Total Motorcycle Community Forums

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.
The salesperson told me it was a Twin Cam 88- i have no clue what that means- I know the V Star 650 that i like has 650 cc.....but what do they mean by 88 cubic inches?
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?
Maybe the 88 cube inches means a smaller engin, but i thought the smallest engine that HD has was the Sportster @ 883....so common sense would tell you that it has to be a lot larger...and the price tag was like 14K.

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....
thanks

Well always remember that a salesman makes commision, so the bigger the bike you buy, the more he makes. And if you wreck it in the first month... well you might come back and buy another from him.

A few things:

1. Engine displacement doesn't translate directly to horsepower, but is obviously a general guide in a rough way.

2. The 650cc V-star is 40 cubic inches. The 88 cubic inch Street Bob is 1,450 cc's.

3. Weight is as important for beginners as engine power. The Street Bob weighs 160 lbs more than the V-Star.

4. There are other, less obvious considerations like weight distribution, steering geometry, etc. The Street Bob has very high bars, almost like ape hangers, I think would make it harder for a beginner to learn to manuever the bike.

I agree with Sev about salespeople. Particularly salespeople with whom you don't have a personal relationship. Between my wife, me, and my stepson, we've bought 3 bikes and 1 ATV from the same dealership in the last 3 years. They know we'll be back for more, so they are straight with us, and listen to our needs and concerns. That might not necessarily be the case with you and that HD salesman.

Haven't ridden one, but from everything I've heard, a V-Star 650 is an excellent choice for a new rider. Ride what feels comfortable to you, you'll ride more that way, and build up your skills all the faster.

Jonathan

I know when I bought my bike I think Iread every review and opinion I could find. I gradually narrowed down my scope by eliminating bikes that didn't fit what i was interested in and didn't fit my riding skill level. It was actually alot of fun doing the research and making an informed decision based on the information I had aquired as well as the input from boards like this one. In the end, I made the right decision for me (2006 Suzuki Boulevard C50) and I haven't looked back. Be patient and do your due diligence regarding research and you'll have no regrets.

I wouldn't even look at a sporty 883 if I were you. It cranks out about 42 horsepower, which is close to the v-star, and the sporty is pretty small looking.

As for the dyna, the biggest issue would probably be the weight (and the price!!). 1450ccs for a first bike is a tad excessive, and it will be for insurance comparatived to something smaller.

Honestly, if you have the money for a HD, just spent a little bit on a cheap used bike, ride the crap out of it, and then turn around and get the bike you want after a riding season.

Ok...a couple of things that may tick some other forum users off...but what the heck....

I understand about takings slowly and 100% agree with being safe (riding gear, MSF etc etc) but there's a lot of posts on these boards warning new riders off the larger bikes for riders starter bikes. I've mentioned numerous times that before my softail deuce I'd only ever ridden the Buell that came with the MSF Course. I'm a cautious person by nature, getting all the stupid driving out of my system years ago and consequently have had no major problems going straight to the larger bike.

Besides, everyone will agree that the 1450 cc in a harley is much less aggressive than smaller engines in sportbikes.

I think if a person approaches it carefully there's no reason for someone like social distortion buying a harley right out the box. I'm only 5'11" and 190lbs and havent had any handling problems with my HD, so SD should have the size to handle mostly anything he could find on the showroom floor.

But Social has to know when he does drop the bike, for whatever reason, its a slightly more expensive proposition than if he went with a cheaper starter bike.

As for the choices mentioned. This is an expensive step, so make sure you really know what you want. I agree since the Bobber is a newer model, the salesman is probably steering you in that direction for a better commission. There are a lot of great models to chose from (obviously staying away from the V-Rod). Not meaning to offend any sporty riders, dont get one. You'll want to upgrade within 6 months.

Good luck with your choice, and sorry for the long post, was trying to avoid being flamed

And just a side note....The sportster is the only bike HD measures the engine in cc's. So the 883 refers to cc's and the 88 refers to cubic inches.

I may be wrong but i think they did that becuase the sporty was ment to be a alternative to the metric bikes everyone was racing (flat tracking) at the time.

Mustang wrote:Ok...a couple of things that may tick some other forum users off...but what the heck....

I understand about takings slowly and 100% agree with being safe (riding gear, MSF etc etc) but there's a lot of posts on these boards warning new riders off the larger bikes for riders starter bikes. I've mentioned numerous times that before my softail deuce I'd only ever ridden the Buell that came with the MSF Course. I'm a cautious person by nature, getting all the stupid driving out of my system years ago and consequently have had no major problems going straight to the larger bike.

Mustang,

Not ticked off in the least. Your p.o.v. is as valid as anyone else's. There's no rule or law of nature that says if a newbie goes straight to a larger bike, disaster will automatically happen. Some people make it work. Look at that VermillionX dude, he's started out on a 1000cc GSXR, definitely a killer bike, and it seems to be working out for him.

I think people are saying is that if you want to play the odds, start smaller. Lots of people buck the odds and make it work. But the general trend for the newbie with average skills, average luck, and average natural abilities is against it.

I stand by my last comment in my post above: Social should buy whatever bike feels comfortable and natural to him, regardless of looks, "coolness," or the blathering of salespeople. The bike that feels comfortable is the bike he'll ride with the most confidence.

Jonathan

Mustang wrote: I think if a person approaches it carefully there's no reason for someone like social distortion buying a harley right out the box. I'm only 5'11" and 190lbs and havent had any handling problems with my HD, so SD should have the size to handle mostly anything he could find on the showroom floor.

I've said this before, but I think it bears repeating. When I recommend that a noob start on a smaller bike, it has absolutely nothing to do with the person's maturity or self control (i.e. a hotdogger). It is simply that a high performance motorcycle has the capability to more easily get away from an inexperienced rider in a crisis. In an emergency manuever, mismanagement of the brakes or throttle can have much more serious consequences on a bigger high performance ride. A newbie rider is less likely to have the instictive response to an emergency than an experienced rider. Touchy brakes, excess weight or a twitchy power response have the potential to turn something minor into something major.

Does all that mean a noob is going to kill himself on a high performance bike? Absolutely not. It just means that making your mistakes (that you inevitably will make) on a smaller, easier to control bike, will usually be a lot safer until you develop the skills to handle the bike instinctively in an emergency.

I don't believe any of Harley's 88ci bikes are very twitchy. You gotta drop another three or four grand if you want to make them go fast.