I’m always a hypocrite when I hear “New Rider”. My position is usually if you’re older 30+ and think you want a “first bike” I smell disaster. I’m only halfway concerned when I hear young riders 18 -29 say they want to start to ride. At the 18-29 age you’re MORE LIKELY to bounce and recover faster from the dangers of riding. Make no mistake, if you want to take the highway to the danger zone, you have to be able to accept the consequences that come with it. But then, dating married women, riding a bicycle, crossing the street can also be dangerous. Just saying be responsible, 360degree alertness and not showing off can go a long way.

***Note*** It doesn’t matter how good you ride, it’s the unexpected elements on the road that are unavoidable. ***

It’s about defensive riding. I got hit by a guy who ran a stop sign. I got hit from behind by a drunk driver. I was young and recovered well. At 52yrs old, I assume someone will run a stop sign, I assume everyone around me is drunk, on meds, texting, or just stupid, so I have a superior level of 360 security alertness. So while your parents want to protect you, soap on the bottom of the tub can split your head open. If you decide to do this, welcome to this thing of of ours.

 

Three of my four kids, ages 20 to 27 ride motorcycles. All three started out on Ninja 250's that I picked up off of Craigslist for a $250-$500. They fixed them up, then learned to ride. After a year of mastering the 250 my daughter moved up to an 883 Sportster, one son moved up to a 1200 Sportster and one still rides his 250 because it gets him around just fine and is dirt cheap to run and insure.

Around here you can find a good running Ninja 250 in the $1,500-$2,000 range. They are surprisingly quick when you learn to wind them up near their 15,000 RPM red line and will easily do over 100 mph on the highway even with my fat butt on them. They are fairly comfortable, I've done 500 mile days on one.

I love my Sportster, but as a starving college student look for a Ninja 250 or 300, really learn to ride and when you graduate and get a job then get the Harley you want.

Edited to add:

As a side note, if you do get an 883 Sportster to keep your dad happy, you can just swap out the cylinders and pistons to a 1200 and he will never know the difference.

 

.....great advice and you may end up not wanting the 883 once you get some miles under your belt. If I was eighteen again (and about 2/3 my size), I don't even think I'd get a Harley!

 

Welcome to the Forum! I applaud you on your research and highly recommend taking the Riding course. It will give you the basics in safely riding and those lessons will be used throughout your riding days if you stick with it. It will also help you make the decision if you really want the Harley.

Now on to a story. As a kid '70's and working through high school, I wanted a Camaro. The parents absolutely refused to assist me in buying one and talked me into buying a POS Pontiac Astre. What a turd that thing was. I never bought a Camaro to this day and regret buckling to my parents. They didn't want me to get a motorcycle either.

The moral, if you want something bad enough, stick to it and fulfill your dreams. And yes, the 883 is easy enough to convert to a 1200!

 

I think just the opposite. A new rider while they are really young and still think they are invincible concerns me vs an older person who realized their mortality will be more cautious and not ride like an ***. To OP, take the course for sure! Respect the bike. Other vehicles are not your only concern ( expect them to do exactly what you dont want them to do and then you will be ready when they do just that) . Road hazards: you constantly have to look for them. Animals.... they are unpredictable and can seem to come out of nowhere.