I learned on a Street Bob and I loved that bike. Went on day trips around 200 Miles no problem. Did a 2000 mike trip, and it was a little rough, but doable. Rode that bike about 25k in 3 years before I sold it for a King, for all the comfort and storage reasons people already mentioned. I think it’s a great first bike and an 07 or so can easily be found in your price range with upgrades already done.

While I love the Road King I would not recommend it for a first bike. There are certain things that will happen to you for the first time, like putting your foot down on gravel, wet painted lines, or the first time you park facing downhill and can’t pull through, where you will appreciate a bike that’s 200lbs lighter.

Good of luck with what you decide.

 

I say, for what you said you wanted a bike for (commute to work, running around town, and short day trips) a Sportster would be a great bike for that. Anybody who tells you that a Sportster is "too small" hasn't been riding bikes very long, IMHO. Although I haven't owned a Sporster in many years, I did own 4 of them, and found them capable of doing whatever I wanted. Even rode an ironhead Sportster to the Grand Canyon and back to Ohio several times. Sportsters were considered a "big" bike back when I started riding (mid-'60's). I have a 67 year old riding buddy who takes his 1999 1200 Sportster Custom everywhere we go, many long trips, and he says it's perfectly comfortable for him. He loves the thing and will never sell it. He bought a Dyna Superglide a few years back because his wife wanted him to, and he HATED it. Sold it after one season, and went back to his Sportster, and he's about 6', and 240 lbs. His bike has forward controls, and I have to admit, I've ridden it for a couple hours at a time, and did find it perfectly comfortable myself. Now, I will agree that if you want to ride two up, a Sportster is cramped, but for a solo rider, your size, a Sportster is hard to beat, and you can get a really nice used Sportster for your $5500. Don't listen to the "they're chick bikes, you'll soon outgrow it, you'll want something bigger, etc." Sonny Barger used to ride a
Sportster. Look at some of the old 1%'er club pics.....lots of those guys rode Sportsters all over the country, and today's rubber mounted Sportsters are Cadillacs compared to those bikes. Good luck.

 

OP: I agree with this. I know some people who started out on a full size HD and did fine, but I know LOTS more who started out full size, got intimidated by it and then found that they "didn't have time to ride" (haha) and let the thing sit in the garage for a few years, and then had to sell it at a HUGE financial loss.


Unless of course you find that you have no interest at all in that sort of stuff. After over 35 years riding, I know I don't, and know lots of others who don't either.

Couldn't agree more. I've got a similar buddy who's been riding for over 40 years. Same thing, he's tried to "upgrade" to a big twin a few times, and always went back to a Sportster, and this guy puts on serious miles annually.

A couple of years ago my Street Bob had an electronic gremlin pop up the day before I was to leave for Sturgis. (my fault, an aftermarket thing) Anyway, I took my wife's Sportster 1200C instead. 850 miles to get there, about 800 while I was there, and 850 to get back. Everything was great. If I liked the styling of it more, I'd consider one of those. One thing though, whatever you get, If you change out your handlebars for something you like more, don't worry about it if someone thinks they look stupid.

 

MSF or Harley new rider course before you do anything. Then you can think about which bike to buy. Just buying a bike - any bike - with zero experience and heading out in traffic is a recipe for disaster.

 

I have been on this forum for years. There have been many 'I'm new, what should I get' threads?' I have rarely seen a follow up thread from anyone saying "this is what I bought". Or other threads asking for advice about riding.

If this ",the penalty for a 'misstep' is much worse on a street bike then it is on a dirt bike" scares you, perhaps you should give it some serious thought?

I'm not claiming all the 'what should I get threads?' are bogus, but....

 

Take a class. Listen to your instructors.

Let's go from there.

 

RJG, like me believes in starting on a small bike. There are literally hundreds of threads where he, and other experienced riders implore the newbie to learn on an inexpensive metric, around 800 cc. And most of the time they don’t report back, or buy a 700-900 lb starter bike. So it gets frustrating. Most of us just say nothing, and say a prayer for the poster. There was just a thread by a newbie in a high density traffic area whose first bike is a Street Glide. I think that’s a terrible idea, but I just told him to ride like he’s invisible.
You should be thanking RJG for giving a **** about you, instead of crying like a little girl.
My 6’4”, 230 lb son bought a Suzuki Boulevard 800 for his first bike, and that’s the kind of bike you should look for. If you want a Harley look for a Superglide with mid controls.
Stick around. The advice on here can save your life, or prevent serious, disabling injuries. You don’t get any do overs on a bike.

 

He's trying to save your life. I'll try to help as well. And, in his defense, when I read your opening post I figured there was well north of a 50% chance it was a joke. "I want to start riding a motorcycle, and my buddies tell me I should start out on a Harley-Davidson as my very first bike." Really?

Here goes, and I mean this with the utmost sincerity, and hope that you'll love motorcycling, and have a long, joyous life with your knees in the wind.

1. Before you do anything, take an MSF course and get your motorcycle endorsement.

2. You need to understand this one point, more than anything else: Taking a Basic Riders Course and successfully getting your endorsement prepares you for being able to get home from the parking lot without killing yourself. Having an endorsement does NOT mean you know how to ride. It means you're now ready to start learning how to ride. Keep that in mind.

3. If your budget is $5,500 and you want a Harley-Davidson, you basically have two choices, a used Sportster or an older used other model Harley. A Road King is not a learner's bike. You might "grow into it", and you might grow into a casket. That is exactly the same as giving a 16 year old the keys to a Corvette instead of a Corolla, because "they'll grow into it."

4. For $5,500 you have available to you roughly 187 different motorcycles that are not Harleys and would be far, far, better to start on than even a used Sportster. Sportsters weigh 575 pounds. A Dyna weighs around 675 pounds. A Road King weighs around 800 pounds. These are not beginner's bikes. You can buy an awesome used bike for $2,500 that would be perfect to ride for the first six months or so, and then you'd be able to sell it for basically what you paid. Get a used 500cc or so cruiser, and have at it. When you drop it, and you probably will, you won't break anything expensive.

5. Then, and only then, are you ready to test ride some different Harleys and decide what is best for you.

We're just trying to help. You asked for help. I'm being sincere and respectful.

Good luck.

 

I started riding street bikes in ‘79 after close to 10 years on dirt bikes. My first street ride was on a brand new Yamaha XS Eleven, and my first bike I bought was a Honda 650. Although the Eleven was faster, smoother, and lower maintenance, that CB 650 was about the perfect starter bike. Back then, though, people thought it was too big for a first bike (seriously) but I figured since literbikes were popping up everywhere, a 650 was a good compromise.

And it was.

Light enough to flick around, big enough to run highway all day long, economical, and just a blast to ride. Kept that bike for years until I left for the military. Worked my way up through Jap literbikes and finally moved to HDs about 6 years ago. There’s a difference.

Now I won’t say that you CAN’T start on a 900 lb bagger, but I will say that you probably SHOULDN’T start on a 900 lb bagger. So much of it depends on where you’re gonna be riding, how you’re gonna be riding, and who you’re gonna be riding with. There is no ‘perfect’ starter bike, but I agree with the others that something smaller and cheaper is a better starting point for most riders.

I just demo’d a new FatBob last week and it was an awesome bike, IMO. Light, nimble, flickable, smooth, and easy to ride. Of course, it’s about $13,000 above your budget limit.

Best advice I can think of? If you have friends who ride, get them to help you figure out what kind of bike you need - and they can also help look over any used bikes you’re interested in. If you don’t have friends who ride, listen to the experienced riders on this forum and pay attention to them - they didn’t get to be experienced riders by doing stupid stuff...

Good luck whatever you decide - and let us know what you end up doing...

 

You said your friends convinced you.. that’s red flag 1. Friends can be morons.

Take a class! This is step one and mandatory since you have no real world experience. If you pass, thats the time to start looking at bikes, not before. Many people get on the road and decide quickly enough it’s not for them. It can be unnerving or everyone would do it. You have to be on your A game every time you ride. Too many brainless texting fools out there.

If you still want to ride after the class, don’t forget equipment in your budget. You want a decent helmet, jacket and boots and gloves. That stuff adds up. Buy the bike you want, and the bike you’re comfortable with. It’s your ***, not your buds. These days there are so so many great choices from HD to Honda, Yamies, etc. keep an open mind.