Hi, I'm looking to get my first bike soon..
I'm a total newbie, don't even have my endorsement yet..
A little about myself so you know what you are dealing with:

I'm 6 feet and weigh around 200 pounds.
I'm 40 years old
Never ridden on a bike.
I'm going to take the Basic Rider Course, and thinking about taking some private lessons on the bike I buy.
When I get my bike, I'll be training at empty parking lots , riding around my subdivision for a while before I even take it to the highways or city.
I'm not the type that will see how fast I can get it from 0-60 or going 120mph on the highway

Been looking at used touring bikes the last couple of day, everything from Yamaha, Suzuki, Honda to Harley.. I would prefer a Harley.. Has been looking at the Road King, Tour Glide and fatboy.
As an example .. I found a 1994 Harley Davidson Heritage Softail, would a bike that heavy and with that engine size be crazy for a new rider to buy? As written above, I'll take my time with training and lessons before riding anywhere with a lot of traffic or small city streets.
Let me hear your pro and cons, and if anyone got a big bike as your first motorcycle.

Thanks

 

First let me say welcome to the forum. You are going to get a lot of different responses to your question. Let me just say you are a big enough guy to handle most bikes. Some will tell you to buy a cheap used metric bike to learn on while others will say buy the bike you want the first time. I would just say to be aware while you are learning chances are pretty good you will drop the bike at some point. So do you want to take your chances with a nice bike right off the bat or start with a cheap used bike. Usually a cheap used bike can be resold after you learn to ride with little or no loss. Good luck with whatever your decision is.

 

Thanks C908..
Yesterday I was thinking... I'm buying the bike I want!
And today I was looking at 750-800 machines..
So I'm not sure yet, but lean towards the bigger bike..
Maybe I need to buy a big roll of bubble wrap for me and the bike :-)

 

Sounds like you've got a good plan for learning to ride, good luck. The Heritage is a fairly easy bike to ride with great center of balance and a very low seat height.
What part of Florida are you located?

 

Buy a cheap VStrom 650, ride it for 1 year, then get the bike you want.

FYI, I think Harley Davidson has a program regarding the new Street 500/750 and guaranteed future trade-in values towards a larger bike. Most larger HD dealerships also offer Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) rider classes on site, with the new Street 500. I have no affiliation with HD, just recently purchased a HD and noticed a few things going on in the dealership.

 

It lacks rational thinking to presume to know what type of motorcycle you would want if you've never ridden a motorcycle before. You cannot rationally compare a motorcycle to any other vehicle and even the types of motorcycles made are completely different from each other. The most important factor in choosing a motorcycle is how it rides and if you haven't ridden a motorcycle before how can you compare the handling, weight, handlebars, foot position, throttle response, braking, or balance to other motorcycles to know what you like or don't like. Most new riders just want to look cool which is fine but as statistics have shown an increase of older males beginner riders getting injured or killed on a motorcycle because they tried to take on more than they could handle.

 

Thanks Rick
I'm in the north east part of Orlando :-)

 

Thanks, I'll look into it and think about it if I go for the smaller bike

 

Thanks
Absolutely, for now I can only go for the look of the bike.
I don't care to look cool for anybody els, but I like the bike to look cool in my eyes.
As you said I have nothing to compare with, but that's why I'm researching, have joined this forum and will talk to bike owners. And no matter if I choose a small HD, a small Japanese, a Road King or a Goldwing, I will never know if that's the right bike before I get a lot of miles into it.. I'm sure a lot of people in here have owned bikes that they regret buying.

I'll take all inputs, and try to make the best decision before I buy my bike.. again I have no experience and therefore I just have to hope its the right decision

 

Btw why a VStrom 650? Is it a good learner bike?
If I'm going for a smaller bike to start with, I was think something like the Yamaha Vstar 650.. The reason is, that the style of bike looks more like the one I want in the end.. Or at least the bike I THINK I want :-)
Wouldn't the Vstar be more similar to ride? Just a lot lighter and the smaller engine