Thank you for all of the great advice. I ended up signing the papers on it yesterday afternoon for a lot of different reasons, some practical and some maybe not so much. I realize I am going about this backwards and it may not be the soundest decision I ever made but in the end, I think it is a bike I won't be ready to sell in a year. Honestly, I consider myself fortunate that I had some of the options I agonized over. So yeah, probably not the most logical decision I've ever made (although there was some logic) but one I'm excited to further explore.

I've got a big parking lot to practice in at night when it is empty. I have a nice four mile loop with little or no evening/early morning traffic to practice on when I get my license and am ready to venture outside of the parking lot and I've got a few different friends who ride who are there for guidance and eventually riding comrades.


Next stop, safety class and license.

 

Most likey too late now but most dealers will throw in a seat in their Riders Edge class when you buy a new bike.

 

Good luck!! I hope you enjoy the new motorcycle.

 

grats!

 

I was in the same boat as you. I last rode a little in high school (until I had my first high side crash - hello collar bone. I raised a family and in 2009, after 35 years of not riding, I took the course and purchased a 2009 Sportster (in 2011) and then started "learning".

I really loved the sportster but last year I wanted more and I traded it on a 2014 Dyna Wide Glide.

Learning on the sportster went well, albiet slower than I wanted. I was slow in gaining confidence.

After getting the Wide Glide (on the ride home) I was amazed at how easily the Wide Glide handled in all respects compared to the sportster.

I now know that the sporty was top heavy and more difficult to handle and probably not the best learner bike. Would I do it all over ... absolutely!!

In my opinion, as you master your sportster, you will gain confidence and skills that will easily transfer to other larger bikes if you so choose. Although your progress could be slightly slower the overall benefit in the long term could be better. It was for me.

I hope you enjoy your Sporty as much as I did mine. Good Luck.

 

Congratulations on the new bike.

I was in the same boat as you are not riding for over 25 years. I wanted a touring bike and thought the lighter Road King was a better option to start with. It is not much lighter than an Electra Glide but it is still a heavy bike with a lower center of gravity which I figured would be better to get my riding legs back. I could have afforded a fully dressed Ultra Limited but was really liking the bare bones basic look of a Classic. After talking to a buddy and a few other riders I was told these bikes are very well balanced and "just get the bike that makes you happy and you want." I was right at home on my Electra Glide Classic within a few hours of riding.

My tips, take the course and lose any overconfidence you may have when you go solo, an overconfident beginner is dangerous. When you start in on the street spend time in the parking lot as well as low traffic areas before venturing out onto the busy roads. Stop at all uncontrolled intersections including those with Yield signs. Both feet on the ground and ensure it is clear before you proceed, this will minimize an unexpected oncoming vehicle which can quickly throw off your balance at slow speeds. A good riding course will also teach throttle management and clutch slipping which is a big help with slow speed maneuvering.

Make sure you are back in first gear before you start off again. Still back to the basics, but I almost dumped my new Glide a few times simply because I was still in 2nd. The 103 on the Glide has the power to start in 2nd but the unexpected lugging can quickly throw off your balance. I'm now in the habit of giving the shifter a couple of taps down when I stop at an intersection.

Best advice though is even once you are comfortable remember to always ride defensively, everyone else on the road is "out to get you".

Have fun.

 

Congrats! Your Sportster is a very, very nice bike! My recommendation is to not be in a hurry to start "modifying" the bike. Ride the bike for at least the 1000 mile break in period. That will tell you if the seat, bar height, controls, etc are okay with you (comfort and control items). Then modify any of those. I would also recommend to wait a little longer before going down the rabbit hole (and expense) before going on with performance modifications. To be honest, if you are just a kinda "cruiser" guy and don't need to get from 0-80 mph in a fast manner, stock is pretty good. You can add a louder (better sounding) exhaust (or slip on mufflers) without having to go to any tuner. You can get a moderate performance increase with just the "right" exhaust modification. Not saying you cannot improve on the stock bike...you can. It is what do you want or need?

Having spent thousands....literally thousands of dollars on performance upgrades and bling upgrades to my Harleys over the years, I came to the realization that you know...stock is good enough for me and my style of riding.

However, it is easy to get seduced by the mod-bug...once you go down that "rabbit hole" as I call it...it is easy to justify spending more and more money (justify to yourself that is....it is kind of a disease....LOL).

You ride your bike and do what you want with you $$. Ask advice and decide. People here on this site and others can save you money and frustration before you start doing anything. Most people want to help you and try to steer you in the right direction (which will of course be colored by each one's own experience, so getting a number of opinions help). MY advice as the first purchase is get a factory service manual from the dealership for your Sportster. You will learn a lot more about your bike by going through that and be able to start doing your own work (which saves money).

Enjoying the world of Harley is part of the ownership experience. Grab it and live it and have FUN with it. To some people that is joining HOG, to some people that is wearing Harley clothes and decorating their offices, houses, garages with HD stuff, collecting Harley stuff (T-shirts, etc) or all of it. It is all part of being a Harley owner. You just don't get this with any other motorcycle brand.

Welcome to the dark side and I hope you stay safe and learn (relearn) the critical skills to stay safe and to enjoy your Sportster or any other Harley in the future.

 

Thanks for all the great advice and congratulations. Yeah, I'm going to take it real, real slow. I'm actually kind of cautious by nature and for once in my life it might turn out to be an asset. As far as modifications go, there's some that already catch my eye but I will wait a good long time to see: a. If I like riding. b. If I plan on keeping this specific bike. I'm not concerned about increasing performance. I suspect this bike will have plenty of power for me to get used to (and then some).

At this point, I just want to get my class under my belt so I can start to ride.

 

Congrats!!! Go have fun at the course, it is a great introduction. When do you pick up the Sportster???

 

The dealership is going to deliver it to me. The guy that handles deliveries for them had to take a couple days off because his Dad is in the hospital. He'll call me when he can schedule it. As much as I'd love to have it in my garage to stare at, Dads are way more important and take precedence. I expect it will happen during the coming week.

A buddy of mine has a trailer and offered to go get it for me but I'll let the dealership handle it.