amazing or maybe unbelievable?
Road Warrior
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 1,311
Likes: 1
From: -
There sure are some people that start riding straight with a Harley and they have now many miles on the clock and never dropped the bike.
But these are rare example and sure the learning curve is a lot steeper this way and errors a lot more expensive. And you might be so afraid that you might never really learn properly.
To me seeing posts of people going on a few hours course to learn to ride and then off on their bikes is surprising. I believe it's the wrong approach for complete beginners, especially given the fact that usually people in America are not familiar operating/modulating the clutch properly as normally nobody drives a car with a stick.
When I was 14-15 I had a few 50cc, old and ugly, but good enough to master the use of clutch, changing gears, and given the age I tried all the nonsense of wheelies, burn out (on grass) and all sort of silly stuff but I got great familiarity with the controls. At 16 got a (old again) 125 SST (HD branded Cagiva). This required taking a license to operate, but the bike was like 350pounds and I had no needs to learn the controls as I was already familiar, just the road rules and bike dynamics at higher speeds.
When I got my Harley last year, operating the controls is already second nature, and I only need to learn to handle the weight and torque, both substantially different from a 125cc but the dynamics are easy to adapt.
I wouldn't recommend using a Harley as a very first bike. get a simple cheap used 250 to 500cc, get the familiarity of bike dynamics and controls first, then go tackle a Harley.
But these are rare example and sure the learning curve is a lot steeper this way and errors a lot more expensive. And you might be so afraid that you might never really learn properly.
To me seeing posts of people going on a few hours course to learn to ride and then off on their bikes is surprising. I believe it's the wrong approach for complete beginners, especially given the fact that usually people in America are not familiar operating/modulating the clutch properly as normally nobody drives a car with a stick.
When I was 14-15 I had a few 50cc, old and ugly, but good enough to master the use of clutch, changing gears, and given the age I tried all the nonsense of wheelies, burn out (on grass) and all sort of silly stuff but I got great familiarity with the controls. At 16 got a (old again) 125 SST (HD branded Cagiva). This required taking a license to operate, but the bike was like 350pounds and I had no needs to learn the controls as I was already familiar, just the road rules and bike dynamics at higher speeds.
When I got my Harley last year, operating the controls is already second nature, and I only need to learn to handle the weight and torque, both substantially different from a 125cc but the dynamics are easy to adapt.
I wouldn't recommend using a Harley as a very first bike. get a simple cheap used 250 to 500cc, get the familiarity of bike dynamics and controls first, then go tackle a Harley.
Advanced
Joined: Dec 2011
Posts: 89
Likes: 1
From: Florida
I have to ask WTF does the number of post have to do with a riders experience... That being said I am not an advocate of starting on a big heavy bike. I rode a lot as a young man (both dirt and street) but after a 20 year break I decided to start out on a metric 500 for 2 reasons. 1) lighter and easier to handle. 2) A lot cheaper if I decided riding around all these snow birds wasnt for me.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,842
Likes: 16,580
From: Wisconsin, USA
I have to ask WTF does the number of post have to do with a riders experience... That being said I am not an advocate of starting on a big heavy bike. I rode a lot as a young man (both dirt and street) but after a 20 year break I decided to start out on a metric 500 for 2 reasons. 1) lighter and easier to handle. 2) A lot cheaper if I decided riding around all these snow birds wasnt for me.
I am glad I rode 20K on a 525 lb. Vulcan750 before I bought my 950 lb FLHTCUI. Was a lot easier recovering from wet road paint and gravel. I had a few close calls on the Vulcan, but never went down. On a heavier bike I would've crashed.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 2,086
Likes: 154
From: Buffalo, NY
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 157,417
Likes: 56,984
From: Michigan 15 Minutes East Of Hell
+1 ... Yep .... I couldn't agree more ... and remember, There are only two kinds of riders ... Those that have crashed and those that are going to .... begin in the dirt, have your oops and then, hopefully "Happy Mototring"
Club Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 66,106
Likes: 51,387
From: Niles Canyon Ca.
Personally don't think over 45 is the best time of life to start riding for anybody and most buy the biggest damn land barge they can get . Doesn't take a fortune teller to predict how most of that will end .
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,482
Likes: 631
From: NorCal Rocklin
What does this have to do with the amount of posts you have on here? Is this some type of brownie points. Cause you have more posts then me, means your better than me?
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Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 7,882
Likes: 5
From: So California
Nothing. It is a observation that seems like a trend to the OP.
I've been riding street bikes since 1974, dirt bikes prior to that.
There was no lapse between smaller street bikes until I got my first HD in 1986.
My join date could imply a relatively new rider.
I've been riding street bikes since 1974, dirt bikes prior to that.
There was no lapse between smaller street bikes until I got my first HD in 1986.
My join date could imply a relatively new rider.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 8,907
Likes: 69
From: Wesley Chapel Fl.
Ditto! Started on dirt bikes back in the late sixties and early seventies. Spent about 4 years on the dirt before my first street bike.