I'm 44 and my wife and I are seriously considering getting a pair oh Harleys to finaly live the American dream and cruse the open road.I'm fond of the Softtail Haritage Classic. It's a big bike but I'm not buying it for speed but for comfortable long road trips. We will both be takeing the riders course before we buy our bikes. I have already identafied that it will need to be lowered a little bit so my feet are flat on the groud when stoped. I'm 5'6" and 158 lbs. My question is this. Is there anyone besides me out there that have one of these for their first bike? If so what kind of advice can you give about rideing it? Any positve input would be appreciated. Thanks  

My advice if you are going to buy that big is:
1) plot a route around your house that would take about 30 min, at various speeds  and curves, intersections, streetlights,(preferably with a short 50mph... heart thumper section).
2) Ride it religiously for a couple of weeks. You will know it worked when something unexpected (wind gust, etc) happens, and you respond before you know what happened.
3) Buy good riding gear while learning, and wear it.
4) If you blow off 1,2 and 3, buy gobs and gobs of life insurance for your spouse. Make sure they do the same.  

Thanks for the advice. What you suggested is exactly what we had planned on doing. Feel free to let me know if you think of anything else. Thanks again.  

Taking the Basic Rider Course offered by the Motorcycle is a great decision.  It's around $200 and they provide the motorcycle.  Then you'll be ready to buy the motorcycle of your dreams.  I just finished the course and I have a Honda Shadow VLX 600 - it's an awesome bike and will fit a small frame but still feels 'big bike' enough. I'm 5'6" and the bike size allows me to plant both feet firmly on the ground.  Good luck, and keep the shiny side up!  

Actually, I do have one more bit of advice (can't believe I forgot the MSF on the last post).

Shoes. Sounds stupid, but, they are your only contact point with the ground when you stop. You need a beefy sole to keep from dropping it when someone has dropped antifreeze or oil.
You want to be doing 2 up, so the demand on traction is even higher.
Make sure it's over the ankle. Reason is, if the bike is tipping or moving when you put your foot down, it could put a large shear force on the ankle, and dislocate or break it. The higher boot puts the strain on both the upper and lower ankle at the same rate.
I'd stay away from basic laceups. They tend to get a little loose, and then grab the footpegs while you're trying to get your feet down.  

I myself just bought my first Harley. I am 36 female  and purchased a 2003 Road King Classic 100th Anniversery Addition (gray/blk) it has a 1450 with a stage one kit on it. I have always wanted a motorcycle and I can't beleive I waited so long! I did also take the riders course this year and I will probable take it again next year just because you learn alot of driving skills. I am not a "new driver" when it comes to bikes but not skilled for a harley or cruizen. I love my road king but it is does shake and you sit on top of it, don't get me wrong I love it and i'm not about to sell it. My boyfriend has a 2002 Heritage like the one your interested in and I got to ride it for the first time last month (when he felt comfortable, as me being a new rider) I realy liked it, you sit in it and it is as smooth as can be. I will add he has been ridding for 20 some years so it hot, many extras and that! He loves his heritage and I was honered to drive it, but I put in alot of practice in, like 2000+ miles before. I will have to admit if I would have drove that bike prior I would have searched for a heritage only, but I new I found my bike when it called out my name, it was love at first sight! The heritage is smooth for the ride and smooth to drive, very easy to turn and that. I hope this helps and take the course asap so you can test out the bike prior to your purchase to make the appropriate changes or upgrades to your liking. Hope your dream come true, you won't regret it one bit, my best advise that I could give you is learn and respect the road and ridding rules, ask if you don't know. I was fortunate to have someone there for me if I had any questions. New riders can be very dangerous to other riders, don't get a big head and only do what your comfortabe with. I wanted it bad so I practiced alot before I even got into pack ridding, and that was tough to but theres nothing like it. No one wants to be killed for some dumb mistake by a beginner rider. Be careful and watch out for those cars!  

I took my riders 3 day course for 50 bucks maybe 35 and they provided the bikes also. Check with your local .gov or bike shop, cop shop or chambers in your town, someone will guide you to the right person.  

shadowrider said...

>Taking the Basic Rider Course offered by the Motorcycle is a great decision.  It's around $200 and they provide the motorcycle.

If you decide to go that route, GUNSMOKE7, make sure you sign up for another course as soon as you know when you'll be picking up your new bike. You will need to get your muscles and nerves tuned to handling your bike and the best way to do that is by riding your own bike through the course. Riding a course provided bike is okay for someone who hasn't made the decision to buy a bike yet, just to see if they like it and can learn how to ride. The most dangerous time for any rider is the first six months on a new motorcycle, regardless of what prior training they have had. Riding your bike through the course will drastically shorten that six month learning curve for the new bike.

regards,
Joe  

frbock said...

>Make sure it's over the ankle. Reason is, if the bike is tipping or moving when you put your foot down, it could put a large shear force on the ankle, and dislocate or break it. The higher boot puts the strain on both the upper and lower ankle at the same rate.

>I'd stay away from basic laceups. They tend to get a little loose, and then grab the footpegs while you're trying to get your feet down.

That's why us old fashioned folks tie our laces in a double knot :-)

Any boot that doesn't lace up, isn't going to be snug enough to provide the kind of ankle support you are talking about.

regards,
Joe  

anniegoatmichigan said...

>I did also take the riders course this year and I will probable take it again next year just because you learn alot of driving skills.

Taking multiple courses is always a good idea. I've taken 7 courses over the last 40 years, only two of which were repeat courses. No course is comprehensive enough to teach all the necessary street skills and each course will emphasize a different combination of advanced skills. Even the MSF basic rider course has changed over time.

regards,
Joe