Hello all. So.. I will be up and riding this month. Why wait? I won't have my license till the 12th in the mean time I need to buy a bike. I have narrowed it down to a softtail slim OR an fxdwg. The wide glide initially had my eye as I am a new rider. But when i saw the softie things changed. This is my first bike first ride. Any suggestions and words of wisdom for a new rider!?

 

Welcome to the Forum from Kansas! I wouldn't buy a bike till I can ride it and make sure I'm comfy on it.

 

Big thanks from mass! As stupid as this may sound there's only one way to learn right? I have rode my gf sporty 1200. And will be attending a class. Next step is for me to go out on two

 

Welcome and go to your local dealer and test ride the bikes that you like.

 

I believe The Wide glide has forward controls. Riding position is something to consider for a new rider. As others have said, ride each one if you can.

 

Spend a year on a 250cc to 500cc motorcycle just learning how to ride. Take some sportbike training classes during that year.

 

Buy something lighter and cheaper so that you won't cry when you send it up the road,get your confidence built up and in the meantime have a few test rides on the bikes that take your interest.

 

Do whatever you want dude but personally I would never recommend a big expensive motorcycle to a new rider. I've owned a dozen motorcycles from small metrics to large tourers and it takes alot of experiences and skill to effectively and confidently ride a bigger bike. Bigger bikes are less forgiving and if you have to pick one up you might need help and that just exaggerates an already embarrassing situation. Whatever you decide be safe and enjoy the class.

 

I wouldn't consider Wide Glides to be a good started bike. That skinny front tire and raked out front end lead to some sketchy slow speed maneuvering until you are used to it. Expect to drop it a few times in the gas station or in parking lots. That's not something I would want.

Who am I to say what bike you should buy, but I would look towards an older Sportster or Street if you have to have an HD. If you have to choose a Dyna, get an older Street Bob or Low Rider. You are going to drop them. We all do at the beginning. I dropped my first sport bike by not getting the kick stand down correctly while going into a convenience store. I came out and saw it laying on its side. It's a sick feeling in your stomach, but seeing an HD do that would be much worse for me.

I probably would get something cheap (metric) and ride it over the summer and upgrade in the Fall at the earliest, but you are going to do what you are going to do.

 

One group of folks here will tell you to start out on a smaller, older bike that you will not worry about if you drop it. Others say go get the HD that you want. As with anything everyone has their opinion.

My opinion is to test ride the Slim and the WG as everyone is different and each model is a bit different then buy the one that speaks to you. You will know by ridding it which one is "your bike" I do think that taking a riders course is a good idea

As to buying a new HD or a used smaller bike I lean to the side of getting what you want. As a kid I rode dirtbikes occasionally as well as 3-Wheelers when they were still made. My experience on a road bike was maybe 10 miles on a cousins Honda which was somewhere around a 500-750 to be honest it was so long ago that I do not remember, I was 17. Flash forward about 20 years and I had not been on another road bike and only an occasional spin on a dirt bike. I wanted an HD and was invited to go on a Sunday ride with a friend and his brothers who had been riding HDs for years. I borrowed a Springer from one of the brothers for the ride. First ride was 2 Up with my wife on that Springer for about a 100 mile day on the Natchez trace.
My wife and I was hooked, I did the research and for me the WG fit me best at 6'7". A week later I purchased my first road bike - brand new WG.

I spent time riding in parking lots and slow country roads. In my first year I took my son who was 13 at the time for a 5 day trip from MS through the mountains in NC. A month after that my wife and I left on a two week 6K mile trip with the friend who convinced me to go on that first Springer ride. We went from MS to Sturgis and back through CO. Moral of that story is I learned to ride on that brand new WG. Knock on wood, I have only dropped a bike once since I purchased that first HD. The drop happened after 4 years of riding on another trip to Sturgis. The house we rented had a 100yd long driveway down hill. The folks we rented it from thought they were doing us a favor by adding 3" of fresh gravel to the drive prior to our arrival. Driveway looked great but 3" of fresh rock downhill is a bit tricky. On about my 5th time down I laid it over due to the front end washing out going extremely slow with both my wife and I on it. Both of us were able to jump clear of the bike and it suffered a scratch on the end of the pegs and grips.


Bottom line IMHO riding a bike is not rocket science there is no reason you cannot learn on a new HD of your choosing, I did and I do not posses any special powers. Many say buy an older, smaller bike because as you are learning you are sure to drop it and you won't care as much if its a less expensive bike. My thoughts on that is that is it hurts just the same. There is no guarantee that you are going to drop a bike during your first year although your chances may be a bit higher. If you search these forums you find a lot of stories with guys that have been riding many many years with not one drop then out of the blue, Opps they dropped it. No matter what the bike is if you drop it your going to get about the same damage no matter if its a HD or a Honda Rebel. It is going to be the bike you are proud to ride at that time and most likely you are going to pay to fix the damage which will run you about the same no matter what bike it is for the same damage. Most likely you are going to have it insured no matter if its a HD or a Honda Rebel, your deductible in that case for repairs will be the same.

To sum it up get what you like, you can learn on an HD as easy as any other bike folks, have been doing it since 1903 its no different in 2016.

Start slow, ride within your own ability and continue to learn and you will be fine.