New member, bike hunting

[paulmack]

All great advice and I concur. Get a smaller less expensive bike to start with. It will be easier to handle and you can see if riding is in your blood or not. Ride safe and enjoy.

 

[Delmar]

If you are a new rider, interested in a Harley and want good gas mileage then definitely consider the Sportster. Big twins will get low 40’s MPG while a Sport will get 50 MPG.

HD has a buyback program on Sports so there are lots of lightly used bikes collecting at the dealer showroom, should be some good deals at this time.

ABS isn’t much of an issue because you can easily feel what the tires are doing, and you would have to brake really hard to get the ABS to kick in anyway.

 

[futurerider]

I was in your shoes less than a year ago, 50years old and never road before. Found this site and got a lot of advise, so now its time to return the favor.

I took the MSF course and the "About the bikes class" at the Harley dealer, they will impart alot of information as to ridding style, size, weight, power of the bikes and so on, remember they are in the buisness to sell Harleys, but there is still alot of goood ideas and advise there. They will let you sit on a few bikes to get a better feel.

I also think ABS is a good choice especially for new riders. There is alot of differring opinions on this, but I believe it to be a good choice.

Only you can make the final decission on what fits you best, mine was 2009 RK with anti-lock brakes. No regretts and no scratches yet

Never having a bike before I can only say it seems very smooth with little or no vibration.

Good luck with your decission :cheers

 

[horizonchaser]

Sound advise from previous posters...buy smaller metric to start makes good sense as 883cc is comparable torque and power wise to most middleweight rockets regarding power (though they are 100 pounds lighter). You are on the right path regarding a good used bike...probably 2-5 years old would not be such a high investment, but $10k is quite high priced admission price to enter the world of motorcycling.

Even the so-called smaller Sportsters NEW are $10k...but ABS willl only be found on the Big-Twin Touring Bikes from 2009 on...so probably out of your reach in an HD model anyway.

If HD is a MUST, you really cannot go wrong with one the feels comfortable and easy to ride FOR you and is a very personal choice, it is just a challenge to handle the weight and power if not used to it. Most modern models have rubber mounted, balanced engines, some with isolated bars, with the vibes coming from the intensional and "patented" firing pattern of engine...and should not be a problem

As NEWHD has stated above, it can be a "challenge" to handle a Big Twin starting out. You want to get something to start out with that you can maneuver about comfortably and be proficient in situational riding. Once you feel that you have got that down pretty good you can try out the bike that does it for you. Lets face it, you want to be happy whilst sporting about!
As far as gas mileage goes, I get approx. 40 MPG on my '03 Ultra. If that were a car, I'd be content. But it's not a car and I find that I sometimes put $10:00 of gas in it every day because I'm taking joy rides all over the place! :s
Good luck and let us know how you make out!

 

[guitardude]

Try riding both, rent them if you have to. The BMW and other Sport touring models are fun but they are not Harleys. I was in the same situation trying to decide and am really glad I got a harley. The Vibrations are not a factor IMO, the weight however might be but if your sholders and legs are healthy you'll be ok. I ride with a buddy who's 70 years old and he's a little guy but gets along fine. If the gas milage is a big factor, go with anything other than a Harley. If you want to ride with a group of friends and go to rallys, get a Harley. If you notice, you never see a pack of 6 or more non-Harley riders cruising together. Hope this helps, and what ever you get, be safe and have fun!

 

[Joyflyin]

I think, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but don't the softails don't have the vibration that the touring models do since the engine is mounted on the frame?

I do agree with the others that getting a smaller bike for starts, I started on a 200cc dual sport, then to a 650 dual sport after a couple of months. I then got a duece. I did pretty good with the adjustment, however, I still have a couple of dual sports that are really fun to zip around on for the not so pretty harley days.

Either way, I would try to ride some different models to see what works for you.

Good luck!

 

[FLHXTom29715]

Get a smaller bike and start out getting used to all that you learned in class and use it in the "real world" build confidence and when you feel ready, then trade up. I don't know if HD is still offering full trade in price, but you might consider a sportster, you get a harley and no loss on your investment at trade in. All touring models, have rubber mounted handle bars and very very little vibration if any through the grips. This is my first bike with ABS and the Harley's are independent ABS, not like other ABS systems where either the foot or lever activate both brakes, so it is kind of different. Bikes have been around for many many year with out ABS and learning on a smaller bike without it, will help build your braking skills. If you only know a bike with ABS and ride a non ABS bike, you might hit the brakes hard, thinking ABS will kick in and instead, lock up the bike. Oh Yeah, Welcome to the forum!

 

[marcus22]

I agree about riding a smaller bike first to get a hand on things. One thing I would suggest is renting a bike from harley. That way you can see how they feel after a couple of hundred miles.

marcus

 

[trickydoc]

great for you on completing the MSF biker course, did mine several years ago and do the advanced course about every 2 years. Right now I am 62 and ride an 01 Ultra, my 3 bike. First was a Suzuki 850 cc cruiser, went to a 97 ultra, now this bike. for me both the HD's rode and balanced much better than the metric bike, not to say it was not a good bike. the harley's wer just better. I think you should ride some bikes and see what you like. Some of the bike ralleys, Daytona for sure, have harleys available for demo rides, and some dealers will let you ride, if they have bikes available. Even now when I go to Daytona, I set aside a day to go ride bikes at the harley demo. What ever you decide, be happy and be safe. and welcome

 

[Jack Klarich]

Dealer test rides would be a good start and the Sportser buy back program is a good choice lots of good deals as the market is flooded Be safe