Ive been riding off and on for 30+ years, legally and illegally, I just finished the MSF course also and my first bike was a Honda 350, then a 450 then I went to a 750, then I bought a Kawasaki Nomad 1500 for 2 years then when finances were ok I bought my dream bike a Harley Ultra Classic. Im not saying wait 30 years but I do agree that you should start out with a smaller bike until your comfortable then move up to the bike you want. Look at craigslist and see if you can get a smaller bike for cheap money then, god forbid, if you have a wreck it wont be your dream bike you trashed. I wrecked the 450, all I had was a messed up bike a bruised ego and a bruised butt. But it didn't ruin my biking fun since I looked at it as a disposable bike. Bottom line is get something your comfortable on then later get a bigger and better bike.
Ride safe, have fun, and DON'T BECOME A STATISTIC that you heard about in MSF!!!! And welcome to the forums and riding world.

 

Yamaha V Star 650. Common entry bike. Low center of gravity. Good power. Can be resold for about the same $ in a few months. Second choice for the same reasons above is the Honda VLX 600, a softail.
Both can be found used under 3k

 

I never rode a bike in my life until I bought my 882 Sportster. Taught myself pretty much everything and only dropped it once in the garage due to forgetting to deploy the kick stand.

Bikes are like scuba tanks, they weigh a lot until you put them in there right environment.

 

Find yourself a nice 450 or so and ride the crap out of it this year. When your strength and balance are improved by a couple thousand miles, then move up to a heavier bike. Take your time and learn to be a good rider first so you have fun and don't get hurt. Otherwise the riding experience can be ruined for you.

I know a few ladies that ride Road Kings and Switchbacks, but they didn't just jump on and go, they worked their way up.

BTW at 27 you are probably a lot younger than most of the folks here.

Good luck!

LiiT

 

Hi i could use some advice. I have a friend who is looking to sell both her Harley's. She has a 2008 Sportster I am interested in and think since I'm a beginner might be best to start here. She also has a 2014 HD CVO Breakout but I'm thinking is to much to start with. I'm about 250 and 5'11" and the sportster is lx1200l. Do i need to go bigger for my size as some friends have stated or would this work? Also could anyone suggest some good selling tools and sites for the other or both if I don't buy one.

 

Buy them both if you can and ride the sporty for a while then sell it and keep the breakout!

LiiT

 

Get a Ninja 250, and start learning how to ride a motorcycle. If you MUST have a harley, I would browse for a used 883 Sportster. It will be lighter than a V-star 650 or a Vulcan 900, and will have a more neutral riding position (if it doesn't have gay *** forwards on it). You are not ready for anything bigger.

When you think you're ready to move up to a bigger bike, you're still not probably ready. I would say put at least 10-20,000 miles on a Ninja 250, 883 sportster, or similar, until you consider the thought of moving up.

 

You've received some great advice, hope it is helping. As others have said size isn't as important as confidence and experience. Having said that, if I were in your situation I'd buy a less expensive bike for your 'learning' experience, although we never stop learning. My reasoning is somewhat different than others. As you ride you will find out what type of riding you enjoy. Touring? Running around town? Short day trips? You get the picture. When you are ready for your Harley purchase you can be guided by what model best fits the type of riding you enjoy. No send having to make another purchase to get the model that suits your likes.

 

You are in the unusual position (on HDForums anyway) of being exactly the kind of person who would get a huge kick out of one of the new Streets. But they aren't on sale yet...

So in the meantime, I would do as others have suggested and get a decent used metric to begin with. Then when the stars align for your Harley, you'll not only be able to ride it without terrifying yourself and those around you, but you'll be able to make a much more informed decision about which one you really want to spend your hard-earned on.

Something unexpected always happens to learner bikes (occasionally it's that they get kept and lovingly looked-after for years, but not very often), so you'll be a lot happier when that happens to a Honda you're not so fussed about, rather than a Harley you're borderline obsessed with.

 

Why did you use the word 'borderline'?