the corners hard still, I would have kept my low rider or sportster. Don’t get me wrong, I can hit the corners at a good pace, but to feel confident that the bike could cope with what I needed, I had to fuck the standard suspension and brakes off. Welcome to HD’s, lol. I have upgraded the suspension and brakes with a lot of advise from some good blokes on this forum, and now, the WG can handle everything my ability can dish out.
    Do your research, consider how you ride, ask questions, HD has the bike mate, they are pretty simple machines, and you can change them to suit yourself, welcome to the addiction.
    Benno.
  • Benno
    Benno
    4 years ago
    Ammity, 
                 Getting back to the model you first mention that you are looking at, the HD range is diverse, and your riding style and needs should be the deciding factor. There  is a regular contributor to the forum  (Wideglider)that has a similar model to what you are thinking of buying, he may pick up on the thread, and add some advice, sounds like you have an eye for the WG. I have a 2007 WG and can honestly say, it’s the best of the 3 HD’s I’ve owned so far.
     That said, I am nudging 50, if I wanted to hit the corners hard still, I would have kept my low rider or sportster. Don’t get me wrong, I can hit the corners at a good pace, but to feel confident that the bike could cope with what I needed, I had to fuck the standard suspension and brakes off. Welcome to HD’s, lol. I have upgraded the suspension and brakes with a lot of advise from some good blokes on this forum, and now, the WG can handle everything my ability can dish out.
    Do your research, consider how you ride, ask questions, HD has the bike mate, they are pretty simple machines, and you can change them to suit yourself, welcome to the addiction.
    Benno.
  • gidgi
    gidgi
    4 years ago
    Ammity reading your post ( I've only ever ridden dirt bikes so I'm used to riding basically a heavy push bike ) I think foot peg position will be something that is going to feel alien  WG`s mostly  have forward controls that will be awkward at first , forks are  wider & more rake as stated above narrow tyre ,tend to skip out ,if you prefer foot pegs in a mid mounted position consider a Superglide or Lowrider mostly standard if not modified by owner, narrower front end less Rake & fatter front tyre or if you wanted to go for later model don`t go past a Streetbob ( basically like the a for mentioned Superglide  there`s plenty of great looking bobs for sale around now ,TC 88c engine changed from I think 05- 06, to TC 96c in 2007 which is what my first Harley was, also a upgraded Compensator was added standard in 07 .  I loved that bike it felt like it fit , don`t jump in too quick test ride a lot of different models to find your fit I lot of guys say no test pilots ,don`t even bother with them , find another one .Good luck
  • ammity
    ammity
    4 years ago
    Quoting gidgi on 03 May 2019 10:38 PM

    Ammity reading your post ( I've only ever ridden dirt bikes so I'm used to riding basically a heavy push bike ) I think foot peg position will be something that is going to feel alien  WG`s mostly  have forward controls that will be awkward at first , forks are  wider & more rake as stated above narrow tyre ,tend to skip out ,if you prefer foot pegs in a mid mounted position consider a Superglide or Lowrider mostly standard if not modified by owner, narrower front end less Rake & fatter front tyre or if you wanted to go for later model don`t go past a Streetbob ( basically like the a for mentioned Superglide  there`s plenty of great looking bobs for sale around now ,TC 88c engine changed from I think 05- 06, to TC 96c in 2007 which is what my first Harley was, also a upgraded Compensator was added standard in 07 .  I loved that bike it felt like it fit , don`t jump in too quick test ride a lot of different models to find your fit I lot of guys say no test pilots ,don`t even bother with them , find another one .Good luck

    I’ve ridden a bike with forward controls before. They’re very odd feeling but I got used to it in the day I had it. Saying that, with them, a different seating position, the weight etc it wouldn’t exactly help I imagine.
  • ammity
    ammity
    4 years ago
    Quoting Benno on 03 May 2019 09:16 AM

    Ammity, 

                 Getting back to the model you first mention that you are looking at, the HD range is diverse, and your riding style and needs should be the deciding factor. There  is a regular contributor to the forum  (Wideglider)that has a similar model to what you are thinking of buying, he may pick up on the thread, and add some advice, sounds like you have an eye for the WG. I have a 2007 WG and can honestly say, it’s the best of the 3 HD’s I’ve owned so far.
     That said, I am nudging 50, if I wanted to hit the corners hard still, I would have kept my low rider or sportster. Don’t get me wrong, I can hit the corners at a good pace, but to feel confident that the bike could cope with what I needed, I had to fuck the standard suspension and brakes off. Welcome to HD’s, lol. I have upgraded the suspension and brakes with a lot of advise from some good blokes on this forum, and now, the WG can handle everything my ability can dish out.
    Do your research, consider how you ride, ask questions, HD has the bike mate, they are pretty simple machines, and you can change them to suit yourself, welcome to the addiction.
    Benno.

    I’m undecided on my riding style as a lot of the time I just put around but temptation gets the better of me and it’s nice being able to ride the shit out of whatever you’re riding. Maybe I’ll have to keep the street bob in mind too. The thing is like I’ve said previously cosmetic appearance is as big of a deal to me as bike characteristics hence the wide glide really caught my eye.
  • Grease Monkey
    Grease Monkey
    4 years ago
    I get what you mean about aethstetics but you also want something that suits how you ride, ergonomically these bikes are so adaptable, seats, bars, risers, peg locations, suspension even, are all easily taylored to suit the individual, can be spendy though! Power can be whatever your wallet can afford as well.
    As the fella's have said, ride as many models as you can, get a feel for the different rake/trail combo's, in the end it's a personal choice but it might as well be an informed one.
  • Wideglider
    Wideglider
    4 years ago
    Welcome to the forum ammity.
    I have owned a '96 WG for 15 years now, nothing much original on it anymore, these bikes can be moulded to look & perform how you want. Simple Evo motor with the carb, these bikes are easy to work on and modify. I have a Daytona Twin-Tec ignition installed that I can plug laptop into & change rev limit, advance curves etc. 
    As Benno & HH said, I too cannot imagine selling this bike, it will always have a place in my stable. The 21" front wheel with skinny tyre has very rarely skipped as others have mentioned, all depends on your overall suspension setup, tyre pressures etc.
    Can ride it all day, very comfortable Mustang seat, forward aftermarket larger pegs, Burleigh handlebars just at the right height. I now have plenty of ground clearance with aftermarket suspension- nothing scrapes even when pushing hard. 
    My advice is buy one!


    DSC_6547.jpg
  • graeme
    graeme
    4 years ago


    Don’t rule out a lowrider 
    bike_photos_283.jpg
  • SRV72
    SRV72
    4 years ago
    Quoting ammity on 03 May 2019 03:44 AM

    Hey lads, I'm about to get my full license here in NSW and I've been eyeing up either a '95-'99 wide glide or even one of the newer 1690 ones.
    I've only ever ridden dirt bikes so I'm used to riding basically a heavy push bike and was curious as to if a Harley is a bit of a nightmare for a newcomer? Is the weight that bike of a deal? cheers guys

    Yeah I reckon grab one mate. But be prepared to change the suspension. I have raised the rear suspension 1 inch and replaced the front fork springs, also dropped the fork tubes to raise front end. This basic mod cost about 1k and now I can ride for as long as I like or as hard as I like even 2 up. Prior to this the bike would not go around corners when 2 up without dragging the exhaust and frame. I much prefer the configuration of my FXDWG over my Speed Triple.

    IMG_3730.jpeg
  • Smokey61
    Smokey61
    4 years ago
    My Widey is a 2012, Mostly stock. Better, but still stock looking mufflers and air cleaner, plus suspension mods, emulators in the forks and 1" over Progressive 444 shocks. I've also fitted a Harley Sundowner seat because I'm tall and heavy.

    Handles well right up until my boot heels scrape, I've learnt to lift my feet on the pegs a little now.
  • ammity
    ammity
    4 years ago
    Quoting ammity on 03 May 2019 03:44 AM

    Hey lads, I'm about to get my full license here in NSW and I've been eyeing up either a '95-'99 wide glide or even one of the newer 1690 ones.
    I've only ever ridden dirt bikes so I'm used to riding basically a heavy push bike and was curious as to if a Harley is a bit of a nightmare for a newcomer? Is the weight that bike of a deal? cheers guys

    Quoting SRV72 on 04 May 2019 10:40 PM

    Yeah I reckon grab one mate. But be prepared to change the suspension. I have raised the rear suspension 1 inch and replaced the front fork springs, also dropped the fork tubes to raise front end. This basic mod cost about 1k and now I can ride for as long as I like or as hard as I like even 2 up. Prior to this the bike would not go around corners when 2 up without dragging the exhaust and frame. I much prefer the configuration of my FXDWG over my Speed Triple.

    IMG_3730.jpeg
    That’s what I want to a T. I imagine changing the shocks would be pretty straight forward. What brand are those?
  • ammity
    ammity
    4 years ago
    I’m amazed at how you blokes reckon the suspension is shit. You pay a premium for a Harley and their suspension is just alright? What a rip. Definitely have to factor it into the budget it seems
  • Ratbob
    Ratbob
    4 years ago
    Quoting ammity on 05 May 2019 01:42 AM

    I’m amazed at how you blokes reckon the suspension is shit. You pay a premium for a Harley and their suspension is just alright? What a rip. Definitely have to factor it into the budget it seems

    You’ll soon find out there are many Harley components that can be improved but they ain’t alone. A mate bought a BMW 1200GS, first thing he changed was the rear suspension.
Topics
1/3