you are correct.... that was my bad

 

When buyin a home, look at location, location, location. When buyin a used HD, check mileage, mileage, mileage. That bike's over-priced!

 

Man,,,,where were all of you guys the other day when I was getting the crap kicked out of me?

 

I kind of disagree about getting a smaller bike first. My first street bike was a Honda 250 Rebel. In comparison my current Heritage Classic is a lot easier to handle. The weight and low center of gravity are a big plus for it and it doesn't get blown around the freeway like a lighter bike does. My gut feeling is that it would have been better to go straight to the heavier bike but I can't say for certain because that isn't the way it happened. I would be leary of making my first bike a 20K bike though since there is a good chance you will at least drop it once in the first year. My wife, daughter, and son have all expressed an interest in getting a bike and my advise to them all is to take the course first. (Sounds like you have done this) Then get a cheaper starter bike. Not necessarily smaller but cheaper. Looking at metric cruisers for my wife. My son is looking at crotch rockets and I think that is what my daughter is thinking about too.

On to the price. I agree with everyone else. You can get a brand new one for close to the same price. Two issues here. First is that it is used rather than new and second is that it has a lot of miles on it for the price. A few months ago I looked at these and they had both a 2011 and 2012 bike on the floor. Brand new they were asking around 23k for them. Actually the 2011 was a tad higher than the 2012 with pretty much matching specs. (The 2011 had a couple of upgrades where the same features were standard on the 2012 which accounted for the price difference) For the few k more I would get the brand new one rather than get one with that many miles on it. If financing is the reason you are looking at the dealer then consider buying a used one from a private party and then going through HD to finance it. They have a program set up just for that. I know that mileage isn't as big of a concern for most used bikes but when you are looking at one that is ony a couple of years old and priced near that of a new bike then it would be a huge deal to me.

 

good advice..... thanks......

also thanks for being part of the Patriot Guard Riders......

 

Ok, I am a little confused here. The title of this thread is "new rider seeking advice."

What do you mean you're a novice rider, not new?

Also, How have you test ridden everything from a Sportster to an Electra Glide with no motorcycle endorsement on your license?

Do you have motorcycle experience or not? If you already have a license, or prior riding time, this thread is very misleading. Please explain.

 

All right, hold it right there.

Whether you choose to accept it or not, you reaped the benefits of learning the fundamentals of riding on that little Rebel. It probably made the transition to the Heritage fairly painless, am I right? All you had to do was adjust to the heavier weight and handling characteristics, instead of actually worrying about how to operate a motorcycle in real traffic conditions.

A Heritage is a lot easier to handle than a Honda 250 Rebel? Pardon me if I call bullshit on that. Yeah, your Heritage doesn't get blown around the freeway…that's because it weighs 3 times as much as a Rebel. How easy is it to maneuver that Rebel around a parking lot…in traffic…basic handling characteristics? It's so easy, it's like riding a bicycle…which is perfect for a novice rider. It really doesn't matter too much if the CG is a little higher on the Rebel, because it probably only weighs about 300lbs.

 

Just make sure you get something you can handle at low speeds and learn the tricks about braking to a stop with the front wheel straight and hardly ever using the front brake in a parking lot situation.
In general any bike has the potential to make an *** out of you but a lighter one you can make a few boo-boos on and still save yourself the embarrassment of dropping it.
If you can reach the ground well and don't have to strain to reach controls etc.you are better off.
Good luck,have fun,be careful and enjoy. Let us know how you fare.

 

Something we haven't talked about yet is the riders ability . Are you in decent physical shape with good hand /eye coordination ? Do you make correct decisions quickly in a decisive manor ? Can you keep your cool and not get rattled when the crap hits the fan ? Are you the determined type that will not cut and run when you hit a little bump in your learning curve ? Are you willing to be humiliated in public ? Do you have the ability to be honest with yourself ? If the answer is YES to all of the above go for it. If not...

 

Dont listen to anybody saying to get a smaller bike and work you way up. You are just wasting money by doing that. Take the riders course and get whatever you want. If you are confindent enough to muscle that bike around, then go get it.