At 400lbs, perhaps you could start with an exercycle and work your way up to two wheels on pavement. You'll want to be in good shape to be able to handle a bike that will handle a guy your size.

 

Don't let the jerks get you down.

Myself being 6'1" and 350# I can't speak for what you like. But I will also vouch that the Road King as a great bike for fitment of guys our size. It's such a great bike due to its flexibility. Great commuter bike, cruiser and awesome touring bike. It can do it all. And look great doing it.

I seem to be rare around here not wanting a radio. But if you end up wanting one, with a road king you can get a detachable fairing. Best of all worlds.

 

Rent a bike for a day and take the 4 hour "Ride Like a Pro" class in your area, immediately. You will learn a lot and also wether you are suited to riding a big bike.

https://www.ridelikeapro.com

 

...Post removed by Moderator...

 

Well, you can buy an older Honda Shadow 1100 for $2-3k in very good shape. Similar a Yamaha Star. Suzuki is less. Darn hard to find a Harley of any type at that price.

so, what really is your budget for a bike? And what kind of riding do you envision yourself doing? It makes a difference.

 

agree with foxtrap here... start with 1100 or bigger metric.. sit on em and ride a bit before you decide.. need big seat for sure...10 year old shadows , boulevards, or v stars are out there for 2k.. my son got an 02 1100 vstar for 1ooo bucks...rough lookin as it was kept outside alot but ran beautifully... spent weeks and a few dollars to clean it up and has been lovin it for 2 years now...no problems..actually looks pretty good now... plenty of bike for first timer and big guy like you to start

 

I would start by surfing the web and get an idea of what you like the looks of. I am preferable to the electra glide. stereo and batwing make for a very enjoyable experience. Your budget would help a lot in giving u more info such as year make and models that would fit that budget. I would start by getting a motorcycle permit so u can test out a few bike or as above mentioned find a riding class and try that to see how u like it. good luck with your search

 

Damn rough crowd. One says to exercise other basically called the op gay. Damn.

Batman

 

My wife is 5'-2", has never ridden a motorcycle except on the back of one and tells me one day out of the blue she wants me to teach her how ride my SG. I nipped in the bud. She never got the chance to stop "enjoy"ing riding anymore as said "not on that bike, we can get you a used smaller bike to learn". End of conversation. She still rides on the back but never another question about learning how to ride.

To the OP: Take your time and learn how to ride. Maybe a reliable lighter smaller bike to start with, as you don't want to damage your "keeper" learning how to ride. Good luck with your process.

 

While you've given some information we could use more. Like what kind of and how much riding do you want to do? Are you going to commute, bar hop, go on long trips, etc? What s your budget, you said cheap, how cheap? What kind of features do you want the bike to have?
I disagree with the poster who said a Road King is too much bike for a beginner, I've know more than one beginner start on a RK and be fine just as I've known people to stray on a smaller metric with poor results. I think it's more about planning and preparation than the size of the bike. Go to any HD dealer or pretty much any motorcycle dealer and take a couple of safe riding classes and look into some of the courses for slow speed manuvering.