Get what you want, not what you think you should have. There's no such thing as a "beginners" bike. You will learn to ride what you buy. Riding a sporty does not make you any more prepared when you move up to a softail, you'll still need to learn to ride the softail. So, just get what you want and learn to ride it. Never get something you plan on trading up in a year, just a waste of cash. IMHO.

 

something used for sure. But something that FITS you. Of course, something you will be happy with.

 

I agree with that only 50%. To go from never riding to riding a full dress harley can be foolish. I've seen the guys at the beach pull up to the stop sign and go right over because the thought of putting down their feet didnt occur to them. Then seeing four guys have to help him (and his wife) back up, well that is not how you want to start out.

 

Need more info on you. Like your experience, your height and weight, how you want to ride, where you are going to ride, what you want to do (commute to work, Pleasure ride on weekends, long trips)

 

Partially true, except that someone who rides a sporty or similar for a year will be no better prepared to ride a dresser, probably worse due to learning bad habits on the sporty that you'll need to unlearn. Any rider will have those issues if they dont take the learning experience seriously. I bought my train, first bike ever in my whole life, and it sat in the garage for a few weeks till I took the course. Yes I dropped it at lights a couple times, but so what.

Take it slow, ride around the block 100 times if ya need to, and parking lots are great. Trust your tires, they stick better than you think. Respect the bike but don't fear it. Don't stare at things that you don't want to hit. Most times the throttle will get you out of a sticky situation better than the brakes. Just don't rush anything, it will take you a full season to become proficient on whatever you decide on.

 

Well I learned on my 1988 Chain drive sporty, got me ready for my night train.

 

You sound like me, was in the same dilemma, brand new rider, (hence the nickname “Rooke”) should I get a beater, or get what I felt comfortable on and just be patient and learn. My rider instructors both recommended that I get what I want and be patient and practice, practice, practice. Read about it and take MORE classes.
I opted to get what I wanted and what felt comfortable. The smaller bikes were just too uncomfortable and didn’t fit my 6’3” body so I tried everything from a Dyna to an Ultra even gave the V-Rod a look.. The softail models felt best. Next I determined I what kind of riding I wanted to do. Being more of a daytime cruiser and not long road trips I set my sights for a used Fatboy which gives me options to add to it later. I looked for months, priced them and learned as much about them as possible and bought my 09 Fatty in October. Since then I have put over 1,800 practice miles on the back streets, minor highways and a TON of parking lot time, getting to know the bike and how it feels and handles. On a personal note I opted for a solo seat just to keep the temptation for anyone asking me to take them for a ride, no passengers until I’ve had it for at least one year and taken another riding class on MY bike.
Get yourself up to speed on biker etiquette, keep learning and keep the shiny side up…

 

buy what you like now, dont think "some day ..." because in like 4 days you'll want to sell that sporty heh

my first bike i bought was my current bike .. 2004 Heritage Classic

I knew i loved the heritage, and knew i couldnt afford one so i kept my eyes open for a used one in my price range.

luckily found one for near $10k with 9k miles, and a ton of work already done to it!

best of luck ...

 

I bought a nightster a couple years ago as my first bike ever. I thought that start small was better too. I'm 6' 240. I quickly found out that a sporty want going to work long and sold it after 6 months. I was lucky and got my money back out of it and went directly to the dealer and picked the bike I wanted with no size limitations. I got a fatboy lo. I say get the bike you want now, no doubt. These things are a lot of money so get what will make you happy and don't even think about highway riding until you are completely comfortable with the bike. I spent hours in a school parking lot. Do it.

 

Buy what you like and practice, practice, practice, and more practice. I still go out and ride cone patterns EVERY DAY. You can never be too prepared. If you drop your bike pick it up and go on.