Ive been a dirtbikes my whole life, and do alot of woods riding. Ive had the "Harley bug" for quite some time. Ive never been an "on road rider", and Im presently going to take my test. The 1200 sportsters really apeal to me. Am i pushing it by starting out with a Harley?

 

Only buy what you can afford to DROP! Because you will, everyone does........

 

i think if your a good dirt bike rider you wont have any trouble rideing a harley any one.you just need to start out slow till you get used to the way it handles,and take a safety class that will get your mind right for road driving.
you should be able to ace it you have the skill of rideing bikes....good luck.

 

You've been doingthe dirt bike thing you won't have any trouble with any Harley. You have the mechanics down, you have mastered the balance part, now you just do it on a heavier bike. Your biggest challenge won't be the bike, it will beriding amongst all the crazies on the road. Get what you want out of the gate and make sure to takethe riders course.
Get less than you want and you'll be doing it again real soon.

 

All very good advice, and dead on.

I too came from a motocross and woods riding background (since I was 7 yrs old), and the transition to the road was no problem. My 1st bike was a Sportster, and I'm about to buy another one. I have dropped 2 of my 4 Harleys, and once was rider error (took a turn too fast on my FXR3)...the other was a dang cager pulling out in front of me.

Be prepared to drop it...you will eventually.


I'm sure you'll hear this again, but I'll start: "There are 2 kinds of riders in this world...those that have dropped their bikes, and those that are going to."

 

If you have the means, go to your local dealer and rent a couple different ones for a weekend or so, that is usually the best way to tell.

 

Camshaft......I would recommend taking the MSF riders safety course and learn more about street/road riding. After you pass the class and get your license I would then demo ride a couple different bikes if at all poosible to see what fits you and what you like. Also, do not let everyone freaky you out about dropping your ride it is a possibility that you will drop your bike, however I've been riding for 18 years and have yet to drop any bike I've ever ridden. I've layed one down due to an incompetent cager but never dropped one.

 

I agree with everyone. Take the MSF and demo ride the different bikes. It took me 4 months to find the right ride. And ride what makes you comfortable not what everyone thinks is better. All I wanted was a bagger and ended up with the love of my life...a Deuce. And I can tell you going from a bagger to a Deuce there isnt enough storage on a Deuce to hold a cigarette. So good luck and let us know what you get.

 

Thanks guys! The real only thing thats concerns me is having to watch out for the idiots that dont know how to drive. Being a former truckdriver Ive seen it all. Im guess that im thankful that Ive have some years under my belt with the big stuff. Anybody in here knows that when you go down the road weighing 73,280lbs you HAVE to always be watching out for cars. For they all like to pull out in front of you because they dont want to follow you, or they have to make an immediate stop in the middle of the road for nothing. I could go on and on!

 

Rode dirt til 15, moved to street with limited problems. No mistake starting on a sporty.