my 1st bike was a KAW EX500 (paid around $1,000 for it). It was fun and cheap to learn on. Dropped it within the 1st hour of owning it. Dropped it a few more times while I continued to improve my riding.

Sold it after I passed my DMV test with it. Had zero maintenace problems with it and fixing the damage from dropping it (light lenses, broken levers, etc.) was cheap.

Good luck!

 

My wife took the new rider course (Rider's Edge) at the local dealer and then purchased a Buell Blast (which is the bike they used in the class.) She rode that for a year, then she bought a new 2006 883L. We gave the Buell Blast to my daughter to practice on when she was interested in learing to ride. After a couple years, we were able to sell the Buell Blast for nearly what we paid for itl

I used to work with a lady (before I retired) that wanted to learn to ride. She picked up an old piece of $hit Honda (Not saying Honda's are $hit, but this one was a real junker!) for a couple hundred bucks. She road it for one season, and then she got a DYNA. Now her boyfriend is riding the Honda and is planning on getting a Sportster soon. The old crappy Honda is still running and will be sold to somebody wanting to learn to ride. Maybe getting something cheap and not having to worry about dropping is the way to go???

 

A good reason why a Big HD should not be your first bike
...ya ya I know as old as the internet


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYLaejLr6wM

 

1. No, Sometimes.
2. If U want a nicer bike, 3k is not much, expressly on a harley. If U save U'll be better off.
3. 70's AMF harleys where not the good yrs.
4. 97 better.
5. ?? price around

 

Hiya Matt:

I live in Charlotte as well (Waxhaw, actually). The first thing I'd recommend is taking an MSF course. I'm sure plenty others in this thread have said the same. As a returning rider, I took the Rider's Edge class at the HD of Charlotte, over on Independence. Great staff; I learned a lot.

In answer to your questions, FWIW: I purchased a used '02 Wide Glide from a dealer (Speedway HD). I did OK on price. They gave me a good financing deal, and I felt confident that it was in good running order (which, almost 10k miles later, it has proven to be a great bike).

Whatever bike you get, swallow your pride, buy some orange cones from WalMart, and practice your slow maneuvers. Any mook can get a bike up to speed and keep it in a straight line. It's the slow stuff that'll find you on the pavement before you know it.

Good luck with your search, and ride safe...

 

1) Take an MSF course.

2) Depending on your size, I wouldn't get too small of a bike...I know a fair number of people who've been talked into getting a little starter bike, and outgrowing it almost instantly....and it's a tough market in this economy to get rid of so you can move up.

Lots of the small displacement metrics and HD's weigh almost as much as a big displacement model.....and big displacement doesn't mean the bike is going to behave like some out of control beast. My wife's 650 Yamaha weighs about as much as my 1100, and within a month she took over the 1100. Except for the psychological part she could have handled the 1100 from the start (after the MSF course). Her 650 is about the size and weight of a RK....which means at highway speed it behaves like an underpowered RK.

3) If there's one thing most important to consider (compared to displacement, or even total weight) is whether the bike allows you to get a foot solidly placed down at a stop.....the tippy toe crap will get you into trouble....not necessarily dangerous but expensive as you proceed to drop the bike, busting off break levers, mirrors, etc.

They're all damn heavy once you let them go beyond the 'point of no return'.....even a sporty!

 

Isn't it game over if you dump your bike just once during the 3 days? Or is it just during the test?

I remember a fella in my class, did incredible through the whole 3 days(he with no experience doing better than some others who HAD experience). All just to drop his bike on the quick stop part of the ride test at the very end. Really sucked.

 

Seat should be low for a new rider. Suzuki Savage is good. Kawasaki Vulcan 500 probably has low seat.

 

Only if you drop it during the test. I dropped my bike twice early on (I was apparently a bit slow on that "don't look down" edict!), but did great once I got that out of my system, and ended up doing really well on the test.

I actually think dropping the bike helped me in the long run because it taught me that nothing bad was going to happen, so I lost all my skittishness.

 

i gotta receommend not getting a honda rebel there's no reason to go that underpowered on your first bike, they're tiny and you will probaby be sick of it in a couple weeks, and they do not retain any value at all, you may find yourself holding onto that honda rebel for a long time or losing a bunch of money on it.

you can get decent metrics (that won't bore you in a week) or a used 1200 sporty at that price range i would go that route. Dyna's are great bikes but they're 5K more than your price range so probably unrealistic for you now.

as for the MSF course if you dump the bike on the test it's an automatic failure, plenty of folks dumped their bikes during the three days.