Beginner Harley Davidson rider/buyer. Questions on a bike?

Question

Hi, everyone. I am looking to take lessons first before purchasing a bike as I have never rode before.
From the website I think I would be interested in a cruiser. Any suggestions on which one to buy?

How easy is it to learn how to ride?

Thank you for your time and any suggestions you may have for me.

Answer 1

Harley offers a riding school called Rider's Edge, and there are other ones put on by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation that are very similar (in fact, the MSF sanctions Rider's Edge). It's a very good starting point.

A general rule of thumb is that if you can drive a car with a manual transmission and can ride a bicycle, you will be able to learn how to ride a motorcycle too with some good practice. However, not all motorcycles are equally easy to ride. One with a huge amount of power or a heavy one is going to be a lot harder to manage than a small and forgiving bike.

I met one woman in an MSF class whose husband had bought her a Fat Boy. She was scared to death to try riding on it. After riding around on the school's bike, she realized the problem was that she'd simply started trying with a bike that was too heavy for her, and decided she wanted a 250. You may not want something that small, but Harley's line of Big Twins are not the easiest to learn to ride (or the worst, however - a Suzuki GSX-R 1000, for example, makes a much worse first bike!). It's Harley's policy to make them big and not build entry level bikes under their own name, so as to keep their reputation.

You may be best off starting with a smaller secondhand Japanese cruiser and riding it for a year. That way, if you drop it or make any newbie mistakes, it won't have been your dream bike you dented. If you want to pick a Harley for your first bike, I would say the Sportster is easily the most beginner friendly of their cruisers.

Answer 2

The first and foremost thing to do is get your butt enrolled in the AMA riders course. You can find the nearest to you on the Internet, some community colleges offer the course but a private AMA offering will be faster and actually more informative. They provide the bikes, small under 250 cc, you provide basic rider gear. When you are finished in most states you will only have to take the written test for your motorcycle license as the course acts as the driving portion. As to your first bike selection, that's a personal thing. If you feel a street cruiser is what you want, or whatever bike, the number one thing to keep in mind is control. Both stopped and moving. Stopped, fully seated, make sure that BOTH of your feet are FLAT on the pavement, NO tip toes. Can't tell you how many dumbasses I have laughed at who have dropped their scooter because they couldn't hold the thing upright solidly. Moving is a whole different animal. My Harley's will drag on a corner that a Wing or a bullet will sweep around and not so much as tick the ground. I'm okay with that, you crash more going too hot into a curve than slower. As to buying your first scooter, well there are some deals out there. We are coming into riding season in a lot of the country so prices tend to move up a bit. Check your local police departments, it is about this time of year they get rid of their older fleet. You can pick up a pretty sweet deal sometimes. Check the bike shops also, tradeins will be showing up. Large and smaller they all will be a great first ride. It really is your choice. There are very few bad bikes out there, just a whole lot of really bad RIDERS. Please, take the course and be one of the good ones. Hope to ride with you some day. Ride Safe.

Answer 3

Take a Motorcycle Saftey Foundation course. They are on the internet. Worth every penny. Buy a cheap small bike and get used to riding first before investing any decent amount of money in a bike. Doing this will also give you some insight into what you really want and what you can handle. I started with a Honda Rebel 250, then went to a Honda Magna 750 and plan on purchasing a new Honda Shadow 1300 this summer after being away from the sport for 8 years.

Most of all, ask questions, read whatever you can get your hands on and just basically educate yourself as much as possible. I started out being self taught and even though I had ridden for several years but decided to take the MSF beginner course for two reasons-1. I had never held the endorsement and taking this class would give it to me and 2. The class would help me break any bad habits I might have had (I had alot). This is a sport that teaches you something new all the time. Good luck and keep the rubber side down.

Answer 4

isnt all that hard to ride a cruiser...it wont come close to the speed of a rice rocket in the quarter, and is alot more forgiving than a rocket. sportsters are the cheapest harley, and if u outfit the bike right, it can be a decent touring bike for the money...u will be the weakest link in the chain. so far ur getting nothing but fluff from those that have no idea what they're talking about because they dont ride....and it shows in their 'answers'. smaller bikes are easier to flick thru the twisties, but with the right rider, a goldwing can make a hell of a canyon carver.

if the sportster's feel a bit too small, u could jump up to a wide glide or a deuce if ur looking for bike to ride aggressive in the corners, but feel good about going long distance without monkey butt.

Answer 5

definitely go with a AMA riding course, it's about 200 - 250 dollars. you'll learn on rebels and bikes like that around 250cc. it's well worth the price to do this.

If you buy a Harley,(my choice would be different as a first bike and never riding before) good bikes but very expensive, they offer a course on riding also. ask the dealer about it.

I just happen to have a Honda VTX1300 retro for sale if you live in the central Florida area LOL. It's a really nice cruiser.

Answer 6

I was a first time rider 2 years ago and I bought a 2002 HD Sportster 883 Hugger for my first bike and never took the rider safety course.I didn't listen to what anybody told about getting a cheap bike because you're gonna drop it or wreck it.I've been riding for 2 years and she's never been laid down and I ride her hard,she's my baby!! I put over 500 miles on her riding on the back roads by myself with just a permit because everybody was too good to ride with a beginner.
Go on Ebay and you can pick up a nice 883 or 1200 Sportster fairly reasonable'they're not as high priced as everybody thinks.

Answer 7

I have a Heritage Softail Classic. This is the bike my husband taught me to ride on. The weight is low and it is very easy to handle. Go to the Harley Dealer and sit on one, pull it up and get the feel of it. I think you will like it.

Answer 8

From a old Harley rider, buy a small,cheep bike till you can ride really well. Then put out the money to get a good cruiser. You will drop your first bike, I did, almost every one does. If you don't, you not riding hard.

Answer 9

Obviously your buying a Harley for looks or prestige or a chick magnet, why don't you first buy something less expensive to see if your really biker material?
I love Harley's for there purpose but I have a GSXR 600 for FUN!
I race Motocross for the adrenaline rush.

Answer 10

Look for something in the 800 to 1300cc class bike.