another motorcycle thread

A

alex_111

Joined
Aug 10, 2000
Messages
475
hey, guys.
i'm 18, and i've been interested in bikes (harleys, specifically) for as long as i've been able to walk, but i've never owned one. i'm looking into getting a license & a bike in the next couple years, so i have a couple questions.
first of all, must i get my license before i go buy a bike, or is it a better idea to get a bike first?
second, a question for the harley riders:
i'm 6'3", 175 lbs. considering that, do you think a sportster 1200 would be too small (in respect to both the frame size and the engine) to start with? should i go for a big twin (1340, 1450, etc.) as my first bike?
i reckon that if i get a sporty, i can chop it later on. that'll make it even more fun to own & drive. the problem is, i think i may not like the smallish size of the sporty after a while. i've never ridden a sporty, so i wouldn't know. and big twins are so damn expensive...
any tips/advice you can give will be much appreciated!
thanks a lot, and ride safe.
peace.
aleX.
 
i'm not into harleys but a bud is - he is the sgt at arms for the southwestern bandidos MC, and he wouldnt be caught dead on a sportster - if ya are gonna spend the $$ for a HD, get the big one hardcore HD guys think sportsters are for girls......not my opinion, but asked him recently, and they are looked down on by the outlaw MC guys anyway , according to 'fishman' anyway lol


sifu
 
Please don't take this as a slam, but I will repeat:

The surest way I can think of to get a teenager killed is to put him/her on a big motorcycle and send him/her out into traffic.

IMHO, the best way to learn is to ride or race in the dirt <B>before</B> you ever ride a bike on the street. If that won't work, get a 500-600cc street bike first, learn to ride with the MSF people, and ONLY then go out of the parking lot. After you're comfortable riding and have developed some skills, then get your big bike. You'll live longer.

db
 
If you have the bucks, and you want a Harley and nothing else, by all means get the bigger bike. If you really have the bucks, the new twin cam engine is a much, much, much better engine than the previous Evo. That said, a used twin cam will probably run you close to $20K no matter where you live. I don't think you would like the sporster at your size. The bike sits you in a very straight up position and you catch a ton of wind. My knees always hurt on a sportster and I am I only 5-10. A sportster will run you around $4K-8K depending on the year and options. They are pretty dependable and despite what everyone seems to think, they will leave a bigger Harley 80 inch in the dust. I have a friend that bought an 883cc sportster and spent about $3K in options, and can't sell it for $4K. There are two basic models of sporty's 883cc and 1200cc. The 1200's are pretty quick. But any japanese 500 or 600cc bike will run rings around it. The only thing a smaller bike would do for you is be lighter. There are 600cc bikes right now capable of over 160mph that you can buy right out of the showroom

SIFU1A is right, most Harley guys don't consider Sportys to be "real" Harleys. Or Buells for that matter. They will tolerate chicks on them, but they will tolerate chicks on a Vespa. Bandito's are far too dangerous to hang out with anyway, and most of them stay on the road because they are wanted. I have some great stories about what they used to offer me instead of cash when I would do mechanic work for them.

See my other post under motorcycles thread, and there is some more info in there. My advice is to ride what your friends ride. Everyone will tell you to get a Harley, but how many of them ride them? Harleys are expensive, they are not as dependable as rice burners, they are slow, they are stolen more often, and the insurance is usally twice as high as any other bike. All my friends ended up selling theirs for economic reasons, but still have Harley tattoos. I have a long since paid for 87 FXSTC that I really like. I also have a Kawasaki zx-10 and a Ducati 900ssCR. Each is different.

If this is a consideration I highly reccomend you check out Japanese cruisers. At first you might think they aren't "cool" enough, but they are bullet proof and much cheaper. Usually they are quicker, have better breaks, and less maintenance. They are about 50 different Jap cruisers out there right now, most with much bigger engines than Harley makes.

Just some advice I learned from years of wrenching on bikes. Again I reccomend reading the other thread on bikes.

Good Hunting!

R. Lee
 
Hi alex_111,

I'm 6'3" and 220 lbs.

I decided to buy a Harley at 39 years of age and first took the motorcycle safety course.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT!

I bought a 1200 sportster without ever sitting on one.

It's not a bad bike, but too small for riding double.

I put 22,000 miles on my sportster.

A good deal came up on a 1991 Low rider so I bought it and couldn't be happier!

View


The larger bikes are worth the money if you have it and it will last you almost forever.

Again be sure to take the motorcycle safety course.
 
Just to go with the others, do the training FIRST. After that, take a look round at different bikes, test ride some and see what suits you - and your bank account.
Personally, I'd say buy a smaller bike to start with (I know there are Jap cruisers around 750cc) and get your 'dream machine' after a year or two of dealing with the idiots in cages.

But don't ask me about cruisers - I'm a sports bike rider!
(0-60 3.5 secs, standing 1/4 in 10.6, top speed 170+mph - and I commute to work on this...)
 
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