I personally like the Super Glide. Based on my experience and aggressive riding style, I have lowered the suspension, installed a fork brace, put on more aggressive tires, and I run drag bars. These "upgrades" will provide significant handling improvement from the best handling of the traditional big twins. There's also the sportsters and vrods, but those don't fit in the "traditional big twins" group.

 

Man I would rather look at your avatar.....whooooweeee

 

Go ahead and let him go all out, if he has been riding crotch rockets, let him get the screamin eagle, plenty of power, and great handling. I had been out of riding for over ten years when I got my FXDSE and to tell you the truth, it out proforms any of the rice rockets I ever rode, but that just my option, but there are several here with the 600cc version rice rockets that don't pull up next to me at the stop light anymore.

[IMG]local://upfiles/47348/748E87C67BBD460182A7F647281DBC47.jpg[/IMG]

 

I wanna say that but it can't be! The rake geometry has to negatively affect handling.

 

I just came off of rice rockets and finally bought my first hd. It is a fat bob and I think it handles really well considering you dont have the ground clearence that you would on a rice rocket. I had gsxr 750 and loved it but this bike now gives me every bit of confidence in the corners as did the rice. The fat bob has really surprised me considering it is about twice the weight of my old bike. I am fully content and happy with my purchase. I like all the dynas though and like everyone keeps saying get him on all of them first so he can see what feels right. Good luck and happy to see that he is finaly giving up the rice rockets.

 

FXDX, then an FXD...

I'm sure he knows what to look for:

Lean Angle and Rake are what vary from Dyna to Dyna, look for the greatest lean, and the least rake, that will handle the best... A wide-glid will not, it has a nice lean, but too much rake... Any something with Mids...

From the 07/08s the FXD is the best bet, least rake, most lean angle, mid-controls, if you can find an FXDX all the better.

 

handling isa function of the rake (FXDX has the least, Wide glide has the most), the ground clearance which is a function of the shock and fork length on dynas (FXDL lowest, FXDX most), suspension quality (FXDX best, all others the same), and weight (usually a function of how much chrome is on there!) and the position of the foot controls (forward controls will handle worse than mids because of the leverage and lack of neutrality in the riding position.)

The FXDX is definitely the best handling dyna ever, but you can take a street bob/dyna custom/superglide and tweak the suspension to get close to the same result. a fat bob will get close but those wheels are real big and heavy and will impact handling.

 

The Stree Bob has the least lean of any of them...

Another thing someone from a SB background might appreciate is the tach on the FXDL/FXDX...

If funds were less of an issue and I were you I would get an 08 FXDL, change the rear shocks to 13" or even 14", and change out the lowers on the forks for V-Rod lowers with Dual Disk Brembo brakes...

 

I'm biased towards the FXDC, but I have ridden the Fat Bob and with that big front tire you can really push it into turns.

I agree with the post about the rake on the wide glide, it's a negative in handling. It's also got that skinny front tire.

 

If you want a Harley that handles well and goes fast, get a VRSCR (Street Rod)... 40degree lean angle, 115hp out of the box, inverted forks...