Fair warning, this is going to be long because I'm in the mood to ramble! Cliff notes at bottom for you lazy folk.
I purchased my '10 WG back in September. Sept. 21st to be exact. Naturally, I wasn't planning on buying that day. Only wanting to look. So I called up the dealer and asked a few questions about the WG that they had in stock and he said: "Stop by..we'll put some gas in it and take it for a ride." Immediately I thought: "Shit...my wallet is gonna hate me after today!"
It had 4 miles on it when I got to the dealer. By the time I got done busting back and forth all day it was about 2 pm and I had yet to sleep(got off work at 6 a.m.) I unfortunately didn't get as many miles in the first day as I wanted, ended up with around 55 on it before I was too tired to go on.
Before I had even left the dealer I ordered a set of V&H Double Barrels and a Stage 1 SE intake and made the appointment for the Friday later in the week. By Friday I had had minimal chances to ride due to work and weather, but had around 120 on it. The sweet sweet note of the double barrels made the bike so much MORE enjoyable for me. Now...it was time to ride and ride hard as all of us Illinoisans know winter is right around the corner. My goal was to hit 1,000 before the end of October so I could get that maintenance done for the winter sit.
That Friday's weather wasn't looking too good at first as it rained until 1pm and a group of us had planned to ride to Peoria for the Unfriendly Bar Run which is a whole 'nother story in itself. But, the 40-50 minute ride into downtown Peoria was my first true test of how the seat will be on long rides. I have to say, that it's not bad. A lot better than I was expecting after my initial impression just sitting on it at the dealer. So far, if my ass gets a bit sore, a quick stop and some walking and it's like a brand new seat again. My old Sporty wasn't like that at all since as soon as you sat back on it your ass was immediately sore again.
I'm a taller guy (6'6") so the forward controls stock fit me PERFECT. I'm in a pretty relaxed position while still maintaining perfect foot position to maximize braking/shifting. Yet the pegs are far enough away that I can throw my feet over them and completely stretch out and still be comfy. Oh, and the passenger pillion provides a decent amount of lower back support and I enjoy it. It's staying on regardless if a passenger is on the back or not.
The handlebars: Nearly perfect. I feel that they could be raised a few inches and they'd be just awesome. But, they feel about the same as my old Sporty did, so I'm used to the position. Very comfortable, haven't noticed any kind of arm fatigue from the bars. The grips on the other hand, definitely leave something to be desired. If you don't have some type of glove on, your hand will be raw if you ride a lot even with a loose grip.
Suspension: This bike is so damn smooth compared to my Sporty than it's laughable. I adjusted the preload on the rear suspension up two notches and it's perfect so far. It rode good in completely stock form, but with my fat ass it came close to bottoming on a couple of hellish but unavoidable spots. Now it rides pretty damn good. It handles bumps with ease and is super smooth. Handling is pretty good. Definitely not as nimble as my old Sporty and that lowered my confidence just a little bit, but I found myself pushing it a little bit farther as I went and am comfortable with it now.
Also with the wider rear tire the bike practically balances itself and makes slower tight turns super easy. The longer rake compared to the Sporty makes tight areas a slight pain in the ass, but that's ok. This bike is way cooler.
Lighting: The stock headlights actually do very well for me. The low beam leaves a little to be desired, but the high beam actually impressed me compared to my Sporty. It seemed like it lit up 3x as much stuff. The gauges are easy to read at night(especially if you remember to bring your clear lens' instead of just shaded ones!) I think I'm going to invest in a HID kit over the winter and try to get some better lighting.
The engine and trans: HUGE difference between the 1200/5 speed that I was on before. First off, this beast actually gets out of its own way and does it smoothly as well. Definitely has gobs of torque and LOVES throttle. The trans was actually almost too smooth with low miles on it. I was finding it hard to hear and feel if I had actually shifted yet, aside from first. While on the bar run I mentioned earlier I actually had to beat on the bike a little because people love to gun it on runs and that seemed to help it act more like I was expecting. The trans had a more positive feel and I could hear that wonderful "click" to the next gear.
Overall: This is honestly a perfect bike for me. I'm glad I just dove in head first and bought it on a whim. I'll be keeping this beast for years to come and enjoying it.
All in all, on the first good Friday I got to take it out (the bar run) I ended up with over 350 on it by the time I finally parked it at home. Then the next weekend I had over 650 on it after another poker run. Then a few days later after riding with a friend I got to 890 or so and then 2 weeks of straight nights and rain kept me from riding. As it sits now, I'm sure it has over 1,100. Too bad the 2 weeks of constant work and crap weather happened because I'm sure I'd have over 1,500 on it for sure by now. Even still, the amount I've rode in the last month has been the most motivated riding I've done since I began riding back in '07. I'd usually do little 50-60 mile trips. I don't mind doing 200+ miles a day now.
Sorry for the long post.
Cliffs:
Rides smooth, perfect peg placement for tall guys, great power and trans, good lighting at night time, and of course...it's very enjoyable to ride!
Feel free to ask questions and if you actually read all of this, thanks!
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