Quicksand Fans

Still can't believe I actually did this.......2010 Sportster Iron 883. Has the 1200cc conversion kit and tuner chip. Too much bike for a noob but the price was right.
Rode a few mini-bikes and quads in my lifetime but never an an actual motorcycle before. Had a relative drive it to their house in a nice development for lessons (lots of intersections, corners, etc. with minimal daytime traffic), watched a few youtube videos, then climbed aboard. Managed to keep it upright for 10 minutes before I beefed it onto the neighbors lawn. No harm done to me, beast sustained a few minor scratches and a squashed air filter (there goes $100). Went home that night thinking seriously about calling the whole thing off and selling it.

Came back the next day, sucked a little less and liked it a little more, was getting the hang of the controls. Cousin followed me around on her bike (one in the background above), took me to a parking lot and gave me a few pointers on turning and shifting. Love it now. Haven't taken it over 40mph but have had more fun on this thing than in any car I've ever owned. I have offically been converted to the two wheel club.

Sweet

Like you, never tried anything beyond dirt bikes and atvs before they were cool But it's an itch never scratched, my mother would not have liked it at all

Find a dealer and go sit on a few of them. Long as you stay away from the bigger cruisers the prices aren't bad at all, and it's easy to find something that's a few years old but with minimal miles. My "used" bike has 4500 miles on it, two grand less than a new one, AND it's got like 3k in aftermarket stuff.

Congrats. It's true what they say- you never see a Harley parked in front of a psychiatrists' office.

Congrats, that Harley is really awesome. they are my favorite motorcycle.

Null

nachtjaeger wrote:Congrats. It's true what they say- you never see a Harley parked in front of a psychiatrists' office.

Yea ya do; the doctor is the one that rode it in:-) They leave the showroom floor at collector prices it seems.

Sweet ride man.

I never thought I'd be able to afford the real deal either (was actually going to go for a Yamaha Bolt) but the Sportsters are surprisingly cheap. The new 2016 I was looked at first would've been right around 10k out the door, and the Street 500 and 750 sport(ish) bikes they make are even cheaper.
More confident now but still scared of it. Crazy amounts of power. Had to stop on an entrance ramp because some dipshit didn't have the courtesy to move over, so got to use almost wide open throttle for the first time. Ran 1st gear out to 40mph and pulled past 60 in second before I let off. Now I know what that Ewok on the speeder bike felt like.
Rain all this week.....

Back in my university days, we used to sing a song about motorbikes in the student bar.

It was called Teenage Cremation.

"Every man dies. Not every man really lives."
--William Wallace

I'm finding it's as dangerous as you make it. Wear the gear. Ride at a reasonable speed and don't do stupid shit like weaving around traffic. Any time you're interacting with people in cars pretend they don't see you (very often they don't). I had one moderatly close call (guy "just didn't see me" and pulled out of side street) but it ended up being nothing but a hard braking maneuver because I was riding sensibly. It'll never be as safe as a car.....but holy crap is it a thousand times more fun.