Yep, Yellow Wolf is quite the rider. I had the Wing up in the N. Ga mountains last week and it does defy some of the laws of physics considering it's size and weight.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to start a fight. I just dislike blanket statements that don't take into account rider abilities, upgrades, etc.
I had to choose between a GL-1800 or a Street Glide earlier this year and chose the Wing and I haven't regretted the decision BUT, the final deciding factor was cost, not capabilities. I got a left over 2008 GL-1800 for $16,500 + tax, the equivalent Harley was $21,000 + tax and would need another $4k in motor mods to bring it up to a level of power I find acceptable. If I could have done a Street Glide with a 103ci motor for under $20K that would be in the garage.
I had a nice conversation with some of the Harley brass (Bill Davidson and the like) about the ultimate capabilities of the new 2009 and up touring platform and one of the comments then made was the Goldwing was a target platform from a handling perspective. After riding one in the CO mountains I can attest that they hit the mark. DO NOT compare a pre-2009 Harley touring bike with the new ones, they might as well have been built by 2 different companies, they are that different. The 110CI CVO Ultra will run all day with a Wing but the cost of admission is $35K :yikes: