For price range your looking at, I would look at a 5-6 year old Honda shadow or Yamaha v star. Bikes are not cheap in my area, especially this time of year, but I see guys selling these bikes with real low miles (8 a 10k) for $2-3k. You could ride reliably for a year or two and sell and get most of your money back.

 

I don't think folks care if you look and learn here, actually might pick up some good info for whenever you can get a Harley. Lots of guys here have metrics, or metrics and Harleys (I do); this is a Harley interest forum.

I'll add to the "don't buy a modified" group; if you're not familiar with the bike, you might not know how to evaluate it for rideability and the reliability... well, you're simply trusting someone's ability that you don't know. I've seen some of these modifieds, even Harleys, stay on Craigs List a long time; that doesn't sound like a good resale prospect.

 

I personally would stay clear of craigslist. Almost got swindled twice looking for a vehicle for my neice. One I looked at I found the real owner selling it on Ebay, for a lot more. Just my experience, but there have been many of these stories on the news, so be careful. I also agree not to get an already modified bike, especially if you don't have experience with bikes already. It may LQQK like a good deal but theres a reason they are selling it. You can get a service manual to help you with a stock bike. And , a new bike with a warranty is ' reliability' . Money Saved !
Everyone here is giving opinions/ advice which usually comes from past experiences. I haven't been here for years, but have found it to be informative, intellectual, reliable and pretty fu--in funny at times . . . and I'm sure your welcome to hang out here ... especially since we know you will get a Harley one day JK

On a lighter note ... Why would you want to leave Huntington Beach ?? For Virginia ??? My grandparents lived in Virginia. Thats the only vacation I had as a kid. I was in HB a couple years ago for vacation and LA twice before that. Stayed at the Best western just north of the pier. I loved it ! The weather is great, the girls are Hot, riding all year, the girls are Hot , the scenery up and down PCH is excellent ! Maybe it's just cause I've been stuck in Chicago too long , but if I could make it happen, I'd rather be there. and the girls are Hot !

anyway , best of luck

 

haha oh you can bet I'll own at least one Harley. no doubt!

but yea, I've lived here my whole life. It has its pro's but there are too many cons for me. It is FAR too crowded here, and the competition for housing and work is too much for what you get out of it for my taste. I spend A LOT of money just on rent and basics. Combine that with 2 years at a university starting fall 2013 (At UCLA, which would be my school I would transfer to here in CA, it would cost me over 30k a semister, where as the school i want to transfer to, the University of Virginia, is not only a much higher ranked school [top 15 liberal arts, top 10 law school] but year in-state costs 11k and the cost of living is around half but your income is almost the same as it is here [her brother moved to Richmond a couple years ago and is passing the info through]) as well as the fact that it is a much slower and more enjoyable life, especially for my kids, who i didn't especially feel like having grow up in orange county with all these spoiled rich kids. I don't want to raise kids like that, and hopefully moving to a far less materialistic environment will keep that from happening.

Plus, i spent some time down in that area (Carolinas and Georgia) when I was in the army, and the first thing I remember thinking when I got home was, "I can't live here anymore." It's been 6 years and I'm more than ready to get out haha.

The end goal for us has always been to buy a home, but getting a home here is upwards of 600k where as a home in Charolottesville, for refrence, is only 375k and thats a pricey area of North VA.

 

It is possible to find a good lightly used bike. I found a 93 anniversary edition Sportster for under 2K without really trying. Bought it & had it shipped home.
As others have suggested, I would tell you to find a 1 - 2 year old Honda Rebel & put a lot of miles on it building your experience up before you buy your 1st Harley.
Trust me, it will hurt far less if you drop a Honda rather than your Harley. Also buy the Ride Like A Pro DVD & practice the lessons in a parking lot. The lesson on slow speed maneuvering is worth the price of the DVD alone, & the information has saved my carcass more than a few times.

Go to you tube & search for police rodeo & watch how the pros ride!

 

One good reason to move to Virginia - The Blue Ridge Pkwy is in your back yard along with many miles of other great riding roads

 

I hear ya. I'm so tired of Chicago and winter! I'm planning a move to DFW,TX but it isn't happening fast enough. Gota sell 2 houses first.

Reading the above, it's good to see you have the smarts and common sense to take care of your family first. KUDOS ! I'm sure you will make an equally intelligent decision when its time to get a ride. Everyones input here is right on. If you are reading other threads you may notice a lot of others have started out on metric/less expensive bikes. Some still have them. Not a thing wrong with that.

Good Luck !

 

I feel like i'm one page ahead of you and i agree with these guys 100%. I'm on my 2005 VStar 1100 that i bought new in '06 (16k trouble free miles). I used to ride in the rain to save on gas. Now i can ride for the joy of riding since i've made it thru some financially tough times. Most kids are out of the house now. I'm looking at trading up and i too have wanted a HD for a long time. I'm looking at a 1976 FLH for $4k with 14k miles on rebuild and needs brake work. I do need to learn about HD's. I can do my own work and i wont have to rely on it for daily transportation. I agree with the recommendations that if your needing it for daily transport, you wont get anything reliable for less that $3k - $4k unless one of your family will give you a good deal. Good luck

 

Hmmm.


O--kay...there's a wealth of good advice in this thread, and when did my dad start frequenting web discussions, much less Harley forums?!

Seriously, as out-of -place as it seems in this place, advising you to start with a mid- to large- size Honda is not a bad idea in your circumstances. Unless you weigh in at 300 lbs, 750 should carry you well enough to even enjoy your commute...and hold its value when you decide it's time to sell it and trade up.

I'd give it some thought.