Well here I am coming from the sportbike world considering transitioning to a Harley. I've located a 2012 Dyno wide glide here In Omaha that I'm interested in. Any tips and advice on this particular model would be gladly appreciated

 

Test drive it. I have not been on a Dyno. I made the transition to a Fat Boy Low originally and hated it. Almost went back until I talked with the dealer. My problem was on a rocket I was used to leaning the bike for turns not turning the handlebars enough. So my Harley kept dragging the foot boards. Stepped up to a Street Glide and love it.

I have also learned how to turn the handlebars since then..

 

I came across from a BMW S1000RR to my Street Bob. Never ridden a Harley before then and I actually went to to check out the Diavel. Best decision I've made I think.. Always felt like a bear riding a unicycle on that thing, this fits me like a glove.

 

The Dyna is a great platform to start with.. I transitioned myself sometime ago... the speed and abilities in the twisties was great.. but the miserable riding position had to go... test ride one.. see which one works for you.. and welcome to the forum

 

I started riding sportbikes in 2003. I owned numerous sportbikes up until 4 months ago when I traded in my 2012 R1 for a Dyna Streetbob. I LOVE it. Dynas are WONDERFUL bikes. They handle well and I still can get out and get into twisties and do so frequently. I still own a sportbike, but it is my track bike. From here on out for the street, I will be on a Harley.

 

I also just made the switch to a street bob from a wide glide. Harleys ride a lot different then street bikes so you have to be ready to ride a 700lb bike- meaning its not going to handle as sharp as what your used to. However, after a couple rides I am suprised that a bike weighing that much can ride like it does. I love sport bikes and ill probably have one again. But for now, I am diffinitely glad I made the switch. All I can say is test ride one.

 

Just got off my street bike three months ago. There is nothing like going 2+ hours and your back isn't hurting.. Its a great feeling

 

You’ll find a lot of us here have some kind of sport bike back ground and I think you will hear a lot about how the Dyna platform is a great place to start. As others have already mentioned, test ride as much as you can.

I am not sure exactly what you are looking to get out of the transition. I can’t speak from experience on a Wide Glide but I can speak on my experience with my Street Bob.

The only mods I have done in the 5 years and 43k miles of ownership is highway pegs, saddlebags and a sundownder seat. I can EASILY spend an 8 hour day on the bike with only stopping for essentials (gas, food or bathroom break) as I can stretch out while on the bike. The thing is flickable enough where something similar to a chicane does not intimidate me. There is enough stopping power where if I am on the highway and the car in front of me slams on their brakes, I am confident enough that I will stop before hitting them (yeah, ask me how I know…). There is enough ground clearance and stability where I can take corners on a twisty road fast enough to get me in to plenty of trouble (just because most people don’t ride this way doesn’t mean the bike can’t). When I have my other half on the back, there is enough room for the two of us where I can barely tell she is there unless she is smacking me for taking a turn too hard. Maintenance schedules are further apart than my R6 and a hell of a lot easier to do. No valve adjustments on the Harley (yay!). Never once had I needed to adjust, clean, lube or even replace the belt. IF you do take your bike to the dealer for service intervals, you will find prices are just about on par (maybe less) than that of a sport bike.

I love my Street Bob. I love my R6. I fear the day where I have to choose between them.

 

You were using the handlebars back then. It's pyschics and the laws of physics don't change because of the type of bike you're riding. It's just on a sportbike, control inputs take a lot less to initiate a change with the narrow clip ons vs the wider handlebars on a cruiser, so what may have felt like leaning vs. turning was not. What leaning off the bike does is lowers the center of gravity so the bike does not have to lean as much to make it around a corner and you can carry more speed while scraping less hard parts. The fatboy wasn't leaning because of "not turning the handlebars enough." In fact, the only way that leaning would affect the clearance on your fat boy would be if you were leaning the opposite way from the turn which raises the center of gravity and causes the bike to have to lean farther over.

It's kind of scary that people ride these things without knowing that much about how to control them.

BTW, ever hear of counter steering?

 

Just curious VI... How would you describe what "counter steering" is?
I like the OP started with sport bikes and although we may not know what the technical term of "counter steering" means, obviously if we rode a bike a made turns we incorporated the technique. Yes?