Hello all,

So, a little background,my first bike was the Honda vtx 1800, I picked it up with my sign on bonus from the army, since then I went through different phases of going to a Supersport bike, then back to a cruiser, a means treat that was chopped/lowered, and then after massive disappointment in that decision decided to shy away from bikes for a while.

Currently I'm looking again, as the bug likes to bite me hard. I started my search back at the old vtx nostalgia, but then found myself drifting towards American made, particularly a victory Vegas. I've always wrote off Harley as being too expensive for me dollar to performance wise, although they are superb bikes quality wise in attention to details.

To the point, I've stumbled across a 2002 dyna wide glide, really beautiful bike. The part that about has me sold is it's got a good bit of motor work done to it, and this being the home of Harley expertise what better group to seek help. The bike has a big bore kit to 1550, high comp pistons, 203 cams, S&S carb, and a Vance and Hines 2 to 1 exhaust. With that information, would anyone be able to chime in with the performance this bike would have? Using my experience of the vtx1800 as a reference does anyone know if it's comparable? The owner is claiming mid 90s on hp and ft lb torque. (that - really- has me interested, even if it's carbureted.)

I do understand this is Harley territory and I'm by no means promoting anything over another, genuinely would like to know to have an informed decision beyond when I go to look/test ride the bike, because in the moment my adrenaline rushes and I "blackout buy" things.

Thanks for your time and I appreciate any advice or experiences anyone can give.

 

Only you can answer that. If you want race and ride really fast, Harley's are not for you.
Some Harley riders ride pretty fast making a lot of noise, thinking they're going really fast on Harley's, but their not.
If your the type of guy that like to ride and enjoy the journey, the scenery, the sounds of the motor, people you meet out on the road, and wrenching on your bike, then a Harley might be the right bike for you.

 

Its fine to make a Harley go faster than stock,,, But if you are looking for a bike for speed, Harley is not it... My 03 WG with the 88 and stage 1 will not keep up with my buddies VTX 1800,
but who cares, didn't buy it to try to keep up with others..That bike would probably run about the same as the 1800 . Always a little leery of a bike someone else has built,, I would rather buy it stock and do it myself....

 

What caused your disappointment to stay away from bikes the last time?

 

One good thing about the 2002 is the motor, the bottom end is very good, that motor work if done right would make that a pretty fun bike to ride but like somebody else said, If you are Looking to smoke a VTX1800 that ain't the bike.
It is a fun and cool bike to ride. If we have to explain it, you can't understand it.

 

I would stay away from heavily modded used bikes. Unless the work was done by a reputable shop you don't know how well it was done. And probably the PO beat the **** out of it. Why is he selling?
Buy a VRod if you have to keep up with your metric friends.
Or dump your friends, and ride your own slower ride. I don't like getting tickets or riding on the edge, so my Stage One 88, still makes me smile.
A lot of things can be wrong on an older bike, with a modded engine, and stock clutch, brakes and transmission. Get it checked out by a qualified mechanic if you proceed.

 

You can test ride new bikes all day long at the dealer.

Test ride a Wide Glide, VROD, Breakout, and a CVO Breakout Pro Street. Maybe also try out a Low Rider S.
Street Bob is good handling bike at a very affordable price and is considered to be a blank slate.

That might give you some kind of idea without annoying a private seller.

Standard engines in twin cam bikes are 103" whereas CVO and S models are 110".

VRODS use a completely different engine that is 1250cc which is about 74" or 75" but they feature water cooling etc. They make almost as much torque as a twin cam but the torque peaks at 6,750 RPM whereas the 103" peaks at 3,000 rpm and the 110" peaks at 4,000 rpm.

Those are all bone stock numbers.

My recommendations are based on your history and what I think your preferences might be.

 

Very solid post with excellent advise. For me personally I would not touch a heavily modded used bike unless I knew the seller very well. So folks will mod a motor just to give them that bit of power on demand should they need it, other will mod it to run the **** out of it every chance. Nothing wrong with either scenario for the owner but as a buyer I would prefer that it had not been ran WFO at every chance.

If you are looking to outperform many of the metrics then a Harley may not be your best choice. You have to look at the intended purpose of the bike and although I love my wideglides their purpose was not to attack the road like a bike built more for those purposes. However if you want a bike that you can cruise all day with a permanent smile plastered on your face then the WG is perfect

 

Take a test ride on it, see how it feels/sounds...then make your decision. To me, it's all about the unique feel they have.

 

This. Metrics are ... well, metrics. If you want that kind of bike, buy one.

If you want a bike to ride and enjoy, highway and street, a Harley is hard to beat. The quality nowadays is fantastic, the dealer service is great, and the ride is well, a Harley ride. If you want these things buy a Harley.

If you want a little more performance for the money, a little less quality/fit-and-finish, and can handle a smaller dealer network, get a Victory. (That's what my Victory friends say, anyway.)