Harley-Davidson FXDWG Dyna Wide Glide 2011 — Specifications

Can a motorcycle be too low? Mounting the 2011 Dyna Wide Glide begs the question. With a seat barely 65 cm from the tarmac, it literally plants you on the ground, a radical sensation that defines its character even before you turn the key. It’s not a motorcycle you mount, but one you sink into, like a rolling armchair equipped with a 1573 cm3 V-Twin. The posture is immediately that of a hard-core cruiser, feet forward on footpegs placed beneath the engine, hands gripping a wide Drag handlebar that seems to pull you towards the horizon.

Beneath your rear, the Dyna architecture, this steel chassis that served the brand well, forms the basis of an assumed chopper aesthetic. The 49 mm fork is inclined at 34 degrees, an angle that, combined with the 21-inch front wheel, gives this oversized look and deliberately lazy steering. In the city, it’s an exercise in quiet strength, a ballet of wide counter-steering where the 301 kg all-up weight makes itself felt. But let’s admit it, that’s not its element. The Wide Glide is a kinetic sculpture, made to wander on departmental roads, where its look does 90% of the work. The Tommy Gun 2-1-2 exhaust system, the truncated rear fender exposing the 180 tire, the black spoked wheels, all contribute to a raw, almost punk style within the Harley range.

And the engine in all of this? The 1584 cc Twin Cam 96 delivers 71 horsepower, a modest power that mocks the figures. The important thing is this monstrous torque of 125 Nm available from 3000 rpm. You don't need to wind up to the 5300 rpm peak power, you open the throttle and the motorcycle pulls, pushed by this elastic and sonorous wave of traction that is the signature of the Milwaukee V-Twin. The six-speed gearbox is precise for a Harley, and the final belt drive is of exemplary silence and cleanliness. Forget the speedometer for speed: the theoretical 170 km/h in a straight line is an endpoint, not an objective. This engine is made to breathe between 80 and 110 km/h, where the engine hums and where stability, despite a long wheelbase of 1.73 m, is reassuring.

Who is this machine for? Certainly not a beginner, intimidated by its weight and limited maneuverability. It’s also not the motorcycle for the globetrotter counting kilometers, with its 18-liter tank and firm suspension. The FXDWG is aimed at the custom purist, the one who seeks above all an attitude, a presence on the road. It’s a motorcycle of emotion more than performance, a style accessory in its own right. At more than €15,000 new, it represented a significant investment for what is, objectively, a platform with perfectible finishes and rudimentary technology. But it was precisely this simplicity, this raw, deconstructed look, that constituted its charm and its main argument against more polished but soulless Japanese competitors.

The 2011 Wide Glide closed an era, that of the old-school Dyna, before the advent of stiffer frames and more powerful engines. It remains a symbol, a motorcycle that fully embraces its flaws as well as its qualities. It wasn't chosen to be the best, but to be the most *Harley* possible in its most radical expression. A statement on two wheels, take it or leave it.