Dallas, ha! That's kind of funny. My wife's only stipulation is that I maintain at least a half million dollar insurance policy. Sounds fair to me. lol

 

Not to change directions here but you should have keep dating around , a women starts laying down ultimatums that early is going to be a pain in the *** and have control issues down the road . Good luck on the bike thing no matter what you get got the feeling the road ain't going to be smooth on the home front .

 

With your size and build, take a course and buy the Harley you want although I would stay away from a Sportster. Big twins are easier to ride.

 

Lol, oh no, I guess I made that sound worse than it was. The only reason she said that was because she worked in the Dallas County Hospital and personally witnessed multiple people die because of motorcycle accidents. She is by far no where near controlling or demanding of me. Hell, most of the time I have to reign myself in and remember to do something nice for her because she takes too good of care of me. Lucked out big time, trust me.

 

Yea hospitals arnt the best place to get a feel for what happens on a bike!

 

When you sit on a bike, put your hands on the bars and your feet on the pegs (that's where they will be most of the time when you are riding).

 

A motorcycle enthusiast friend once said "I'll know my wife has taken out a sizeable insurance policy on me when I come home and find a Hyabusa parked in the garage".

You're going to need a larger bike at your size. I have a riding buddy that's your size and build and he looks like a bear on a tricycle riding his softail.

 

I've decided that I'm going to take a riders course first, make sure I know the basics and all the safety stuff, get my license and then rent a bike or two and then purchase a craigslist special. After I play around on that this year, I'll probably end up buying a new one next year. I think that is going to be the best plan of action, from what I've read.

 

Mid 90s Honda Shadow 1100 might be a better choice. You'll fit it better and the price will be less. I'm 6'4" and rode one for a couple years very comfortably. The 750 may feel small to you. $2,000 or so should put you in the saddle and ready to learn. If you don't mess it up too much you should get your money back when you want to sell it.

 

My thoughts exactly. I'm 5'4" and got an '01 1200 Custom for my first bike. I didn't have much experience. Took the riding class. I dropped it a couple times (top heavy IMO). Not much damage. And I learned what everyone learns: Don't use your front brake at low speeds when turning. The bike will come out from under you quicker n' sh*t.
My 2nd bike was a Dyna. MUCH easier to ride.
Like he said with your build you can start with a Harley. Maybe a Dyna? I've seen earlier models for 5 or 6k and later models 8 to 10k (with a 6 speed).
If you can steer, know how to use the clutch, brakes and throttle you'll be fine. Oh, and another important tidbit: Look where you want the bike to go. (and, conversely, don't look where you don't want the bike to go).