RK for a beginner?
Road Captain
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 576
Likes: 20
From: Eau Claire, WI
when i was teaching my daughters to shoot, i started em off with 22's because i didn't want to put a 44 in their hands and have em develop a "flinch". after they got comfortable pulling the trigger and their shooting mechanics, i let em move up to a 9mm and so on. I think it's the same with a bike. Most folks started out on smaller bikes, dirt bikes as kids, a jap bike as a teen etc... i'd get a honda or somethin for a few hundred bucks, get comfortable with the riding mechanics, starting, stopping etc, then go on to a larger bike. A road king is a large, heavy, and expensive machine. And not nearly as forgiving if you grab too much front brake or dump the clutch to quick while learning.
4th Gear
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 8
Likes: 0
From: Clarksville,TN
I would start with a cheaper used bike. My first was a '83 Honda Goldwing that I put down, knocked over, fell with, etc. I also used it to teach myself how to work on bikes since they were a new animal to me (I drove/worked on semis for 11 years and now fix helicopters!!) Find something used and cheap to learn and to decide if you want to stay with riding!! Good luck!!
Road Master
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 1,217
Likes: 4
when i was teaching my daughters to shoot, i started em off with 22's because i didn't want to put a 44 in their hands and have em develop a "flinch". after they got comfortable pulling the trigger and their shooting mechanics, i let em move up to a 9mm and so on. I think it's the same with a bike. Most folks started out on smaller bikes, dirt bikes as kids, a jap bike as a teen etc... i'd get a honda or somethin for a few hundred bucks, get comfortable with the riding mechanics, starting, stopping etc, then go on to a larger bike. A road king is a large, heavy, and expensive machine. And not nearly as forgiving if you grab too much front brake or dump the clutch to quick while learning.
There's a lot of bad advice on this forum, but this is spot-on!
Learn the mechanics of riding with a bike you can handle easily before jumping on an 800+ lb bike. There's no need to rush, and no shame in learning how to ride on a smaller bike. Most of us did it that way.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,616
Likes: 17
From: Mid West
I did trade offs most of my adult life, had Hondas, Kawasakis, Yamahas at first due to expenses, moved into hardtails during the 70's, very fun but punishing bikes. Had road version crotch rockets, Yamaha 1100XS and a 850XS Special with fairings/bags but just were not HD. Lighter bikes(Jap) make license achievement easier, cheaper to repair pieces and loads of them out there make them cheap to tinker on as one is dropped or wrecked and the costs are just a lot lighter for a three year old Jap bike. I rode trail bikes until the 70's, moved up to Yamaha then to HD and not looked back since.
Remember a general bagger is almost 850 lbs of unforgiveness and it won't treat you too harsh, forget that and it will hammer you when you go down, it isn't if but when and I have been down more than once.
You go RK, enjoy, I did on the 2003 I had, the Road Glide Ultra is quite a tourer and mine now.
Remember a general bagger is almost 850 lbs of unforgiveness and it won't treat you too harsh, forget that and it will hammer you when you go down, it isn't if but when and I have been down more than once.
You go RK, enjoy, I did on the 2003 I had, the Road Glide Ultra is quite a tourer and mine now.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 28,842
Likes: 16,580
From: Wisconsin, USA
The first time you hit gravel, oil spot, tar snake, wet paint and you lose traction, you will regret all that weight.
I don't think you need a Rebel but a older Kawasaki Vulcan750, Yamaha Virago 750, Honda Shadow 750 are good first bikes. Fast enough for highway, light enough to recover from mistakes.
Take the MSF course. Ride your own ride. Don't showoff on your bike.
My first bike, 2004 Vulcan 750
I don't think you need a Rebel but a older Kawasaki Vulcan750, Yamaha Virago 750, Honda Shadow 750 are good first bikes. Fast enough for highway, light enough to recover from mistakes.
Take the MSF course. Ride your own ride. Don't showoff on your bike.
My first bike, 2004 Vulcan 750
Last edited by Ron750; Feb 19, 2013 at 04:33 PM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 4,445
Likes: 2,810
From: Oklahoma
You don't say how tall you are, or your inseam measurement. Being able to have your feet on the ground when you stop is essential. If you are "tip toeing" when you stop, the first time your feet are on gravel or sand, your feet will slip and the bike will go down. If you are tall enough for your feet to be flat on the ground, you have a better chance to keep things under control. It would be too bad to have a bad experience on an 800 lb. + bike as a beginner and have that discourage you for ever more.
There are many basic skills which need to be developed and during the learning phase, the lighter machine will be easier to recover from the results of limited skill in whatever area bites you. If you start on the big bike, you will never know any different, but if you wind up with the bike leaning during a stop or while backing up, the lighter bike will be easier to straighten up without a dump than will the big one. The lack of experience means you may be in an unrecoverable situation on the big machine before you even realize what happened. How steep a learning curve do you want to face? It is up to you.
There are many basic skills which need to be developed and during the learning phase, the lighter machine will be easier to recover from the results of limited skill in whatever area bites you. If you start on the big bike, you will never know any different, but if you wind up with the bike leaning during a stop or while backing up, the lighter bike will be easier to straighten up without a dump than will the big one. The lack of experience means you may be in an unrecoverable situation on the big machine before you even realize what happened. How steep a learning curve do you want to face? It is up to you.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 4,473
Likes: 15
From: River City Western Canada
160 lb 15 yr old on a RK is a recipe for disaster.
Get a dirt bike and learn how to ride first.
Get a dirt bike and learn how to ride first.
Last edited by 2kids3pets; Feb 19, 2013 at 05:46 PM.
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 967
Likes: 40
From: Reno, NV
RK is an awesome bike. I love mine. But dang, I grew up on dirt bikes and had other smaller bikes through the years. That's a lot of bike for a beginner with zero experience.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 2,248
Likes: 7
From: Atlanta, Georgia
Listen to the masses if you want..."Get a smaller bike or a jap bike and work your way up..." and you will be highly pissed off at how fast it takes you to catch on and the fact that you couldve used that money on the smaller /jap bike to purchase the one you really want. I say go for it. You want a Road King, get a Road King. These bikes are not that hard to ride and not all that dangerous. They have the exact same obstacles of every other bike/rider on the streets and that is "cars, trucks, buses, etc...". That is where your problem lies. Now if we were talking crotch rockets, different story. The difference with those typically is the bigger the bike, the faster you get to ungodly amounts of speed and sh*t can get out of hand really quick with those. Harleys...not so much. Its all on your confidence level. Some people talk themselves out of a bike before they even get on them (those are the ones telling you to get something smaller), and some people just be smart about it and take all the necessary precautions (folks like me who just got what they wanted and learned to ride it...only been down once...knock on wood). Good luck whichever way you decide.