Question about a HD for a newbie

[Social Distortion]

hi everyone
i posted this in the new rider forum, but wanted to get the experienced rider's feedback
________
hi everyone
went with a neighbor to a local harley dealer. She was buying something for her husband and i decided to tag along and sit on some bikes for the fun of it.
Sat on a great looking HD Dyna Street Bob.
anyways- here is what got me.

The salesperson asked me how long i have been riding and i told him about 30 hours total- told him i passed the MSF class in Sept and got my license and am waiting for a deal on the V Star 650. He told me that a beginner could ride that street bob. I was a little confused, but somewhat horrified since most of the talk on the BBS says that you should start out w/ a small sized engine.

What do you folks think-
a HD to start off with?
It was like a 1480 cc and the largest i have ever ridden was a 250.

Finally- the salesman didnt try to pressure me into the Street Bob and told me i may want to consider the 883 sportster, but kept emphasizing that the Street Bob was good enough for me..... ....30 hours under my belt ( ha ha ha). I am a somewhat large guy ( 5'9/210 lbs) and manybe he thought it may fit me better and thats what he ment, but i beleive he thought i'd be able to handle it.

I love to hear all your thoughts on this one- personally, i think i'd be too anxious on it. I remember sitting on the vstar 1100 and feeling how much larger it was....

Maybe i just have the beginner's anxiety....

[Meanie]

Um, hello....he's a salesman selling Harley Davidson motorcycles. He may not have pushed you, but all he had to do was put a bug in your ear and make you think twice. Perhaps it's working.

For starters, it is always good advice and good practice for a beginner to start on a lower cc bike because they have little to no experience and the larger cc could be too much for them to handle. The larger cc bikes are obviously bigger, heavier and more powerful. A beginner may have trouble with them.

As for starting with an HD, that depends. If you want to start off small, the only HD is the 883 and IMO, is not a good starter bike. It's uncomfortable, stiff, rides hard and just plain ugly, IMO. I consider it a poor person's attemtp at fitting in with the elite.

As for the Street Bob, which is basically the V-rod modified, I wouldn't know. I have yet to test ride that one. The original V-rod was one of the faster cruisers of the 4 power cruiser models a few years when they all came out (Warrior, VTX, Mean Streak and V-rod). The original V-rod was a bit uncomfortable for me with it's forward riding style, but mods could probably resolve that. Overall, it's a nice looking bike and has good power. The riding felt hard, but not as hard as the other HD models. As for the "offsprings" of the V-rod, I think most of them look hideous. I only like about 3 models of HDs, which are the Fat Boy, Dynas and the V-rod. though I would never purchase one when I can purchase two other brands for the price of one HD.

As for what's best for a beginner...only the beginner can decide that. As I stated, it is a safer method to ride small then move up, but I think if a person truly understands his/her limitations, understands the motorcycle, understands the atr of riding and the potential dangers, if they aren't riding with expectations of showing off or hotdogging, in other words, someone who is truly responsible, I believe they can start bigger. I say this because I know many who have done so and as well as my wife. She started out and still has, the Intruder 800. If anyone is aware, this bike won in the middleweight cruiser class in a few categories and one was power. This bike beat all the other middleweight cruisers off the line and was only a few tenths of a second behind it's big brother, the 1400 Intruder. It has the potential to beat many other bigger cruiser off the line. Anyway, she has been riding for a few years now and does very well on it. She realizes her limitations and is a safe rider. But also, she now believes she could handle a bigger cruiser and I agree.

Therefore, bottom line is, it's a safer bet to start small, but if you think you fit into the description of what I stated, I don't see a problem. Some people hate the idea or can't always afford to buy a bike, sell a bike, buy a bike, etc. and I can't blame them. If you find what you like, just take it slow and be careful. KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS.

[Social Distortion]

thanks for the feedback.
I like the look of the Street Bob, but in all honesty, i will stick tot he V Star 650 for all the reasons you mentioned, as well as spending $6000 VS $14000.

I guess i am just a little dissapointed as to why an honest salesman would promote the sale of a 1450cc HD to a beginner. I am sure a few might be able to handle it, but as mentioned, i told the guy i only had about 30 hours of riding and yet he seemed confident that i would be able to ride it.
Asides from the " everyone struggles w/ thier new bike for a couple of miles", he seemed that it would be as easy as ironing a shirt or something.

I know their jobs is to sell bikes, but i would hope that the salesman would direct me to buy a 883 and within a year, tell me to sell it, remind me that i'd probably get my money back for my purchase and from there, i can consider the Street Bob. I would think that would be a better way to sell a bike, if not 2 of them, but you are right Meanie- maybe he wanted to put the idea on my mind and open the possibilty of hope that i could make the jump.

I guess i was just sad that they werent so much about my safety as the BBS is and more concerned about selling a product. Just doing thier job and i am sure they gotta put food onthe table too.

Just as a follow up, i called 4 HD more dealers since this post and they all mentioned the same thing. All i'd have to is get use to the bike and it wouldnt be a problem. I explained of my limited time on my bike, but the assured me because of my height and weight, it wouldnt be too hard to get use to it Vs. my MSF bike ( 250 nighhawk).


thanks again!

[V4underme]

A few things to point out... first, it's not necessarily the cc's that matter, it's the power. Plenty of 600 cc bikes generate much more hp than the HD. Second, consider the weight of the bike. Can you pick it up easily enough if (when) you drop it? That leads into the next point... if (when) you drop it and possibly are looking at repairs, what will be the cost? HD's ain't cheap. And don't forget the handling characteristics. Smaller, lighter bikes tend to handle better than bigger ones, and HD isn't known for great handling bikes (sorry folks, not meant to start a flame war).

Instead of looking at brand or cc's alone, consider a bike under 500 lb. (the lower, the better) with decent handling. 30 hours isn't much time, so I'd be looking at used bikes with a combo of handling and power characteristics that make it easy on a beginner. The 650 you are looking at is a good choice. Honda VLX would be another. Plenty of bikes out there to meet those needs.

Think carefully before dropping big bucks on your first "real" bike. Get a season or two of seat time first. You'll find out a lot more about what you like most about riding and what you want in a bike while developing skills at the same time. At that point you will be in a much better position to determine what you really want. Whaat many people begin with is nothing like what they end up with a few years later.

[canuckerjay]

I've read a few reviews in mags about the newer Street Bobs. They're awesome bikes with loads of power. Definitly not you're typical starter.