QuestionI have been interested in motorcycles for years but due to the fact of putting family first, have not been able to learn to ride and purchase a bike. Now that the kids are older and in college, it's time for my wife and I to have some fun together! I have an opportunity to purchase a used Harley Davidson Road King Classic at an incredible price. I have signed up to take the Rider's Edge course through my Harley Davidson dealer. Is the Road King Classic too much bike for me to start with? I am 45 years old, 6'-1", and 250lbs. I am a big, strong, athletic male in great shape who wants to cruise the back roads with my wife!
AnswerI apologize in advance, I'm going to have to discourage you. Not from riding, but from heading down the path you're heading. You need to look a little more long-term.
No matter what the people at the dealership may tell you, a Road King is too much motorcycle for your first bike.
In general, and this applies to any rider, any type of bike: the bike you're lusting after is almost always NOT the right bike to learn on.
In buying the RK, you'd be choosing a GREAT bike but for the wrong reasons and at the wrong time in your riding experience.
(Statistically, it's baby boomers 40+ years old riding for the first time or getting back into riding after a long break, and buying large displacement motorcycles 1000cc+, that are changing the face of motorcycle fatalities and injuries.)
I know it seems easy enough, looks simple enough when you see other people do it, but there's way more to it than I can describe to you here. Overconfidence is a killer.
Starting with the Riders Edge course is an awesome idea. That will give you the basic knowledge to go out and start practicing on your own.
But here's the thing about basic training: after the course, you'll be fully qualified to ride in a parking lot, with full gear on, under adult supervision. You won't be ready for anything, you'll ONLY be ready to start practicing on the street.
That does not mean you'll be ready to hit the street, on a big bike, with a passenger, and cruise the back roads. There's a lot of riding and practicing that needs to happen first.
Start with a small bike. I recommend a 4-cyl no larger than 500cc or a 2-cyl no larger than 650cc. Bigger bikes are so awesome that they give you a false sense of confidence--great, when everything's going well, but when it all comes undone, you don't have the skills yet to manage the big bike in an bad situation.
Spend at least two full riding seasons, riding the small bike 3-5 times a week at least, before moving up to the Road King. Ride it to work as often as you can, dicing it up with commuter traffic. Ride everywhere you can, and after a while, you'll ditch your four-wheel mentality and adopt a two-wheel mentality, which is a totally different approach to using the roads.
Do NOT try to carry a passenger until you have at least a full riding season under your belt. It's too much to manage this early in the game, and with a passenger, your mistakes cost double. (Consider taking the course together, and sharing the bike, or even have her get her own bike!)
I guess the real question here is "do you want to ride a motorcycle, or do you want to be a motorcycle rider?" People who just want to ride because it looks like fun are not only driving up the crash numbers, but they also don't contribute anything to motorcycling. People who are willing to take the time and do it right can enjoy a lifetime of fun and adventure and become part of this great community.
Think hard about it. I hope you decide to do it right.
Pat
