Hello everyone as you can tell I am new here. Me and my wife have talked and we are going to get either a nice used Road King or maybe a Heritage around July. Also, my 16yr old son who is 5'11" and 175lbs, we are going to buy him a Harley as well. He has rode motorcycles since he was 12, raced go karts and has done some drag racing in a friends truck and also rode my friends Dyna. Me and my wife will want to go cruising and we will want our son to tag along. I was looking at an 883 this past weekend but a friend of mine said to not even consider an 883 to look at something bigger. With me being a total newb and not really knowing what in the hell to be looking for, what would you all suggest for me to be looking at? I want him to be comfortable and be able to enjoy it, but I don't want him having something that is too much, if that makes sense.... So, point me in the right direction so I can be looking at something and not wasting my time! Thanks all!

 

I wouldn't give your 16 yr old son a Harley.
If he wants a bike, have him get a job, save and buy his own.
As a first bike, steer him to a used Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha..like a SV650 or a Dual Sport. No more than a 650.
Insurance will be crazy expensive for a 16 yr old.
At 16, I was riding a Yamaha 100.

 

To point your son in the right direction to buy any vehicle:

https://www.ziprecruiter.com/

 

He has a job and has $5300 saved up as of Friday. We are doing this to get him some credit established. Just not sure which way to go on a motorcycle. Thanks for your advice though on the other bikes..Im looking at some of those as well!

 

Minors can't have credit established.
$5300 is perfect for a full cash purchase on a used Jap bike.

 

With $5300 saved up he could buy a nice older Dyna or 1200 Sportster outright.

 

To hell with that Jap crap. Get the boy a Harley! I would look for a nice used low rider.

 

My personal opinion is this. I don't think a 16 year old should be on any street motorcycle. Never mind that he raced go-karts, drag raced, etc. That kind of skill/experience counts for absolutely nothing when it comes to what it takes to safely ride a motorcycle on today's roadways. Teenagers just lack the judgement required. They're more likely to take chances. They're less likely to consider the consequences. That's just a fact. Though they only represent 1% of street motorcycle riders. They're three times more likely to suffer a collision than older riders.


But you'll do what you want. So one further opinion. Do not let him ride until he successfully completes a motorcycle training class and passes his license exam.
As far as the 883? It's a nice cruising bike to start off with.

 

Ok, im not asking about credit. But, he has the money saved up and its in his checking account.. My banker will loan the money on a motorcycle and I co sign so he can start building his credit...but im not worried about any of that. My question was about what type of bike we should be looking at.

 

I appreciate your response and all your comments are duly noted! he will definitely be doing motorcycle training classes and pass the exam before he rides on the street!