You have an awesome bike there! Maybe a lot more bike than a beginner should bite off, but don't be afraid to ride it. What you need to do is get your confidence up, get to know that bike, and practice your *** off! Lots of great advice here from seasoned riders. Listen to us and we will help you thru this. Pretty soon, before you know it your confidence will grow and you'll learn to love that beautiful street glide! Good luck and don't get discouraged!

 

For first Bike it's a monster....I have seen guys buy big ol Harleys for first bike and get intimidated and lose interest and Harley is gone...This may sound crazy...but I would park the Street Glide and buy a used Honda 250 rebel for $2500 and drive the heck out of it...shifting and cornering and dealing with traffic ect... Every week you could reward your self and Ride the Street Glide in an easy location and see if you gain confidence and skills. Just sayin you have gone to the deep end while learning to swim.
Hap

 

This is good advice. I took the MSF course, and then rode a Virago 250 for a week. 70 miles. Then my friend lent me an Electraglide Standard, for a 500 mile ride. That is the same size as your bike. When I look back it is a miracle I didn't kill myself. I didn't have the skills for tight radius turns, like entrance ramps. I wouldn't have survived gravel, wet road paint, panic braking.
If you buy a used small bike and rode if for a month, you could resell it for same price, or maybe even more. My first bike was a Kawasaki Vulcan 750, and it weighed half of what my Ultra does. Much easier to handle.

The crappy advice you got, is why there are 5 year old bikes with 200 miles on it.

 

man if you can afford it - & going by the fact you can buy a street glide cause your looking for a hobby - i would park up the streety for a bit & go out & buy a 250-500cc bike. ride that sucker for a bit, doesnt have be long you will know when. get to the point that your throwing that around & then get that street glide out and ride the fug out of it. man the last thing you want to be feeling when having a ride is not wanting to be riding.

 

Look, just put in as many miles as you can. Ride at first in a low intensity, less crowded setting and then build up. That is pretty much the typical path for most beginners. Over riding your skill level will get you into trouble fast.

 

Practice practice practice. +1 on parking lot practice. It's new to you make it second nature by practicing so when you need to do evasive maneuvers you will be ready without hesitation. The bike will be more forgiving than you think if you let it. You'll get it don't give up too quickly without trying with all you got.

 

+1
Take the Riders Course and practice, practice, practice. Find a large deserted parking lot and practice turns, figure 8s, etc. Get up early on the weekends and go for extended rides (before any traffic) to continue getting used to the bike. Try to ride maybe 5X per week until you feel more comfortable. SJ Ron

 

Rabbit - good advice from everyone here. I agree that you didn't get the best advice possible about your first bike - the SG is a great bike but can be intimidating in close quarters and in traffic. If it's possible, find a nice used 250-600 cc bike in the 300-400 lb range and ride that one to get used to it. When you DO take the SG out, ride it in less congested areas to get the feel for it.

I've been riding since I was 16 (and on dirt since I was about 10) and I just bought my first HD, also a Street Glide - and even with over 35 years of experience, moving to the heavier bike took some getting used to.

I'd hate to see a potential motorcyclist deterred by faulty advice...a smaller 'practice/commuter' bike, additional lessons, or more riding in open areas would do wonders to help you stick with this sport. Riding kicks @ss; hope you can find a way to stick with it.

Best of luck.

 

Once you learn how to control it, I always say drive like people can't see you, and the ones can, well, they are trying to run you over.

Meaning, having the right of way is not enough. People don't see bikes, stay out of blind spots and be ready to hit your breaks at every intersection.

 

Like other have Said take a riders course, as far as riding advise, look where you want the bike to go,will help in a turn. May surprise you but the bike will follow your eyes.