Is a touring bike really all that wrong for starting out?

[lighthiker90]

Thanks. The Goldwings are too much bike. I saw the Harley in the Buffalo ads awhile ago. It is on my watch list. Price is right. I won't have funds until late Feb early March. I will end up with a HD at some point. HD is a big part of American history and some family history as well. My grandfather toured the country on a knucklehead. He and is brother used to build and race motorcycles. I wish he, and the bike were still around.

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[Y2K]

Thanks. The Goldwings are too much bike. I saw the Harley in the Buffalo ads awhile ago. It is on my watch list. Price is right. I won't have funds until late Feb early March. I will end up with a HD at some point. HD is a big part of American history and some family history as well. My grandfather toured the country on a knucklehead. He and is brother used to build and race motorcycles. I wish he, and the bike were still around.

I hear that,again I'd start smaller and work up.
Family history I understand as well,my Dad bought a 1929 JDH Harley new when he was just 18 years old and he had memories of his Dad (I never met) riding some of the real early bikes in the WWI era and just after.

[Jay_Mack]

Harleys are twice the fun and twice the bike.

[AfterDarker]

For twice the price

[lighthiker90]

Agreed on both the fun and price accounts! I know several indivduals who do accounting work/auditing and tax prep. Harley Dealers are not short on cash. I still want one. They hold their value well.

[Y2K]

Agreed on both the fun and price accounts! I know several indivduals who do accounting work/auditing and tax prep. Harley Dealers are not short on cash. I still want one. They hold their value well.

Couple other points,they never go out of style or look dated,older is even cooler on style points.
They are infinately rebuildable so one bike can last a lifetime if you want,if Gramps Knuck was available you could still get any part you want,even a brand new crate motor for a bike as old as 1936.
If my Dads '29 was still around I could even get parts to rebuld it,pretty amazing really.
Transmissions can be rebuilt without taking the motor apart,but they are generally pretty tough anyway,mine is original as is the clutch and even the clutch cable at 172,000 miles and all works fine.
If you travel their dealer network is the best there is so if you need service there's always a dealer not far away.
Old WWII vets will come up and tell ya about the Harley they had back in the day,I love it when that happens!

[kodonnell1]

My wife has graciously indulged my midlife crisis and agreed to my dream of having a bike and heading out west to the Grand Canyon. I have signed up for the MSF rider course. I realize in an ideal world one should start with a smaller bike and then trade up. I will have about 2 months of riding pracitice before I head out west. I am really better off with something small to start on and then discover a larger bike on one of my first trips out? I would think I would be better off dealing with the nuances of a larger bike to begin with so I am completely comfortable with it before heading out. Any thoughts or opinions?

I started out with a 900 and within 4 months I was ready for a 1731. Don't waste time with the little bikes, go big now.

[Easy Rider]

Don't waste time with the little bikes, go big now.

Everybody is entitled to his own opinion......but that one conflicts with the conventional wisdom.

Unless the new rider is a really BIG person, you learn quicker and better on a smaller bike that is more maurverable and more forgiving of sudden throttle changes.

And, for the original poster, two months experience is ***NOT*** enough before taking off on a major road trip, regardless of what kind/size bike you have.

As for "needing" a big bike for road trips, you really don't. I did a 1200 mile trip on a 250 and had a blast. You can't get in a hurry though.

[lighthiker90]

I agree with not "needing" a larger bike for road trips. It is whatever fits. I disagree with the experience necessary for a major trip. In my opinion there is no difference between gaining experience fast vs gaining experience slow. It still needs to be gained. If I gain that experience in small short trips close to home or one long trip far away from home it is still an experience gained. The proximity to home is the only difference.

[Y2K]

The proximity to home is the only difference.

Well not exactly,close to home you can ride roads you are already familiar with for one.
You can avoid places with heavy traffic in unfamiliar surroundings,not a good place to be for a newbie.
If you do fail and crash you are close to home,rather be local if I break a leg lol.
There are a whole other set of circumstances that can arise on a trip far from home which experience can overcome a lot easier than having none.

[BlackM50]

lighthiker90:

Boy... arent you the guy who asked the question in the first place? And now you have an "opinion" about what works and what doesnt, even though you have nothing to base that opinion on?You're funny. I wish you luck, and Im being very sincere.

[Easy Rider]

In my opinion there is no difference between gaining experience fast vs gaining experience slow.

In addition to what has already been mentioned, your brain needs some time to digest and "store" what it has learned.
Thus, in most cases, learning is better done by repeating the practice/training in small doses over a longer period of time.
Trying to cram too much into a small amount of time sometimes results in information "overflow".

Unless you are a REALLY calm and laid back person, the stress level gets higher the farther from "home" (familiar turf) you get.

You can believe whatever you please but the expert opinion disagrees with you on this point.

[Easy Rider]

Boy... arent you the guy who asked the question in the first place?

It would help if you would include a small quote from the person you are addressing, especially with a remark like that, 40 messages into a thread.

[BlackM50]

My comment was directed at the op. Its clear the effort people put in to explain things in the 3 pgs of this thread didnt really register with him. And theres a lot of very good and useful info in this thread. No worries, theres no better teacher than first hand experience.

[lighthiker90]

lighthiker90:

Boy... arent you the guy who asked the question in the first place? And now you have an "opinion" about what works and what doesnt, even though you have nothing to base that opinion on?You're funny. I wish you luck, and Im being very sincere.

Yup that was me. Thanks for your input. I appreciate it. I spent 11 years on the road in countries all over the world and I am about as laid back as them come. Being on the road and away from home became a way of life and it doesn't induce stress.

I never claimed to be correct, just stating my point of view as others have. For me personally an oh crap moment at home vs an oh crap moment far away holds no difference. I have had oh crap moments in countries where I didn't speak the language. I got by just fine. I have seen others completely loose it.