Big difference between the Riders Edge bikes (Buell Blasts) and a Sportster is where they carry the weight. The Blast is a well balanced little bike, you can throw it around without fear of it biting you. A Sportster has a larger, heavier engine, more metal and a higher stance. They feel "top heavy" compared to most of the big twins. Slow down before the turn, look where you want to go and accelerate smoothly. Don't look at the ground, look at the center of the lane where you want to go, head up. Your hands and body will do the rest. The 90* turns of the city and residential neighborhoods are no fun for anyone. Try to get out on a 35-45mph road with long gentle curves and youll get a better feel for the bike.

 

First, congrats on keeping with it, after several mishaps. That shows you want to do it.
Second, I own a 883 Iron, similar to the low in height and weight. My father owns a 1200 super low that we converted to a trike.
He loves it, I hate it. I like to lean into corners, the trike doesn't lean.
He doesn't have to put a foot down at a stop, I do.
But he loves it, and quite truthfully, I'm glad he's on that then a bike, only because he'll be 70 in October and this is his first motorcycle.
The trike kit we used was the Frankenstein, cost $6000 plus you need to be able to disassemble your bike to fit the new rear axle on. No welding or cutting, just lots of wrenching, and you need a good torque wrench.
Also you need the fenders painted, I found most body shops will do it for around $100-150.
Feel free to pm me for more info.

 

I would suggest you get the video "Ride Like A Pro" - - it is done by Jerry "Motorman" Palladino. This covers exactly what you want to learn.

Check it out at www.ridelikeapro.com

Good Luck - - you are going to love the two wheeler.

Also -- your husband is correct -- most husbands are not good teachers - - notice that I said "not good teachers" and did not say that a wife is not a good listner.

Balloo

 

+1, this is how I got comfortable on my bike.

 

My girlfriend is going through the same issues as you, interestingly, I gave her the same advice your husband gave you........get some speed up and get out on the road. She also took the MSF and passed, she also had the most trouble with the figure 8. The MSF is good and teaches you a lot but all the practical stuff is parking lot riding which is going to be about 1/2% of your riding time. A MC IS much easier to control at speed than it is just creeping along. Having said that, words wont change your intimidation of the Harley....same with my GF. So.......to get her seat time I got her another bike, one she can practice on till her hearts content. Its small, light weight, easy to handle and VERY cheap (my favorite part). I would say you should do the same........dont give up.

 

You have to get someone that is a good rider to help you. My wife did not learn to ride until she was 49. Your husband is dead wrong, you have to have someone critic what you are doing wrong or it will take forever to learn. If he doesn't want to help I'd call the local Harley dealer and ask for some help, there are lots of people in the local HOG groups that may be willing to help especially the women.
If you have to join the local Hog chapter it may be the best money you could spend, you can visit a local meeting for free and see if anyone could help you before paying up.
I know for my wife I would ride her bike to the local church parking lot and she followed in the car to practice, it only took a few times there, then we moved to the local streets, she dumped her bike quite a few times at first just like you.
You have to teach your hands to do there job without thinking before you go out on the hiway, bad things can happen out there if you don't have good automatic reactions.
Hang in there and don't let anyone push you into going out on the hiway or anything else before you are ready.
One last thing if you don't have a crash bar on your bike, get one it will save you a lot of money in broken parts and it makes getting the bike back up on 2 wheels much easier.

 

I hear the sportster called a light weight, a nimble bike, and a beginner bike a lot, and would say none of the above is true. I wouldn't call anything that weighs over 500 lbs a lightweight, I've ridden even heavier metrics that could handle circles around a sportster, and I certainly wouldn't call it a beginner bike - precisely because of the problem you're having; you're feeling intimidated by something that feels big and heavy to a beginner, want to take it slow, and the sportster is geared tall, and requires a knowledgeable hand on the clutch for poking around; I'd bet you get the bike "lurching" a lot while trying to stay slow. Personally, I think some of the bigger Harley's are easier handling at low speeds. Doesn't mean you can't start on a sportster, lots of people have, but it ain't gonna be the easiest way to do it. As others have said, if you like riding, but just frustrated with the sporty, try a smaller, 250-500cc metric, used so you don't lose a bunch selling it a year later, and it might even be cheaper than the repairs you'll have dropping the sporty. I'd forget the trike idea unless even the smaller metric doesn't work out. Triking a bike is expensive, and no guarantee you'll like it - and an 883 is gonna make a trike without a lot of get up and go, too. I may sound negative about sportsters, but for an experienced rider, a bike that doesn't just cruise down the road with no effort can be more satisfying. I have a Honda that really outperforms my sporty in handling and speed, yet I prefer riding the sportster most of the time. Hard to explain.

 

I have been riding for over 20 years (mostly Sporsters). I am 58 and converted my Sporty with a Frankenstein Trike kit. Best thing I ever did! I bought my bike new and have put more miles on it since triking it last year than I did before. Go for it, girl! If you don't like it, you can always convert it back to two wheels. The cost through Frankenstein is about $6000 which includes the rear end, pipes and new triple tree. If you want to talk about it further, give me a shout on FB (Debbie Cherry) or go to the Frankenstein Trikes FB page.

 

+1 on this. Contrary to the popular belief of some people, the Sportster is anything but a beginners or "girls" bike. Instead of spending more money on a trike kit, take Rog's advice above and purchase a smaller, lighter used metric bike in the 250 - 350 cc class and use it for a few months to hone your riding skills, then sell it, probably for little if any loss, when your ready for the Sporty.

 

Well let me throw my 0.02 in here. My wife started riding on her own in her later 40s. She had tried once in her 20s but that’s another story. Anyway she has several Lady friends that ride so she decided to take the MSF course. She rode a small Honda for 3ish years before getting her Sportster 1200C. Yes it took some transition and another learning curve getting out on the expressway on real trips but she is doing fine. One thing that helped her was riding with me out in the environment. I act as a mentor to her and we routinely stop and critique. Its hard for me to play Teacher/Mentor since for 20 years I was a Military Instructor but hey, learning experience for all.

I really suggest you find a mentor to ride with. My wife found inspiration with other experienced Lady Riders and the enjoyment of us riding as a team. Set some riding goals such as a certain place or distance. My wife has planned a multiday motorcycle camping trip for this spring and a short term goal of a cross state ride next month to our Niece’s wedding. This weekend is a 200 miles site seeing/lunch trip. Her ideas.

Good luck and hang in there.