Going from Suzuki GSF500 to Harley Wide Glide - What should I watch out for?

[50 over]

What should I watch out for!!! errrrr............................OIL.

[Myztyk]

And now back to the thread at hand....

Really liked the Electra Glide...Given my riding needs at this time, it's just a little too big for me. (I do a lot of city riding)

[omnivore]

Having ridden more than a few different HD's throughout the yrs, I found it amazing that the crazy vibes melt away once you get moving. And the agricultural transmission takes some getting used to, but works fine. The single biggest issue I had was dragging chrome without even trying. Just normal riding thru town would have pegs, pipes, floorboards and stands dragging all the time. That alone would be a deal breaker for me. The only HD I have ridden that didn't have this issue was the Street Rod.

[AGS]

Harleys are a taste I acquired, the Road Glide does it for me, but with all the things you can buy for them, it gets expensive. Leave it stock!! First there is the stage 1, then a bit of chrome, then a set of heated grips, then a chopped tour pack and before you know it you have a 113 c.i. engine and have paid for two + bikes but still only have one and you have to keep it for years to amortize your annual costs down to just really extravagant. I prefer having the controls under my hips, but there are Dyna's other than the Wide Glide. Hog Members are like an extended family and there is nothing like a Harley.

[Edders]

I don't own a Harley, but anyone who says they are all slow and unreliable either never owned one (post-evo, anyway, imo) or never knew a good rider that had one.

I (I have a rice cruiser) and the Harley guys I know (and the one other guy I know with a cruiser - a Vic Vegas) all came from sport bikes, and all kept their aggressive sport bike riding style. Push these bikes to the limit, and you'll find that the vast majority of vehicles on the road can't touch a Dyna or a Soft tail in the hands of an experienced rider

Like another poster said, though, you will be scrapping hard bits. But that's the fun part!

Sent from a phone that's better than yours

[wayne66866]

Thanks for all your comments everyone.

I am going in to the dealership next Thursday to get a 2011 Wide Glide two tone - black with orange flames.
I have considered the scrapping hard bits off issue and coming off my aggressive riding style where I liked to almost drag my knee, this will be the biggest thing to get used to. Eventually changing the tommy 212 pipes to Vance Hines short shots should help, I'm thinking.

From riding the GS, I realized that I am definitely a cruiser style rider to take things easy but still have power. The forward controls worry me but I am told that I'll grow into them soon enough. WHat does concern me is the 1500 cc engine vs the 500 cc engine that I'm coming off. Hope I can handle the power!

The thing I like abour harleys is how you can customize the bike to make it your own. I plan to keep the bike for a few years (5+) so this is something I'd like to grow into. For now, all stock. I know that I might have an issue with the stock seat but I'll try it out for this season first. Already bought the windshield in the states last month! The good dollar and price difference got me to save over $100 bucks!

Thanks for the HD forums site. That was a big help.

Ride safe guys! For those of you in Pickering/Ajax - let me know if you guys meet up some place.

[Myztyk]

Moved the girlfriend's Shadow (my old bike) around a bit today after riding the VROD....Crazy trying to go back to standard controls! lol

Once you get those forward controls, you'll never look back.

[jeero]

watch out for lots of this.....

Hahahaha, that craigslist was freaking hilarious.
Nice find!

[ifiddles]

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_CA...ages/home.html

go to quick start, new rider, take a demo ride and you'll find a listing of dates for their demo ride days...jacox harley in mississauga is having theirs on may 8, there's one at the toronto dealer on may 7 and one in kitchener on april 10 if you want to go earlier...

also, my bf just bought a victory (made by polaris) and they're harley's direct competition (at least in the us)...check out their bikes...

http://www.polarisindustries.com/en-...ages/home.aspx

[nakkers]

Thanks for all your comments everyone.

I am going in to the dealership next Thursday to get a 2011 Wide Glide two tone - black with orange flames.
I have considered the scrapping hard bits off issue and coming off my aggressive riding style where I liked to almost drag my knee, this will be the biggest thing to get used to. Eventually changing the tommy 212 pipes to Vance Hines short shots should help, I'm thinking.

From riding the GS, I realized that I am definitely a cruiser style rider to take things easy but still have power. The forward controls worry me but I am told that I'll grow into them soon enough. WHat does concern me is the 1500 cc engine vs the 500 cc engine that I'm coming off. Hope I can handle the power!

The thing I like abour harleys is how you can customize the bike to make it your own. I plan to keep the bike for a few years (5+) so this is something I'd like to grow into. For now, all stock. I know that I might have an issue with the stock seat but I'll try it out for this season first. Already bought the windshield in the states last month! The good dollar and price difference got me to save over $100 bucks!

Thanks for the HD forums site. That was a big help.

Ride safe guys! For those of you in Pickering/Ajax - let me know if you guys meet up some place.

Wayne,

Nice choice man. Just take your time in parking lot and slow speeds as the HD is heavy compared to the GS. The clutch takes a little more effort than the GS too so, your forearm is going to get a little more work out.

Keep the stock pipes and keep the baffles in the V&H pipes. They'll sound great anyways and just in case the noise police find you, you have the stockers to put back on if you choose.

You may find the stock seat is actually comfortable. If not, take your time looking. Meet some fellow riders, get some opinions and try some out. Mustang and Lepera are two high quality makes with a good rep. I also got a gel pad for my stocker and so far, it's been great.

Congrats!!!!!!

[wayne66866]

I did it!
I am the proud owner of a brand new 2011 Wide Glide!
Put 200 km on it the first weekend. Really great ride. Great torque.

I get the scraping bits part now. I dragged the pipes (I know!) just a bit but didn't cause an issue - was able to clean it off.

The shifting is weird compared to the GS. Way more travel of the shifting lever. But at least there is no guessing if you got the right gear or not. You know for sure!

Got a windshield. HUGE difference.

All in all, much more comfortable ride. Really enjoy it but I need to break it in well.

Count me in on group ride in the area!

[Myztyk]

I did it!
I am the proud owner of a brand new 2011 Wide Glide!
Put 200 km on it the first weekend. Really great ride. Great torque.

I get the scraping bits part now. I dragged the pipes (I know!) just a bit but didn't cause an issue - was able to clean it off.

The shifting is weird compared to the GS. Way more travel of the shifting lever. But at least there is no guessing if you got the right gear or not. You know for sure!

Got a windshield. HUGE difference.

All in all, much more comfortable ride. Really enjoy it but I need to break it in well.

Count me in on group ride in the area!

Beautiful ride man. You picked a great bike. Let's hook up for a ride at some point. If you can keep up with the VROD! Just kidding.

[skip]

Just take it easy at the start, its going to handle much differently. Don't cry to much when you start scraping the hard bits