How much is too much motorcycle?

Question

I'm signing up for the Rider's Edge saftey program through a local harley dealership and obviously I want to buy a bike. I want a harley, because its a harley. My question is, would a Sportster 1200 be too much bike for someone brand new to motorcycles? I really don't want to go the Shadow 250 suggestions that I read about, but obviously I don't want to die or destroy a great bike learning to ride.

6'0 tall, 195 fairly athletic pounds....absolutely BRAND new to motorcycles though.

Comments?

Answer 1

You are taking a safety class which is the best thing you can do as a beginner. In my opinion, most of the answers to your question have parts of the correct answer. There are a number of factors to take into consideration, you personally have mentioned 2, your body type and experience.

Both are important. You must be comfortable on the bike you chose so you don't want something too large or too small. Given your height/weight, almost any 250 will be too small for you. Your experience is another big factor for the reason you mentioned. You are going to learn a great deal from the class. What you will need to decide when you are finished is whether you feel you will be comfortable on the 1200.

One of the factors mentioned by another answerer was what kind of rider you will be. They will cover this in the class, but answer honestly the following question: what type of driver are you? Are you agressive? Do you have speeding tickets? Accidents? People's driving styles does not typically change when they move from a car to a bike. If you drive a car aggressively, you will typically drive a motorcycle in the same way.

Once you take the course, you will have a better idea of your skill level and will be able to make a more informed purchasing decision. As one of the other people answered, I would recommend a starter bike. You don't necessarily need a full-blown beater but you can pick up a used bike at a reasonable price and re-sell the bike for close to the same price you paid for it in a year or two. Given your size, a used 850 Sportster will be plenty of bike for you until you get some more experience under your belt.

Answer 2

Popular opinion is that a Sportster is a good starter bike, this may be true for some, each person is different and you'll have a better idea of how much bike that you can handle after taking the class. There are benefits to starting on a smaller used bike. If you drop it while learning, it's much less painful seeing road rash on a used bike than on a brand new Harley. You'll only learn the basics during the class and chances are that you won't even exceed 20 mph and it is in a controlled environment with no traffic to contend with. You'll also need to consider that you're learning a completely new skill set and having to hone those skills while in traffic, which can be very intimidating. It's better, in my opinion, to be on a bike that's easy to handle so you can hone your skills while learning to negotiate traffic. Other drivers don't always see bikers and no matter how good your balance and coordination are, it takes time to learn accident avoidance/emergency braking manuevers, and a smaller bike is much more forgiving for the newbie mistakes.

My first ride on a street bike was on my Father in Law's Shadow Sabre 1100. I rode dirt bikes as a kid and could handle them pretty well, but a 500 lb+ bike in traffic is a whole different ball game. I ended up buying a 200cc dual sport to learn on. I probably could've started on bigger, but I felt comfortable on the bike and could learn the street riding skills that I needed to learn on a bike that I could whip around pretty much at will. I've got a Vulcan 750 now, it's not the biggest bike out there but I think it's great. I would like to have a Harley some day, but you gotta crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run. Another thing to remember is this is your first bike, not your last. Most used bikes hold their value very well, and if you pick up a Jap bike and keep it for a year until you're ready for the Harley you can probably sell it for close to what you paid for it.



My suggestion is to start on a smaller bike and since you're looking at the Sportster I assume that you like the cruiser style. There are several good choices out there for good starter cruisers, and most can be picked up for <$5000 (some considerably less). Honda's got the Shadow 650 VLX and the 750 Shadow models, Kawasaki has the Vulcan 500 (not a V-Twin, but not a bad looking bike), Vulcan 750 and the Vulcan 800. There are others, but you get the idea.

No matter what you decide, remember thay you're invisible and people don't see you. If you ride with that in mind you'll be prepared for whatever comes your way. Another good sourse for beginner biker info is http://www.beginnerbikers.org/. Check it out, there's a lot of good info there.

Good luck and ride safe

Answer 3

Well, its all in your ability to handle things. If H-D 1200 is what you want then get it. Its for you and only for you, just be very careful out there. My good friend started with a new Honda Rebel and learned quickly, I learned on it as well. In just seven months he sold it and got a new 883L Sportster and I ended up with a new Kawasaki Vulcan 900 Custom.

My advise to you is:
Sportsters are great but in TX or any other HOT state they heat up pretty quickly and will not restart right away. Hes motorcycle used to stall nearly on every stop light. My friend has had really bad experience with his Sportster and H-D customer svc. Dealer says its normal because they don't let it heat up enough (in other words they don't test it for hours). His bikes has been at the shop many times for this two problems and others so he gave up on the H-D name and now he rides a new Honda VTX 1800. Explore the world out there and you may find something better in quality other than a name. A motorcycle is a motorcycle no matter what name it has! Just make sure you buy what you like and that is all that matters.

Answer 4

I wouldn't think so. Too much depends on the person. If you're in control of the bike 1200cc is no problem. Once you pass the class it should be fine. You certainly tall enough to handle any bike. Personally if you can afford it, get a Fatboy or something like that. The engine has more power but I think it's easier to control and a lot more comfortable. But to each his own. They'll probably have bikes for you to try out when you're learning since it's at a Harley Dealership. They'll answer you questions about the power too, when you're done you feel confident. Have fun and I'll see you on the road soon.

Answer 5

Only you know whether or not you have good balance and driving judgment, but I'll add this: buy a used bike first. One that you can learn on, and if you like, you can recoup your money and buy the motorcycle that you really want and have a better idea what you can handle. I personally started out on a Honda 1100 and then bought a Yamaha 1700. My experience learned in 10,000 miles of riding the 1100 helped me gain the confidence I needed to get what I really wanted. I cousin bought a 1200 Sportster and wanted to get a bigger bike one month later, but he was financially stuck with a new bike. Harley wouldn't even trade with him and he lost money selling it. Plus, you'll learn the type of motorcycle you prefer. Good luck and be careful. It can get scary at times with today's drivers.

Answer 6

Someone your size and atheticism should be able to handle the Sportster just fine after you have the class done. The only problem is, you WILL drop your bike, more than once, and it will really hurt when you see a new Sporty on the ground with a new scrape on it and a mirror and tail light broken. I recommend to all new riders that they start out on a used bike, something they are comfortable on, preferably something with a lower center of gravity if they are shorter, but you are tall enough to fit about any size bike. A 750cc bike is big enough to take out on the highway, but an 1100 or 1300 (mine is a Honda VTX 1300) or larger bike will feel better on windy days or passing trucks.

Answer 7

There were several people in my Riders Edge class who had bought bikes before taking the class, all of whom wish they had taken the class first when we were done. One lady had laid down her Heritage three times before she realized she needed to learn to ride a bike.

In my class (at a dealership), some time was spent in the showroom, so we got a chance to see how it felt to sit on different sizes of bikes. Yes, they were selling us Harleys, but no one minded.

We rode on small Buell Blasts, but to those of us with no experience, even they seemed too peppy at first. One thing it did was make us realize that we didn't need huge bikes to challenge us. The Blast is small and has a very low center of gravity, so being challenged by such a welcoming bike was an eye-opener.

On the Sunday, we watched HOG members arriving for a meeting. It was like watching boats coming in to dock at a marina; only a matter of time before some disaster happened. In this case, it was a lady riding her new Heritage in who stopped without remembering to put her feet down. She needed help from a couple big on-lookers to get her bike back up. That's a very real kind of accident a new rider might make.

I tell you this as just a bit of caution for you. A Sportster 1200 is a big, great bike. History says you will likely have some kind of damage to it. You don't need 1200cc to have a peppy bike at your size. When you take the class, you might trade your 1200 in for an 883 like one of the guys in my class did.

Your dealership may have a trade-up program, where you can get most of the value of an 883 applied to a bigger bike within a year. You wouldn't lose much that way.

Oh, and for the record, I got an older Yamaha Virago 1100. The price was right and with a few scuffs, I wouldn't be heartbroken to forget to put my feet down. :-) I hope to let my fiance have it when I upgrade--after she takes the Riders Edge course.

PS: The lady in my class who laid her Heritage down three times? She laid the Buell down twice in the class, then flunked out of the stopping test. How would you feel if you bought that Sportster 1200 and then flunked out?

Answer 8

Well, individually, I believe a motorbike is a fine funding so long as you are inclined to position the effort and time into the recreation. I'm most effective sixteen, however I've been driving them on the grounds that I was once four. And I nonetheless have a lot to gain knowledge of. I could propose, if you are nonetheless involved, opening off with an Enduro. Basically its a avenue-authorized grime-motorbike. Maybe a TS125? Then transfer your method as much as some thing like a Ducati or Kawasaki. Then if you are into extra long term journeys, a Harley Fatboy or Street Glide. But don't forget, if some thing had been to occur at the same time you are at the motorbike, the worst viable factor you would do is be afraid to journey once more. Hope I helped! (:

Answer 9

Take the MSF course. try to learn from it. Practice what they teach you. Sporty 1200 is not too much bike. Its actually less than 100 HP so if you don't try to overdrive it you will be fine.
Too much bike has more to do with your skill than any configuration of the bike.
Also all Sportsters are a bit top heavy. I would consider somethign with better balance and smoother delivery like the Triumph America or T-100

Answer 10

Get a beater for your first bike. I took the MSF course in 2001 and my first bike was a 83 Suzuki GS650. It had a selector so you could see what gear you were in and ENGINE GUARDS! I did drop it, a few times. I would hate to see you drop your nice new Harley. Get a few drops out of the way on the old beater bike then you should flow right in to the Sportser 1200. Good luck.