I’m moving from a CBR1000RR to a 2012 Wide Glide. I have ridden sportbikes for 15 years and this will be my first Harley, any advice (about anything)? Does Harley negotiate the price of their new bikes?

 

Just ride it the same way as your last bike and you will be fine.

 

Yes everything is negotiable. There is no set min price from Harley to the dealers.

 

HD wouldnt come down on the price of my bike but I did manage to get 750.00 in parts thrown in to the deal. The HD is no cbr1000rr. its heavier, doesnt stop as quick, wont accelerate as quick, doesnt corner as well but the smile on your face will be bigger

 

if your looking for a decent handling bike i would look at the street bob or superglide. the wide glide has a bit of a raked front end and won't handle quite as good as the other two. if your looking for just a cruiser then you will like the wide glide. and prices can always be worked i got the base price of my bike under 12,000.

 

Having switched among both types of bikes over the years and currently having both a Dyna and ZX-10 in the garage, I can say that the most dangerous thing that throws me off when switching between the two is the difference in braking.

Of course there's a bunch of other profound differences in power, handling, lean angle etc..but I'd say the difference in braking is the biggest thing to watch out for--compared to the Fireblade, give the H-D all the fingers on the lever and a lot more space. On a positive note, it's nice to be able to twitch your wrist a bit without doing double the speed limit on one wheel...and the comfort difference is night and day.

 

My dual rotor Fat Bob stops really really fast lol and I swear those big fat tires are happiest when I am zig zagging for ***** and giggles. But I came from a Triumph Scrambler w/ a Hinckley parallel 900 and then a XL1200 low Sportster and while the Sportster says Harley there ain't much the same between 96Ci Fat Bob and the 1200 Sporty. My Bob stops in about 2/3 the distance it takes the Sportster.

 

Thanks, the HD dealer is letting me take the Wide Glide for a test ride tomorrow, I'm excited.

 

WG's are great riding bikes, sure that you will enjoy the ride.

 

Enjoy your test ride.

I have a similar background, starting on sportbikes on the street and track. I used a friend's Harley for a couple cross-country trips and loved the relaxed comfortable feel, so ended up getting a Fat Bob to add to my collection. With a Dyna and two sportbikes in the garage, I have options for the riding stye I feel like for the day. You'll obviously have slower turn in and slower braking, as well as a lack of suspension adjustments in stock form as compared to the sportbike, but as long as you go in knowing these differences, you'll be fine. You'll immediately notice the bike weighs 75% more than your sportbike. Have fun!