Practice motorcycle?

Question

I just bought a 2005 HD 883L. It's a beautiful bike and I don't want to damage it or me. I cannot take the motorcycle safety class until April, but would like to practice now on a smaller bike. And, I don't want to take the test on my HD. I don't know anyone I could borrow a bike from. Are there places that rent bikes. How do I get practice? I live in the country boonies, so I can get by with practicing and just having my permit. My fiance's bike is a Road King, so, no help there! My bike is heavy and I have a torn ACL in my right knee which will be replaced this month. This effects my strength and balance. Am I just being too anxious to ride?

To lighten_up: Keep your negative responses to yourself coz you're no help at all. I HAVE ridden b-4 butt hole. But not for several years and on a smaller bike. Why do people like u get on here anyway. Don't bother with my questions fool.

In addition, I bought this bike for $3000 less than what it's worth and could not wait until later to buy it - knowing I would end up with a Harley. And yes, I've ridden small bikes and dirt bikes before.

Answer 1

I have to ask, have you ever ridden before? If not why did you buy the Harley? You need a small displacement, lightweight bike.
Something along the lines of a single-cylinder cafe racer, or an enduro-small, perhaps 400 cc or a dirtbike. These can be found on e-bay motors, your local classifieds, and the like for fairly cheap. You may find a bike for a few hundred dollars and you don't need anything more than a few thousand. When you are done just resell it it.
Not many places will rent you a bike if you are not endorsed, although your fiance may be able to and you can then ride it without the company's knowledge.
I will assume that you have ridden before and are just attempting to get back in the groove after a long hiatus due to injury, ex-wife, money, you know just circumstances in general that preclude men from riding, and are attempting to get re-qualified.
If not you made a mistake buying an expensive, fairly well-powered bike as your first ride.

Answer 2

That HD isn't really that big, but your knee (even after they fix it) is always going to be a concern--especially when maneuvering at really low speeds - thats when most people drop their bikes.

You might want to consider getting something a little bit smaller for a long term bike - there are some superb japanese bikes that are a LOT less expensive, and are still very good rides.

Check out Suzuki - I ride a Boulevard C50 (805cc), which is pretty much equivalent to your HD (though I only paid $7500 for it). It isn't too heavy for me, but they make some smaller bikes that might be easier for you to handle (at least until that knee makes a full recovery).

Remember to have fun! But be very careful--when you ride on the road, you are either:

A) Invisible to other cars

or

B) They are actively trying to hit you

(not far from the truth--and you'll be pleasantly surprised when they don't try to run you over or cut you off!!)

Answer 3

Congradulations on your new bike. The sportster is the only HD I like, but I still prefer my Burgman. As a previous poster pointed out noone is going to rent you a motorcycle w/o a valid endorsement. I have an alternate suggestion. Take a vacation and find a resort area that rents 50cc scooters. You will not get the practice of shifting, but you will still have to lean to turn and get used to being exposed traffic, ect. You did not post what part of the country you are from so it is hard to suggest a resort or rental location.

Answer 4

Check with your state about the safety class. In many states if you pass the safety course you do not have to take the test the the DMV. Also, the safety class gives you a bike to ride.

I bought a Honda Nighthawk 650 as my first bike, lighter and I did'nt have to worry about laying it down. I bought a Harley this year and it is a big difference in the way they handle. I think your sportster should be light enough to learn on.

Don't listen to what Lighten-up has to say. He or she was also a first time rider at one time. One of the things that I see about bikers is they are there to help the others out and give you advice. Lighten-up hasn't learned about that part of being a biker.

Answer 5

from 1 sportster owner to another...and i ride a xl1200r, the 883 is actually lighter in weight than my bike. within a month of puttin around, u'll soon get used to its characteristics. unfortunately, the 883 is 'too big' for the msf course; they limit bikes to 500cc, and they have their own bikes anyway.
if u pass the msf course, u'll get ur endorsement right then and there after u take the 'passed' slip to the dmv.

harley davidson REQUIRES 1 year minumum as an mc edorsed rider to rent bikes. they wont rent to permit riders, and no other shop will allow test rides on a permit.

belive it or not, the road king would actually be easier on u. lower center of gravity. sporties tend to have a high center of gravity, and is a bit squirrelly on slow speeds u'd have no problem with on the road king. check out the video's on this site. http://www.ridelikeapro.com
these vid's will give u 1 hidden secret that with just a bit of practice, u'll be a wizard at slow speed manuvering.

Answer 6

About the only rentals I've heard of are Harley. The BRC classes are taught on 250cc Hondas and Kaws. They're good little bikes, you should be able to find a used one (cheap), get your practice in and then sell it for enough money to get your first H-D tatoo. :-)

Answer 7

well what i am going to do is buy a used cheap run down bike for like 1500-2000 and learn on that. the only purpose for the cheap bike its to practice so i wont matter to me if i lay it down. but i just need the time to learn and find a cheap bike for the time being to learn.

Answer 8

My soul suggestion is just to wait until you have finished getting your body in good shape, due to the risk of getting really hurt bad, if you have one drop down, it would set you back more than just 4months...

Think about the Kawasaki Ninja 250R sport, it only weighs 324 ibs.

Good luck.

Answer 9

www.craiglist.org

They have people in the motorcycle section that will rent bikes, even to take the driving test.