Yep....well said. Don't skip the learning curve. There's already way too many out there that did. I stay as far away from them as I can.

 

One other thing to consider: the Dyna is not a touring bike, but it certainly can be fitted out to allow "a few longer journeys." I bought my Dyna used, complete with saddle bags and a luggage rack. It wouldn't be as comfortable as a Road King on a cross country trip, but I daresay it would serve in a pinch.

 

What they said! I would add that an excellent starting bike would be an older Yamaha VT 1100. This bike is cheaper and lighter and all around easier to handle, but is air cooled and belt driven, so somewhat similar experience to the Harley. If you absolutely must get a Harley, the touring models should really be your last option. Definitely for experienced riders.

 

Of course the OP will ignore sage advice. But I'll reiterate what others have said. Buy a used midsized bike off of Craigslist, ride it for a season and sell it. You can get a bigger bike at anytime after.

 

I agree with this. I'm so glad the Vulcan was my first bike. It is forgiving, reliable, well balanced and best of all....if I drop it I won't be heart broken.

I've done about 1700 miles in 6 months and I'm ready to start moving up to a heavier bike.

 

My wife's first Bike was a 2007 Honda Shadow 750 used that she rode for a year. She bought a Street Glide Special in 2014 she has 12000 miles on it and it will be one year old in April. She loves the ride and the bike, no matter what you have to find something that you would be comfortable with. Good luck

 

I would agree with everyone on here. I grew up on bikes, started off very early on dirt bikes. I broke more fenders, twisted more frames than I can remember. My first street bike was a Honda CX500. I rode several other makes over the next years and then didn't ride at all for about 10 years. When I got back into riding I started on a 750 Magna. My first Harley wasn't until 2003 when I bought a Wide Glide. Since then, I have owned a Electraglide, Vrod, Lowrider and now own a Street Glide and a Breakout. I will never own anything but a Harley now, however, I am very glad that I had the opportunity to gain all of the valuable experience with the lighter more nimble bikes. My wife has just recently started riding. She rode a Rebel 250 for a year and then graduated to a 1200 Custom Sportster. There was still a learning curve to the Sportster, but she had a ton of real world, situational knowledge to build on with this new bike.

Your off to a great start completing the Motorcycle Safety Course, In my opinion (for whatever that is worth) the next step is to buy something used and cheap, get out on the road and learn how to get out of and stay out of trouble, then you will be ready for any Harley that you want (regardless of size). If you absolutely have to have a Harley NOW then you may want to look at the Street 500 or 750. These 2 bikes are to new to know how they will do as far as resale (so you will be taking a gamble), and I believe you can get more bike for less money with other makes for now, but once again it is a decision you will have to make. This is just one mans advice and you can take it for whatever it is worth to you.

Now...I may have strayed from your original question, if the only choices to be made are a Dyna or a larger Touring I would say the lesser of two evils would be the Dyna. This is not because of Size, or Maneuverability because in the hand of an experienced rider both are equally maneuverable. I would base this on Weight (the heaver the bike, the harder it is to recover WHEN a mistake is made) and (as stated earlier in this thread) the distraction factor. With the Dyna you would have far less to distract you during your learning curve (faring, bags, radio and so on).

Good Luck with your decision
Have fun and Ride Safe

 

As many have said, get yourself a good metric bike from Craigslist. You can find them under 3k all day long. Yamaha Vstars and Honda Shadows with under 5k miles make great first bikes and you can sell them for what you paid or even make a profit at the right time of year. I bought a honda shadow when I first started riding for 4k and sold it 8 months and 6k miles later for the same price. It really made for a great learning experience at basically no cost. They are also really fun bikes everywhere except on interstates, you can really throw them around in the twisties because of their lower weight.

 

A Sportster 1200 with forward controls would fit you fine.

"Longer journeys" are doable on any bike: it all depends on how you set them up. The touring bikes have a big head start though with the luggage, wind management, and comfy seats. A lot of people think a touring bike is overkill for a daily driver, but I daily drive my Electra Glide Classic and love it for that purpose: decent fuel economy, very comfortable; room for a change of clothes and bad weather riding gear; and room for groceries on my way home from work.

There is no easy answer to this one.

P.S.
If you want a Harley, buy a Harley... it's inevitable. Might as well just get'r done sooner rather than later. If it ends up being the wrong bike for you, it will be much easier to unload later. Do take the advice and buy used though.

 

I have to agree with all the other posters, while I am not inclined to tell you that you need to get yourself a Honda Rebel, however to jump straight into a heavy touring bike could make riding not fun as you will be nervous and barely able to handle yourself.

I would highly suggest getting a dyna or equivalent metric bike. a used dyna can be had for a reasonable price and you could then, as many have said, add the touring features you desire..

just my 2 pennies.