Now that is one expensive purse right there...

 

If you lived in Missouri and had $4000,I have a 2007 Honda Shadow i would sell for $4000.00 that is like brand spanking new, put forward controls, a mustang seat and saddle bags and i have the old seatand pegs that came on it as well, and it only has 3000 miles on it. sharp as all get out and rides good, and is the perfect bike for learning on. Im going to take a loss on this bike cause thats a grand less than i owe, i just want to get out from under it.

 

Im 6'1" 230 and my sporty with forward controls fits me just fine.

 

I think all you guys and gals have beautiful rides that I'd be proud to ride or ride with. I'm sorry, but I just cringe when people start raggin on each others ride. Geez, these are Harley Fuc*in Davidsons! We're at the top of the food chain. I mean its like talking about someones mother... Sporties are cool, as are Dynas, as are Glides etc etc. Most of us even appreciate the Jap bikes, the Euros etc etc... But to dog a Harley... incomprehensible.

 

Agree 100%...not once did I rag a guys scoot, I just stated my opinion on fitment and some took offense.

 

1st Sportster at age 20 ( 40 years ago )



Present Sportster at age 60 .. Nuff Said ...

 

Some of us 883 riders are not 'the ladies'. And some of us have more experience then most people will ever have.

We just choose to ride 883s, sometimes the 883 is only part of our 'fleet', because they fit our needs and we don't suffer from any kind of complex that makes us feel the need to use a motorcycle to prove our masculinity.

Some of us also don't post "thoses" when the word used should be "it".

Ron

 

The post quoted above was the best post in response to the OPs questions. At least IMO.
In the past 40 years I have seen many new riders. And I have seen most of them not be riders for a real long time. There aren't many of us that are in it for the long haul.

This isn't meant to reflect on anybody's character or abilities. Just an acknowledgement that "Riding a bike is not like driving a car. There is more to it than just getting on it and riding down the street". Not everyone considers the rewards worth the risks. As teedubya suggests "smaller metrics are cheaper to learn on". It also means taking a smaller hit if you decide that motorcycle riding is not something you want to do.

Ron

 

I'm still a newbie with 2-1/2 years riding at 58, I waited until I thought I had the descipline for a motorcycle.. Waited too long! I hope I did most of my dropping on the rentals I used for the first 3 months, plus one on my WG (note guards are on it now) and one on my 3 day old RK....
My first bike was a 1100 Honda Shadow for $4000 with 1200 miles on it, a really sweet bike. But, I just wanted a Harley, only had the Honda a week before I was shopping. Fortunately finances weren't the issue, I've been infected with the boating disease forever, so bikes seem inexpensive!
I will suggest a method to finding a bike in a budget, go on to ebay, pull up motorcycles, sort by price, and go to your $ comfort level... I wanted to get a replacement for my 'must have' convertible toy and did that. Oddly enough a week later after seeing thousands of cars I ended up with the 1st one that caught my eye when I started looking... It is a great market for you to buy a $3000 bike IMHO, don't get hung up on anything in particular and you'll do well.

 

There is a lot of truth in what is being said here. I have seen many people go out and buy bikes and ride the hell out of them the first season or two only to drift away from riding. I can cite at least 10 guys I know of and even my woman that was putting 4k a year on her scoot until this year when I bought the glide and she put maybe 400miles on hers.

There are a lot of bikes to choose from in that price range. I would not be too quick to pull the trigger on anything and keep all options open.