J
jimharvey1
Guest
When I recently told a friend of mine from out of state who rides that I was thinkin of getting my first bike/Harley & I was torn between a Forty-Eight & Fat Bob, he suggested the sportster for a reason I hadn't heard before: as a brand new rider I'm all but guaranteed to drop my bike at some point, & when I do it will be cheaper to repair the sportster than the dyna. Any thoughts?
Tell your "buddy" thanks for the vote of confidence! He has a point about the cost difference but if that's what you are using to decide what to buy, find a used Honda Rebel on EBay! Otherwise, buy what you feel comfortable with. Keep in mind, if you buy a Sporty, and you want a Dyna (or larger), no doubt you will be selling the Sporty in about a year and taking a pretty good hit between what you can get for your now used Sporty and what you paid for it.
As a brand new rider you are NOT GUARANTEED to drop your bike at all. Take the basic rider course, then take it slow, getting as much slow speed maneuvering practice as you can in parking lots, etc. There is no reason for anyone to be "more prone" to dropping their bike.
Always ride like nobody can see you (they usually can...but don't) and ALWAYS maintain more than sufficient following distance, watch your "six" and yield right of way even though you think you have it. But most importantly, RIDE THE THING and enjoy it! No garage queens!
(So far (knock on wood) I've never been down for 41 years.)