2010–2012 · Cruiser · Buyer's Guide
Factory Chopper, No Apologies
The Wide Glide runs the factory chopper formula without asking permission. The fork is kicked out 34 degrees, the front wheel is a skinny 21-incher, and the wheelbase stretches to 68.3 in (1735 mm), which is why it reads longer in the flesh than the numbers suggest. Between the rails sits an air-cooled 45° V-twin, 1584 cc, rubber-mounted in the Dyna chassis and worth 77 hp with 92 lb-ft behind it. Six speeds, belt final drive, a 25.5 in (648 mm) seat. In the lineup it is the bike built around stance first, and it never pretends otherwise.
Those rubber mounts do real work. The engine thumps at you without shaking the motorcycle loose, and once the speedometer climbs the long chassis settles and simply stays put. That composure is the Wide Glide's quiet strength, and the bike ages well because there is very little on it that goes soft or dated. It suits a rider who wants presence and a starting point rather than a finished product, and the parts support behind it is genuinely deep. The honest caveat is mass. At 666 lb (302 kg) wet, it wants a plan in parking lots and tight town work.
Spec sheets don't ride bikes, but they set the baseline.
| Power | 77 hp (57 kW) |
|---|---|
| Torque | 92 lb-ft (125 Nm) |
| Displacement | 1584 cc |
| Engine | 45° V-twin |
| Cooling | Air-cooled |
| Gearbox | 6-speed |
| Final drive | Belt |
| Fork | Telescopic |
| Front tire | 80/90-21 |
| Rear tire | 180/60-17 |
| Wheelbase | 68.3 in (1735 mm) |
| Seat height | 25.5 in (648 mm) |
| Wet weight | 666 lb (302 kg) |
| Fuel capacity | 4.7 gal (17.8 L) |
Equipment check
Safety
Swing a leg over and the seat is right there at 25.5 in (648 mm), so both boots land flat with room to spare. The drag bars pull you forward into a stretched, fists-out posture that looks exactly the way it feels, and it is a different shape than the arms-up chopper stance most people picture. Thumb the starter and the air-cooled twin drops into that uneven beat you feel through the pegs and the tank. Cold, the top end clatters a little. That is the Twin Cam talking, not a fault. Roll into traffic and the shake sorts itself into a pulse rather than a buzz. At road pace the wind stands you up off the bars, the exhaust note trails behind you, and the 4.7 gal (17.8 L) tank quietly sets the rhythm of the day.
Nothing here comes from a press kit. This is what has come back to me over years of listening: paddock conversations, owners talking at club nights, and the messages riders send me directly. On the Wide Glide that chatter lines up unusually well, with the praise pointed at the engine and the look, and the complaints clustered below walking pace.
The Twin Cam gets the most consistent praise. Riders describe strong pull off the line and a flat spread of torque that makes town work easy and highway passing an afterthought. Just as consistently they call the ride comfortable and settled at cruising speed, with vibration kept down in a way they say rigid-mounted cruisers rarely manage. Owners keep coming back to the look too: black and chrome, unmistakably its own bike in the Dyna lineup.
The recurring complaint is low speed. Owners say the front end wanders in parking lots and tight U-turns and never quite lets them relax. Some mention the shake at idle, heavy through the bars and pegs and stronger than what they felt on Softails. A few shorter riders say the reach to the forward controls leaves them overextended and sore on longer days.
Front brake master cylinder defect (recall on 2012 models)
Certain 2012 Dyna Wide Glides built between August 22, 2011 and February 24, 2012 may have gel or corrosion in the front brake master cylinder, which can cause banjo bolt thread failure and reduced braking performance.
Valve train top-end noise
Some owners report audible valve-train clatter, especially when cold; this is considered a normal operating characteristic of the Twin Cam engine and does not indicate a mechanical fault.
Where this Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide FXDWG pulls ahead of — or falls behind — its rivals on the numbers, and the typical bike in its class on character.
Power
Torque
Displacement
Wet weight
Seat height
Forget spec-sheet bragging. Here's who the Dyna Wide Glide FXDWG is actually built for.
Sturgis, Daytona, the long run down A1A: this is exactly the crowd the Wide Glide was drawn for. It has the stance, the sound, and the highway composure to do the whole week without embarrassment.
Made for A1A — Florida Atlantic Coast · Black Hills / Sturgis Rally Hub · Daytona Main Street / Bike Week
Small towns, old routes, no hurry. The Wide Glide fits that pace well, though its long, raked front end prefers open sweepers to tight, twisty back roads.
Made for Acadia National Park · Austin / Handbuilt Motorcycle Show · Blue Ridge Parkway
For loaded, all-weather, big-distance work this isn't the right tool. No wind protection and a 4.7 gal (17.8 L) tank make long days a project. Fine for a week of two-lane, less so for 600-mile pushes.
Made for Beartooth Highway · Blue Ridge Parkway · Going-to-the-Sun Road
If this one isn't quite the fit, these are the bikes worth riding back-to-back against it.
Any price note compares both bikes at the same age — the youngest age both have on the used market — against this Harley-Davidson Dyna Wide Glide FXDWG. “cheaper/pricier” is what that bike costs second-hand, not how worn it is.
Successor · 2013–2017
Factory Chopper, Street Legal
Competitor · 2010–2011
Disc Wheels, Genuine American Thunder
Same Platform · 2007–2013
Custom Iron, Standard Soul