Teresa the smaller bikes you took your course on are very very different from the 1200 Sportie in terms of weight and power.
Despite riding bikes all through my 20s I quit when I got married and had children. Fast forward almost 30 years and I decided I wanted to ride again. I took the MSF course last May, bought a Sportster 1200c 2 days later and was absolutely terrified. I swear I didn't sleep for a week, I have a steep driveway and was sure I couldn't manage. Admittedly the mechanics of riding came back right away and I have never stalled a bike, but managing a huge bike after a weekend on a Honda 250cc and out on roads was nothing like I thought it was going to be.
My first week was just going round and round my neighborhood all right turns so I didn't have to worry about crossing into traffic. Finally got the courage to do some left turns. Then out onto the 6 lane highway by my neighborhood for 15 minutes and then home. It took me about 2 weeks to feel confident enough to go downtown and park.Don't even think about going on the Interstates till you have done a few months of riding.

After 2 months I traded it for a Heritage and last month also bought a Streetglide. In the end the large bikes are not so scary but each one takes time to get used to as well as getting used to riding on the street.

My advice/suggestion to you is to get used to your bike first. Get hubby to ride you and it to an empty parking lot and practice there first, or some very very quiet roads and learn to park it and back it up too. Practice starting and stopping, getting on and off, wide circles, smaller ones, changing gear, braking.

By the way, what part of the MSF course did you fail?

 

I was so proud when my wife passed the MSF course. I bought her a new 1200 L Sportster. She practiced a couple of times just fine in the high school parking lot. On the third day of practice she accidentally let the clutch out to quick. The bike lurched forward and she fell backward and at the same time crank the throttle wide open.

Out of control she held on and rode the bike through a chain link fence. She was knocked off and scared really bad. Didn't hurt her but tore a glove finger off ( not the finger) and put a 1/4 inch deep gouge her helmet.

I made her get back on and ride it around the parking lot, the Ole get back on the horse idea. She didn't want to ride it anymore. I bought her a 250 rebel and she rode it for about 300 miles until she felt ready to ride the sportster again.

She now rides a heritage and enjoys it. Now to the point. Your life or incurring an injury is not worth it. Things can happen so fast and you don't need to impress your husband or be intimidated into riding the sportster until you are ready.You need your skills and confidence to be 100 %.

Get a smaller bike and as others have said practice practice practice. Both my wife and I are lucky she wasn't hurt worse. I can't imagine how I would have felt if a more serious accident had of happened. As your progress in your skills you will know when you want to ride the bigger bike, and your husband will be just as proud. Been there and lucked out.

 

I really don't think a Sportster is the best bike to lean on. My wife passed the course last summer and bought a Sportster. She's learning but still not good in turns. I think a smaller bike would've been better to start on. Hopefully this summer she'll get more experience.

 

I wrecked my sportster about a year after I got it. After several times of almost dropping it etc. It sucks at first but you get over it and move on. Dents build character.

 

Hi Teresa !
My name is Kathy, my husband told me about your post. I just want to encourage you and tell you a little about what I have been going though. I got my Sportster in December, and I'm just now starting to ride in a little traffic. I decided for me it was best to take baby steps. I noticed that if I take on too much and make a mistake it puts me back further than I have come. There are days when I think I'm having a panic attack and then days when it's okay. Honestly, yesterday I thought about selling my bike, but deep down I knew I wasn't ready to give up. Today we went out and I had a blast !! So. I'm not selling my bike ! Anyway, you have to do what makes you comfortable ! You are not being a "big baby" Hang in there and take your time if that's what you need to do ! Good luck and be safe !

 

Teresa,

I'm not trying to be a killjoy here, but you didn't pass the motorcycle safety course on a Honda 250, correct? Seriously, what makes you think that you're even remotely ready to ride a Harley Davidson Sportster, with a powerful 1200cc engine, that weighs almost 600 pounds, and has a high center of gravity? Answer: you're not ready for the Sportster quite yet.

Nobody wants to see you get hurt Teresa. Don't let ego, pride, or your husband cause you to make a poor decision with regard to riding. Start with baby steps, build your skill set, and become very proficient on that small metric bike to build your confidence. Once you can handle that bike in all conditions (real traffic conditions too), you might be ready to start riding the Sporty in controlled conditions. Best of luck to you.

 

There's no crying in motorcycles.
You don't need us to validate your fears.
Practice is the key. You may as well practice on your Sportster, rather than mess around buying some POS.
Chances are, you'll drop it. Refer to my first sentence. My gal dropped her first Sportster so many times, I quit counting at 12, iirc. I bought used mirrors in advance. Never any paint damage, but there was a bent shift lever, broken clutch lever and a turn signal or two. Nothing expensive, Harley parts are cheap and they're easy to work on. It sounds like your husband has the confidence to replace damaged components.
The key to dropping a bike is to get da heck away from it. When it's going over, it reaches a point where you can hurt yourself trying to hold it. Don't do that. Let it go and keep your hands, legs and feet out from under it. The bike is easily repaired. 99.9 percent of riders have dropped a bike. The other tenth percent is lying about it.
One day, my gal just clicked and stopped dropping her bike. That was about 12 years, three Harleys and maybe 75,000 miles ago. Your husband needs some patience to go with his confidence - and maybe some blue Loctite. You'll be fine.
Her latest:

 

Only 12? That really speeds up the learning curve. Good idea, first learn to get away from the bike and tuck and roll....practice the basics after you've mastered that process...good thinking. Harley parts cheap?...OK. Yea, we know bikes are easy to fix...the human body not so much. I missed the part where her husband is a Doctor. If I didn't know better it almost sounds like her husband and some here are more afraid she will like a smaller easier to learn on bike a bit more and may want to ride it for a while...which could ding his dignity more than hers.

Tech23

 

Bikes ARE basically the same except for weight and power. But you'll probably be going straight and not doing figure eights at 10mph. Get in a big parking lot or deserted street and go straight and stop. Walk it around and repeat.

YOU CAN DO IT!

 

See if you can find a used Suzuki DR650 (dualsport). They handle well, can keep up with most Harleys and have a 34" seat height. Even professional motorcycle roadracers practice on 250cc and smaller dirt bikes. But yeah, put my reply in the "learn on a small bike" column.