Welcome to the wide glide family!
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Good choice. I'm a new rider myself at 55. When I bought mine they told me to ride it every day. Have been almost ever since. In 3-1/2 months 4,000 miles. Still getting used to it but much better. Your gonna love it.

 

Congratulations on yer choice. The Wide Glide is a great bike.
My favorite model.
Notise the front forks on the wide glide is raked more than some of the other bikes.
When yer going slow pay attention to how you turn in if you hit dirt, leaves or rocks ,the front end can slide sideways with you. Once it does it you will pay more attention.
Enjoy riding !

 

I am enjoying every ride I get. Turns are getting better and better. It really is a sweet ride. I have to contact the dealer tommorow though. The air cleaner cover says Street Bob instead of Wide Glide. I cant believe it. Anyway gonna have that replaced and get the bolt for the battery cover. I am watching the road surface on those turns. Boy what a ride though. I love the Wide Glide!! Im gonna try like hell to ride mine every day too.

Steve

 

If you have the money at 1000 miles when you do yer oil change go synthetic oil.
If you and yer wife both ride the factory seat might be a little hard. My wife had the dealer put a pillow top on my Fxdwg.

 

You're right you have to keep an eye out for debris, and you just took the class so you already know this, but you really need to keep your head up and look out to the exit of a turn to be really steady. Same with starts and stops. Keep your eyes up and out and looking where you're going. Can you imagine trying to learn to roller skate while looking down at the skates? Your best sense of balance comes from keeping your head up and looking directly at where you want to go. The bike tends to go where you look.

As I said, I know they taught you that but it's still hard to remember at first...

Question? In your safety class did they teach you to counter-steer the bike, aka reverse-steer? I mean, to press forward on the bars toward the direction you want to go?

Here in Oregon you have to know that to pass the test and get the endorsement, but I just talked to someone from another state who took a course, got the endorsement and had no idea what I'm talking about. Shocking.

Ride safe.

 

Ain't got nothin against you learning to counter steer Butt !
I looked at the countersteering. I been riding since 1964. Its nots nothin I'm interested in doing. It was hard but I tried it and nearly laid a scooter down in a curve.
MY wife was taking the Riders Edge Course and she was taught to conter steer at a well know H-D dealership.They had a 3 nite and 2 day class.
I talked with the instructor about the countersteering and told him I tried it. The instructor suggested that as long as I had been riding he would suggest for me not to practise counter steering. To ride like I have always rode a street bike and dirt bikes.
The instructor stated if I been riding as long as I have and i'm still in one piece, he wouldn't suggest for me to change anything. Especially trying to lean to countersteer.
This is something for new riders to learn in my book. It totally goes against everything I've ever done. My old riding buddies say the same thing. If we've rode since the 60's why do we need to learn to counter steer.
So from more than one instructors mouth. Older folks should do like they have been doing.

 

I almost could have written your post.
I bought an 07 WG for my 60th - sort of an early retirement because I will probably have to work until I die.
Last rode on dirt about 22 years ago.

I love the bike and also have some issues with the turn from a stop.
I think most of my problem is not looking through the turn.

The countersteering threw me at first then I realized that was what I had always done but just didn't think about it.
It sort of reminds me of when someone asks for my phone number or I sit down in front of my computer and try to remember my password.
In both cases I trip myself up because I am trying to think about something that comes natural.
If I just do it, I am fine but if I think about it, I confuse myself.

Anyhow, I plan on keeping my WG stock so what do I know.

Enjoy your new toy and stay safe.

 

Great purchase, I love mine as well.

Due to the front-end rake, this bike is somewhat more difficult to maneuver at parking lot speeds. It wants to fall into the turn easily.

For turning from a stop or performing any other slow speed maneuvers, you can also feather the rear brake while working the friction zone with the clutch.I learned about this by reading this on-line article a few months ago, and it does work. I use it mainly when making slow right-hand turns from a stop (i.e., at an intersection stop sign...etc). There are other articles at the bottom of the page:

http://www.ridemyown.com/articles/ri...lowspeed.shtml

 

This a copy/paste of a conversation I had earlierwith a gal who had a new fatboy. I hope someone finds it helpful. Counter steering was like a miracle for this gal who pm'd me later. She hadn't ridden before at all, couldn't turn the bike at speed and was in real danger. She had just taken a rider's safety course and gotten her endorsement. Wow, please read?

Welcome. I hope they teach that in all these rider safety courses. Every time I hear of an accident where "rider failed to negotiate a turn" I wonder.

It's based onfour principles: Centrifugal force, gyroscopic precession,"The Dixie Cup Theory" and leverage.

1. Centifugal force will try to force the bike off the road to the outside in a turn.

2. Gyroscopic precession (ever play with a toy gyroscope?) will cause the wheels to generate unwanted and opposingforces when turned.

3. The real kicker, the Dixie Cups is like this. Lay such a cup on it's side on a table and roll it. It will turn toward the bottom of the cup because the drinking lip is bigger in diameter than the base.

4. Leverage. Your handlebar is a lever.

Now, tape twoDixie Cups or similar cupstogether, drinking rims together and bases pointing outward.Lay them on a table. Roll this new device. It will turn in the direction that it is tipped; toward either base. Your tire is just like that; bigger in the middle than toward the edges.

Whichever way your tires tip is the direction the bike will go. The counter-steer just gives you theleverage to tip it and the "Dixie Cup Theory" does the rest. This need to turn to the outside edge of the tire overcomes precession, centrifugal force and even the clearfact that your front wheel is slightly turned opposite of the way you wish to turn.

The handlebars are terrific levers which, out at the grips give you the power to tip that bike with ease, class, and total control.

You exit a turn the same way. Push forward on the handlebar in the newdirection you want to go. The bike will straighten right up for you. You can do wonderful "S" turns or slalom turns this way with ease.

I can safely and easily scrapesome shined up parts on your Harley in a sharp corner any day if the road is sound, dry and clean.

Stay safe,

JB