Motorcycle question

Respect cruisers as an option (especially for riders with shorter legs, inseam closer to the ground), but cruisers are not in my judgment the best bikes for training, nor would a forward leaning (CBR; GSXR R4 type).

Rather best bike to learn on has neutral riding position. Not laid back, not leaning forward. Can learn on anything of course, but if learning is you primary goal then think outside cruiser box altogether. Honda 599 or if you have long strong legs a VFR.

Throughout the 80's, Honda put out various flavors of the VT700C, which looks like a cruiser but has almost perfectly neutral riding position could be perfect to not only learn, but to own for a year or two or longer... If you find an older one still in nice shape, it will be cheap and worth it. Don't be scared of high miles Honda's at the right price they last and last.

If you got $11,000 go buy this with ABS

http://powersports.honda.com/2011/nt700v.aspx

Never met a woman or man who regretted getting a Honda motorcycle. Never once.

Trees.

Since this is ECCIE and not a motorcycle board, I add that the NT700V is

SHAFT DRIVEN.

Love giving free advice. I have owned 17 bikes starting with a 305 yamaha. If your wanting a harley; pussy man and willard gave you great advice. The low rider I beleive has the one of lowest seat height to ground distance and I know a number of women who ride that model because of that and found it easier to ride than a sportster. But there a lot of Japanese bikes in the 7-900cc range that are great starters you can always upgrade. Suggest you buy something used lots of good buys on low mileage bikes. Good luck!! Shinney side up!!!

I am probably going to be in the minority of one on this one. Having been a licensed rider for over 45 years, I have owned 14 different bikes that I had bought for my own use and bought and sold more than 10 others that I practically stole from that many people because they bought a bike too big for their first bike.
Personally, I don't believe that your first bike should be as large as ANY Harley. It may be financially painful to buy a smaller bike: 250 or so cc's to get a bit of experience on and learn some 'street sense'. Then move up. It will not be nearly as physically painful that way. For you or your loved ones.
Coming home two nights ago I turned a corner at 11:30 at night and almost ran over a man who had dropped his big BMW and broken his leg in the process. Another case of too much bike for the amount of experience and I have seen way too much of that.

Simply my own opinion. Best of luck, Sir.

G

I think gentleman is giving you great advise, I would also go for Japanese first. But for me 250 is too small, I would recommend at least a 600-750. They feel safer on the road (for me the biggest, the safest it feels) but it will depend on how do you feel on it. The insurance in cheaper in the tourings (in my experience) also, I would suggest buying the engine guards on front and the guards I the back, I had an accident 4 years ago, and those saved my legs, I only had road rash, and wasn't that bad because I was using proper gear.

Ok, I'm going to jump in here. I currently own the Honda Fury (1300c), this after having my last bike (vtx1800c) totaled back in May. (A cager pulled out in front of me, changing into my lane and took me out). I put over 40k miles on the 1800 in six years, and already have over 5k on the 1300. Prior to that I owned a Honda 750 (my first bike). I've riden full dress Harley's and even a suicide clutch for many miles. I still go back to the Honda simply because of the durability and price. When it comes to performance I would put the 1800 up against any HD on the road. As others have said, I personally have nothing against HD, but don't see the need to pay for the name when I can get more bike, less expensive to maintain and better performance with the Honda.

Now to the question: you've been given some great advice from both sides of the coin (RE: type of bike). For me personally, I won't get on the road on anything less than 500cc simply because I want the power to get out of any situation at a twist of the wrist, smaller bikes just don't offer the power I want.

However, regardless the bike you end up getting, practice even when you are diving in a cage. Drive like you are on your bike and look out for EVERYONE on the road. I began my love for bike back in the early 70's when I was a teenager and have ridden just about every size bike since. I've ridden from Austin to Florida, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Missouri, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Kansas in the past six years alone. I've ridden in ice, snow, rain, fog, wind, and absolutely beautiful days. The two greatest risks you have on a bike is 1) the other driver who doesn't see you — so ride like they don't see you, because usually they don't. 2) You are a threat to yourself. When you lose respect for the machine, you risk doing stupid things, or getting too comfortable and lackadaisical.

When my bike was totaled back in May I avoided getting seriously hurt. I was going about 40 mph in the right lane and a cage decided to not wait for the cage in front of her and pulled into my lane from a dead stop. I locked 'em up and she still got me with the back quarter panel of her car. Had I not been riding defensively I would have plowed into the back of her, but I literally anticipated her move and was ready for it when it happened. I flew over the handlebars and rolled. I flew about 20 ft before rolling. I ended up with a cracked rib and walked away from the wreck. I love the chopper look of the Fury, but I miss my 1800. That was the most powerful bike I had ever been on. I tested it one time, peaking 135mph and she was still going. So bottom line, never stop learning, know your limits and stay within them, respect the other drivers out there and ride defensively. And while doing all of that, enjoy your ride. It is possible to do all of that. Have fun, regardless the ride you decide on.

Thanks guys for all of the good information. I'm taking everything yall said into consideration.

OK, here's my 2 bits. I am a die-hard Harley guy. Live it, breath it. With that said, a Harley should not be your 1st street bike (echoing Gentleman). There are many reasons for that, not the least of being you have some mistakes to make first. And you'll make them. If you don't, you won't learn enough to survive out there.

My recommendation to every new rider is to start out with what I call a disposable bike of a neutral seating position (as explained by 19Trees). Buy a 3-5 year old metric (Honda, Zuk, Yammer, whatever) with the full knowledge that you'll drop it several times. You may even go down on it. With 3-5 years depreciation already, you can ride it for 1-2 years, and resell it without loosing any money. You won't cry when you drop the training bike, and it will be a lot cheaper to fix than an HD.

Also, as alluded to by others, HD's are not the most technically advanced bikes for the money. If you have 5-10K to invest in your first bike, you will get better handling, better braking, and less mechanical issues while you learn by going metric. During your first 10-20K miles, you need every advantage you can get to stay alive. Later, experience and lessons learned can help offset moving to the Harley. You will also learn how you prefer to ride, another lesson that will be critical in avoiding blowing money on the wrong model HD. Each frame family of HD's (Touring, Softail, Dyna, Sportser, and Vrod) sit, ride, handle, and dress out differently. Learn you need a tourpack to secure your helmet because of where you have to park? Prefer lithe handling vs weight? Learned you hate taking passengers? Some simple notions that have a huge impact on which family of HD's you buy into.

In summary, take your time. Don't get in a hurry. Learn first.

I'm not gonna tell you what bike you should buy . Only offer my experience . I always owned Kawasaki or Honda . They ride smooth as glass , handle great , and most importantly , every time you turn the key and press start , they do !

Dude....