So my wife and I were on vacation in Nashville this past week. I've been hounding her recently about a fishing boat for the family but out of the blue she threw me a curve ball and told me she wouldn't mind me having a Harley...

A little background on me: I'm turning 28 this year and I've been around bikes (specifically Harleys) all my life. Growing up I can remember helping my dad build several basket cases (all Sportsters), even helping paint one of the bikes. When I was almost getting to riding age, for a few reasons not related to me, my dad parked his bike and it has sat in the garage ever since. Because of that I have basically 0 experience riding. I've wanted a bike and just never bit the bullet. Now my wife is interested for the first time so all bets are off.

I'm 6'1" 230 lbs and my wife is 5'11" 190lbs, so neither one of us are particularly small. What would you folks recommend for a good beginner bike? I'm possibly looking at new (or slightly used) given that I'll be financing the purchase. I want a nice riding bike, and something that is manageable for a beginner but not something I'll grow out of in 6 months. I plan to enroll in the Harley riding program, but want to start researching the purchase before hand.

 

First of all, I wouldn't ride with your wife, until you get a season in solo. Preferably 5,000 miles in different conditions, including rain.
You should take the MSF Basic course first. Personally I think you'd be OK on a Sportster that first season, but I never owned one. I'm 6'3"/205 lbs and rode a Vulcan 750 my first 20k miles/6 years.

Then my wife wanted to ride 2up, so I bought an Ultra. I'm glad I knew how to handle rain, gravel, slopes, interstates before riding with her.

My two cents. My boys are taking the BRC this summer, and I tell them the same thing.

If you want a bigger Harley for you first bike, I think a Super Glide with mid controls would be good, but I never rode one. Maybe someone who learned on one can comment.

 

Agreed on riding solo for a while. I guess my thought is that this will be a big purchase for me. I don't want to buy something that we'll outgrow in short time.

 

Man I'm glad I don't need permission at all what I buy. Married to a great girl and have brought home lots of toys. Good luck on what she lets u buy. Lol!!

 

I'll probably lose my harley card for this... but are you SURE you wouldn't rather have a fishing boat?

 

Start by taking an MSF class and see if you even like riding before you go buy a bike.

Secondly, go around to the bike shops and sit on the bikes to see what feels comfortable. The bike that I liked to look of ended up to be terrible for me once I sat on it.

I would start on a smaller lighter bike, something that can be picked up off the ground easily and that won't make you cry when you drop it and bust the end off the clutch or brake lever.

 

You want a boat for the family but then wife wants you to have a Harley. Grew up around Harleys but no experience riding. Married at 28. For an outsider, this sounds like a lot of potential red flags.

First, what do you want to do? If you don't have a fire to ride, then it may not be for you. Life is too short to be led around. You want a boat, get the boat. Save up and buy a used one with cash. You'll be glad you did.

 

Nope. I eventually want both. It's just a matter of which one I want first. I was (and am) leaning towards the boat still, but I want to make sure I do all of my research and make the right decision now.

 

If you're thinking of more than fairly short distance 2-up riding, you and your wife probably are not going to be comfortable on a Sporty. My wife and I are not as tall as you guys, and we were pretty cramped on the 1200C that I bought to return to riding after a long hiatus. We are on a Softail Deluxe now, which is good for most of what we typically do (couple hundred mile day trips is usually the most we do). Though we rented an Ultra last fall on vacation, and that was awesome.

That said, I would not have wanted to start back riding on the Deluxe, nor an ultra. While I never dropped the sportster, and haven't yet dropped the Deluxe (came close a couple times), I did drop the Honda 750 I learned on a couple times. I didn't really care, because it was a $500 beater, so a couple scratches and a broken mirror didn't hurt my feelings. I would (will?) most definitely be pissed at myself if (when?) I drop the Deluxe.

Basically, it comes down to how comfortable you are with taking the risk that you'll drop a new and expensive to fix bike. With zero riding experience, my personal recommendation would be to get a beater to put a season on, then get what you want. Many people will recommend you get a small bike. I don't really subscribe to that, unless you have a problem controlling your 'wild side' - I managed to stay out of trouble with a Honda 750 at 18 years old. At 28 and married, I'd be willing to guess you can control your throttle hand enough to be safe on a bigger bike to start, and you'll be more comfortable than on a little 250.

As others have posted, the BRC or other riding school is the first step...

Good luck with your choice, and safe riding!

 

Your first bike should be a throw-away cheapie that you plan to out grow. Put at least a few thousand solo miles on it before you even start thinking about the bike you want.