like most have said here..I don't care what ya ride...me personally I prefer Harley's..I've ridden rice...HD is the only thing for me...you might not be able to afford a new softail...but I bet what you would pay a month for that Honda you could get a nice sporty or even a used big twin...I purchased a 79' ironhead for 3800.00,that was a damn good ride...sold it for somthing bigger...88' FXRS and I paid 8500.00...I love it....you don't have to buy brand new or newer to enjoy riding a Harley...if that's what you really want,look around and see what you can afford..I guarantee you could find somthing in your price range of that VTX...but main thing is your on two wheels...my uncle has been riding for over 30 yrs..he's owned nothin but HD...he recently bought a VTX 1300 as a second bike..he said its not a bad scoot.

 

Someones off their MEDS (Stretch) , Unless you know the guy ofcourse.

I owned a Honda for my first bike for the same reason. I was 35 when i bought that bike. Two years later after a deployment or two i bought the Harley at 37. Now i have a 2005 Electraglide Classic that will be paid off in SEP.

Its all in how you want to do it , and like alot of people have said it doesnt matter, your still riding and your welcome to ride with me anytime , bro.

One thing to consider because i went through this as im sure others as well. If you decide to trade that Honda in on a Harley you will take a knock in the teeth on value. I lost over half the value on mine and she was only two years old and very low mileage.

 

My life long dream of owning a Harley came last year at the young age of 54.

 

46 for my first one, of course I spent several years on the "other" side... I'm like the others, just RIDE. It took me 46 years now I have a '05 Ultra and and "06 Lexus in the garage...

 

26 when I got my first ironhead. Like Streachman says you can buy Sportsters real reasonable these days. Whatever you buy
enjoy the road.

 

My first Harley is on the way to my local dealer as I write this. I will be 49 this summer. Had a mess of Jap bike over the years and enjoyed every one of them. The purists can say what they want about all bikes other than Harley. But I will be willing to bet that the Japaneese manufacturers have brought more people to motorcycling in just a few years than HD has in it's whole history. You might say thay HD's entire customer base may not be riding at all if not for the fact that the big Asian four made it affordable. And then there is their ingenious marketing. But that is another story. Anyway I am finally now getting my Harley and could'nt be happier. Wanted one a long time ago but could not afford one. It was always a "dream" bike to me. No matter how much I enjoyed my metric bikes I would stop to stare at every HD I saw. There is something indefinable about the HD "aura". Others on this forum more articulate than I have tried to sum it up in differnt ways. Be patient. You would be surprised what you can afford if you really budget yourself toward a goal like owning a Harley. If I had it to do all over again, I would not have waited as long as I have. But I have few regrets. I have had a ball riding. And that is the point.

 

Hey I was 19 when I had my first bike. It was a Yamaha and I loved riding. Sure, I had wished it was a Harley, but I wished I had a lot of things (still do). Point is, like many have already said, it is great just to ride. I am 41 now and getting my first HD and nothing else will do for me now. But, I'm in a position to say that for the first time in my life!

Don't worry about it, have fun riding and get what you really want later if that is what you need to do. I rode fast, drunk and without a helmet when I was around that age and just consider myself lucky to be alive getting this new bike. A lot has changed for me since I had that first one, not just the ability to afford the Harley. Be careful.

You might also want to consider having a look on the the HD trader used site. The idea of the Triumph sounds cool too, as someone mentioned. I know th ebike your looking at. Looks great and has that cruiser look and feel.

Arthur

 

Starting riding a few years ago, and just got my first Harley at the ripe "youg" age of 54. Sure is worth working toward something you really want. Always good to have a goal, but riding was the most important thing to me when I started. Heck, was not sure I was really going to like it at that time. Good luck, but get out there and ride.

Don

 

I am 50 and got my first HD last summer, before that I had a few other bikes. the last one was a Triumph America. nice bike for around 9 grand, a buddy bought a vtx1800 for 10 grand brand new. You could get a sporty for even less, put some pipes on her and enjoy. Just ride what ya like.

 

I would get the honda over a sporty any day. they are to small @ 6'3" i would look like a monkey fxxking a football on one. don't believe the crap about resale. i bought my yam vmax new in 95 for 9800 rode it for 10 years and sold it for 6600. most guys when they sell there harley lose every dime they put into it in chrome + some. the market is become flooded with used harley's and the resale value will soon be affected ... buy what you can afford. if you want to make money invest in stocks and bonds..

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