I rode a dirt bike years ago (CR 250) and its been awhile.  I'm thinking of getting a Harley.  I know nothing about motorcycles these days.  I'm 6-1 240 if that matters.  What's a good bike for me?  Are dealers at these bike places like car salesman - if they are forget it.  And whats all this training and licensing stuff?  Seemed like it used to be you get on one and ride it.  

LOL  I don't know much either, but I'm willing to display my ignorance by speaking out anyways.

>I'm 6-1 240 if that matters.

Well, it probably means you won't have any problem with the current trend to omit mainpegs from cruisers. You probably won't need to add risers to the handlebars, to maintain good posture either :-)

>What's a good bike for me?

That depends on a lot of things... What level of maintenance are you comfortable doing yourself? How much are you willing to spend for the shop to do any routine maintenance that you don't choose to do? Do you expect to ride two up fairly often? Do you prefer diving through the twisties, meandering down the country roads or cruising along the interstates? Do you have any physical problems that would require a soft suspension or a light bike?

There are a lot of "what bike should I buy?" threads, available to peruse :-)

>Are dealers at these bike places like car salesman - if they are forget it.

In the larger places, yes they are. In the small bike shops, the salesman is probably the shop owner.

>And whats all this training and licensing stuff?  Seemed like it used to be you get on one and ride it.

It also used to be that people referred to motorcycles as murdercycles, too :-)

Like or not, there are a lot more vehicles and oblivious drivers on the roads today. If you're not prepared to perform abruptly evasive maneuvering at highway speeds, you won't survive long. Since the steering input to make those maneuvers is the opposite of what it takes to steer a car in the same situation, most untrained riders tend to crash the first time  they try.

regards,
Joe  

Mojoman,
I too am new again to riding after a 20-25 year break. I was of the same mindset. Back when I was younger, I just bought a used bike and got on it and took off. With age comes wisdom or maybe just a more realistic view of my own mortality. I researched several bikes, keeping in mind my budget and my abilities at my advanced age(47) I chose a Suzuki C50. Then as part of my bargaining agreement with my wife, I enrolled in a Motorcycle safety course and passed my written test with the Texas Department Of Public Safety and aquired my motorcycle license.
I don't have any advice for you regarding a Harley, but it was not within my budgetary constraints. I do know that I am very happy with my C50 It has all of the power I need for my commute to work (about 65 miles round trip mostly highway) It also has a low seat which is important for my 5'-8" frame.
 The motorcycle safety course opened my eyes to the very real dangers on the road and taught me how to deal with them. I can't emphasize the course enough.
 As for dealers, I had very good experiences with them, but as I said I did my homework so that I had plenty of info before I walked into the stores looking for the best deal.
 From my limited experience motorcycles today are pretty much the same as they have always been, clutch, throttle, shifter, brakes are still in the same places.
 I don't know if I have been helpful or not, but I wish you luck.