I need some advice. I am 40 years old and have had a bug to learn to ride for a while. I have never rode a bike, did get my permit, don't own a bike yet and plan to take a safety learning course which will teach me to ride and get me licensed in the Spring.
I have an opportunity to buy the following for $17,200 out the door only if I act today:
New 2012 Fatboy
Midnight Pearl/Brilliant Silver Pearl
Chrome Wheel Option
HD Speedometer/Tach (LCD w/color options)
Mustache Engine Guard
Rush Slip Ons
Curved License Plate
HD Cover
Battery Tender

When I look at the retail price of the above w/delivery, setup, etc., I think this is a great deal (I posted about this deal itself before). The hesitation I have is am I jumping the gun and could I get this deal another time down the road?

I seem to like the Fatboy over the Sportsters just because I want to have the bike for a long time, use it for pure pleasure and hope my wife will eventually get on the back when I am skilled enough for that. I am concerned though about buying a bike before I even know how to ride. I suspect the Fatboy isn't difficult to ride and once I got through the course I would be OK, but do I just let this deal go, wait and then look again down the road once I am licensed and through the course or is the deal to good to pass up, and I am just worrying to much and just buy it today?

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks all. I am struggling with this as you can tell.

 

I would suggest that you DO let this deal go. That "today only" BS is typical sales pressure, that deal will be there when you're ready. Take the Riders Edge or MSF class, rent a few bikes to try them, slow down and take your time.

 

Also, FWIW, do you REALLY want to start riding & learn on a $17K dream bike...??? I think not - get yourself a cheap cruiser to start, get proficient & then later down the road you're ready to move up.

Trust me, I had a mid-40's co-worker "want" to start riding on a new Heritage & she ended up on a XL1200L. Ended up selling the bike after 2-yrs of trips around the neighborhood, a few spills and many months of sitting in the garage collecting dust.

Not that you're the same, but look at the big picture (needs over wants). Right now you need a bike to learn on...JMO.

 

I would take the MSF class as said, before you spend that kind of cash on a new bike.

You may even consider buying a used metric bike at a fraction of the cost to learn on.

 

Thank you so much for the advice. I am going to let it go for now, take the course and take the advice of getting a cheaper, possibly metric bike down the line to learn on as y'all advise. Takes the pressure off for sure.

Can you count on Harley Davidson to do specials from time to time? Seems like this time of year is the time to buy a new bike for the future. I couldn't believe the dealership had a deal now on 2013's that included no set up/delivery charges and $800 in options free. With the fiscal cliff looking more and more inevitable, I suspect in the off months there will be similar deals down the line. Although some dealerships near me don't budge.

 

All good advice. Take a MSF course - I did Rider's edge at a Harley dealer. You will get a tour of the shop, info about bikes etc, and in most cases a gift certificate at the dealership.

It is a hassle to sell a motorcycle. I bought a 2 yr old Heritage used off Craig's list. Dealer's will let you test ride any new and used bike. Then look for the deal you want.

After MSF I would not buy an old metric to learn on.

 

Why not?

 

There are a lot of great deals on used bikes right now. You might want to learn on a little cheaper bike and move up when you are ready. That is a good deal for the Fatboy with all the extras. I agree that one day deal is B/S. If you take class and get license you can do some test rides at dealers.Then decide what you like.Good Luck

 

I think next year between Christmas and New Year you will find a comparable deal. People aren't buying bikes at this time of year especially in PA. I would think that you could pick up a sweet deal off Craig's List this time of year on a metric cruiser and sell it with minimal loss when you are ready to move up to a new bike.

My neighbor just bought a crotch rocket and got almost $2000 off a $9500ish bike. Deals are always out there this time of year.

I have a co worker who got the same advice about getting a Used Bike to get some experience. He took it and found a sweet Kawasaki with low miles in almost perfect condition. I met him for a ride one Sat morning and watched him drop the bike leaving the parking lot. He hopped off and with the adrenaline rush pulled it right back up, got on and was rode off. We were taking a ride that had a ferry trip about half way and that was our first chance to talk. He said he was very happy he had taken the advice of whoever gave it to him. Dropping a new Harley would have broke his heart and might have turned him off of riding. He wasn't happy about dropping the metric but could live with that. I think it was more the embarrassment.

He ended up riding the 800 cc Metric cruiser for a season or so then waited and got a pretty good deal on the original Harley he wanted when they were getting rid of the previous years inventory to make room for the new bikes.

He has moved on to another job and location but we meet for lunch occasionally. The last time he rode and I asked him if he was glad he had started out on the Metric. He said it was still the best advice he got about biking. He laughed and said he had passed it on a couple of times since and was ignored. He did say he sold the Metric for $500 less than he had paid for it as is with the cosmetic damage from the drops. Heck he would have paid a lot more than that fixing a Harley after 3-4 drops. He wouldn't have been able to lift it by himself as easily either.

I don't think learning on a lighter bike should be discounted either.

The flip side is a lot of people start on a Harley and never look back.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

I agree with the idea of getting a cheaper metric bike to learn on. New riders do make mistakes and dropping a $4000 bike is a lot better than dropping a $20000 bike.

I started riding again 5 years ago. Prior to that I hadn't ridden since about 1981. I took the MSF Basic Rider Course, got my motorcycle endorsement and bought a used Suzuki cruiser to learn on. After 6 months I traded up to a new Kawasaki Nomad, then in March 2011 I bought my Harley.