Hey guys,

Been lurking a while and figure this would be the best opportunity to get some answers to what I'm thinking specifically. Basically here's the spiel.

I'm 6'4", 220 lbs, and have been wanting to get a bike for about 4 years. Initially I was interested in an asian crotch rocket (allbeit I never would've started above 600ccs) but as I get a lil bit more mature and older (up closer to 30 than to 25 now) I feel like it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a solid used touring bike that I could use for commutes and long rides.

I don't really want to use the bike in the city so would mostly be for weekend excursions and potentially commuting out of the city.

I realize this runs into the potential of getting more bike than I can handle, but here's my take. If I treat like learning to fly a plane (20+ hrs solo) and have always had a steady hand and got all my daredevil out of me draggin' in high school... should I still not consider one of these as they will be too much power? Or given my size and approach would it be safe?

I also realize there's a potential that I could drop it... I just have a good friend who can get me a HD for a nice price and I'd rather go straight to that then drop $600-800 in a 250 ninja to ride for 1 season before I upgrade to what I really want... a street glide.

Also any advice on getting some knowledge to be able to maintain my bike myself.

 

It's what you want. If you can afford it, go for it. No reason to learn on something smaller if you respect the bike. Plus a tall dude like you can handle a bigger bike better than someone smaller, so it shouldn't be nearly as intimidating as it may be to a shorter rider.

Go for it, you'll regret not getting it.

 

get you a sportster 883.....(JUST KIDDING).

if you want a bike for weekend rides or really any riding you'll be happy with your choice. my wife started with a yami 650 and in 6 months moved up to a Heritage (about 50lbs lighter than my road king). she's all of 4'-12" and weighs about 130. She handles it just fine so with your size I don't see an issue

 

get the SG -- I bought a Dyna to learn to ride again after a 20 year break -- traded it in on a SG less than 20 days--save yourself time and money get the SG not difficult to ride at all.

 

Its been said before, but IF your really worried about handling a bike look into the MSF rider's training or Rider's Edge offered through HD. You can get your feet wet on a small bike for training, and if you feel comfortable you can go right into the touring bike. But at least you will have an educated guess of how comfortable you'd feel on a bike.

 

I'd go for the Street myself... I started with the same train of thought and ended up making the mistake of buying a metric cruiser because I wanted to get the hang of riding before stepping into a more expensive bike. I couldn't have made a bigger mistake. The whole time I owned the metric I was wishing I was on a Street Glide like I originally wanted. Now I am on a 06 SG and love every minute of it. Think it through before taking the dive.

 

I agree with the above posts. The SG (I own an 08) is a fairly tame beast when compared to some other jap bikes with a similar displacement. The SG also carries it's weight well and for a big guy should be no problems. Just take your time and learn properly, take an MSF course and let the good times roll.

 

Yah I first rode a friend of mine's dirt bike like 3 years ago and have wanted to make the next steps ever since. We've since gone on a few rides with her or her folks and it's just something I can't deny after this long lol. Guess mom was right, if you wait for it and still want it then it's real.

But as for the MSF ya there's a special at the nearby one in Boston where they're offering the classroom portion free and give you a month window to finish the course portion, get my feet wet see if it's something I wanna do and if the timing is right then go from there.

Thanks for the responses and advice.
tsx

 

I don't think too much power will be an issue with a stock SG. I don't think you will have any trouble with the weight of the bike with your size.

I do know though that I had alot of mishaps on other bikes before buying my first Harley about five years ago. I am glad I wasn't on a $20,000 bike when I was starting out, but that's just me. No reason why you can't if you want to.

If you can afford it, by all means, get the bike you really want and enjoy it.

Dennis

 

Street Glide is and awesome bike. I would suggest that you put on the the Saddle bag protectors so if you drop it it would be on steal rather than the painted bag. I personally put on the comfort profile ones because I wanted a little more chrome. Once you get your skills up you can take them off.

Don't underestimate the MSF or dealer Hog Beginner rides.

Ride safe.