Want to buy a harley type motorcycle..not sure what to get?

Question

i am 20 years old, 6'3'' and weigh 240 pounds. i want a harley type bike but i am not sure what to go with for my starter..any help would be appreciated

Answer 1

The Yamaha V Star 650 would be an excellent choice for a beginner. I wouldn't buy a Harley as my first bike simply because you may decide you don't enjoy riding, and that is a lot of money to invest until you are sure it is your passion.

Answer 2

If you're only 20, why go with a Harley type? Harleys are for guys that no longer want to go fast (i.e. old guys), buy a sport bike. Trust me. You'll be happy at the amount of girls checking you out as you drive by!

LOL-- look in this guys dictionary under lady and you will see a woman with the same beard he rocks and hair that hasn't been cut since the 70s! He's 20... I'm sure he wants girls that are not 45 checking him out!

Answer 3

Nice to see a young guy with some taste for a change.  For your size, I would recommend looking at the Harley 'dyna' and 'softail' models.  The bikes balance out very well, and in stock form, they are fairly easy to ride.  

I don't know if you have done it yet, but take some kind of MSF safety/rider course in your area.  That's always a good thing to do, especially if you don't have a lot of time on two wheels.

Answer 4

The best "Harley type" motorcycle to get is...............

You guessed it, a Harley.

Lots of guys your size on Sportsters and Dynas with forward controls.

For your first bike, use your head a little more than your heart.

Sit on (and ride if you can) as many different ones as you can. Find what's comfortable for you.

Answer 5

The man is right  a Dyna or soft tail would do just fine. take a safety course and wear a  helmet go slow and  you will do OK.

Answer 6

All cruisers are basically copying the Harley and Indian.  So if you are just about style, Harley has the monopoly on style over substance.  Sure they are the worst performing bikes in the worst performing class of bike, but if you cared about performance you wouldn't want a cruiser anyway.  I say get a Harley if you gotta get a cruiser otherwise you will be riding around feeling second best.

Or you could get a Victory and have the street cred and nearly the best performance of the cruisers, but that is alot of bike and alot of money for a beginner.

Bear....Lady?  Harley?  More like grannies, hard drinking over the hill waitresses, and bleached whales.

Answer 7

get what you like any cruizer in the 1100cc range should be good for your size all 4 j*p makers have a cruizer in that class, ride a while then trade up when your ears dry out. stay away from sporty's. can't go wrong with honda. but again go see what you like.

Answer 8

I'm about your size (6'2" / 215) and I bought a Honda VLX for my first cruiser.  It's big enough (500lbs), without being overwhelming, has decent power (cruises easily at 75 on the highway), and really put together well.  Best part is, it's a Harley hard tail knockoff, low low seat height for that low-rider look and feel, and lots of chrome on the delux model.  Handles great for first time riders, won't scare you with it's power or pricetag, but has enough low end to blow past a V8.

Answer 9

Well as Bananahead said us old guys like our Harley's. The only difference is when a lady looks our way she's exactly that, A Lady, not a little girl , So the choice is yours. Yes, they are higher priced, but if you got the money why not? The resale value is going to be there when and if if you ever get another bike, not so true if you buy Japanese.

Answer 10

Harleys are a named only, Indians have not been made since the 50's (my folks had a Indian/Vincent shop then) The new indians are Harley running gear. (S&S)

And Harleys are the most inefficient worse handly machines on the road. The Euros have always had them beat, and the Jappers for the money are better machines.

Yeah Im not to well liked by you Harley guys.

Now to the guys question.

Buy something cheap, your gonna dent it up anyway.

Those that think you can climb out of your cage, and right into a 100 horse cruiser, are mistaken.

Soccer Mom will mow you down.

I ride a piece of c**p Korean crusier 100 miles a day everyday. It gets over 55 mph, and when soccer mom takes it out, no biggie. Oh yeah its what the V-Rod was designed after.

When Im done with this contract in a year, and Ive put 25k miles on a new machine, Ill give it away and buy a FJR or BMW 100k and laugh at all those HOG riders.

Answer 11

agree with bananaphone...

but if you just want a cruiser, a honda shadow 750 won't break the bank, and looks very similar...

Bear: I'm sorry, I don't like over the hill truck stop waitresses, I'll take the 20 yr old gymnasts and cheerleaders...they are more limber...

and for the record, i've never once seen a woman on a harley and thought "there's a real lady"...usually it's more like "there goes another loose biker chick"

Answer 12

Find a nice USED bike, like a Kawasaki Vulcan 750 (very retro cruiser).  The key is just to make sure it is used because you are just starting out.

Answer 13

Well all of the Harley riders are going to say buy one of those but I know they are expensive.  That's why I don't have one.  

Get a Yamaha VStar.  You can get an 1100 or 1300 that will fit your size just fine.  And they aren't cost prohibitive.