A mild chopper look
Everybody knows that choppers are now out of favour, but the good folks in Milwaukee may have missed that Email (As did Honda with the Fury), so that this Wide Glide comes close to that look, with a high nose, large diameter and skinny front wire wheel, extended fork, cut off rear fender, wide triple clamp, tiny retro headlight, single front disc, and a simple steel hoop for the passenger to hang on to. Nothing extreme, mind you, but it does look the part if you ask me.

The front brake will not give you a sore neck either, but you can learn to also use the rear one for maximum combined retardation.

Is this a sporty bike?
It does show sporting tendencies when asked, as the predictive handling and agility can easily turn back roads into play roads if you are so inclined. The engine grunts and does pull out of corners, up to 100 kph that is, with enough umphfff to make most riders happy, especially if you work out how to keep the engine in the fat torque zone. After a few clicks learning how to cope with the feet-forward position, you can start to attack - ok, ride harder into corners - and enjoy listening to the engine grunt you out of it.

The front brake will not give you a sore neck either, but you can learn to also use the rear one for maximum combined retardation, and enjoy it – admittedly at lower speeds than on a sportbike, by the way. The gearbox contributes to the pleasure with easy shifting and the correct ration for every circumstance.

So what do we have here?
After years of seemingly mainly cosmetic changes, The Motor Company has improved the behaviour of this model a great deal this year – certainly enough to satisfy traditional Harley buyers, as well as appeal to the new H-D converts coming over from other, higher performance brands. In addition to just poking around as we did on older models, you can now really ride the new Touring and this Dyna Wide Glide more actively and approach your limits.

Competition is a great motivator and mover – and I like what it does to these bikes.


Torquey, smooth, silent, vibration-free engine
Smooth ride and excellent roadholding
Great style



Make mine with mid position footpegs, please
That ugly US exchange rate from earlier in 2009 that drove the prices back up



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Photo Credit : Philippe Champoux