Harley Davidson Forty Eight is a good choice for first bike? - 1

Many people offer small bikes for starting, like Honda CBF, scooters etc. But I love forty eight. Its my dreams bike, what do you think? It would be good choice for me? If won't' be good, what is the starting model in Harley Davidson's?

Buy what you can ride & afford.

Get it, drop it, cry, learn, repeat.

The bigger they are the harder they hurt you.

You don't buy your 'dream bike' as a starter bike, sorta like dreaming J Lo is your first date.

Think smaller (not scooter size), think used (not a total POS) and go learn to ride.

The smallest/lightest Harley Davidson is the Street 500. Exactly size as the Street 750, so you might as well get the 750. The Forty Eight weighs 550 pounds, the Street weighs 490 --- just 60 pounds more. So, yeah, you are stupid getting a overweight v-twin cruiser for a first bike -- but the smallest H-D isn't much lighter so you might as well get the Forty Eight if that is what you want.

If you want to smart up, the Suzuki S40 weighs just 380 pounds -- 170 pounds less than the Sportster, a hair less than a "beginner" sports bike like a Ninja 300 abs. Your Harley Davidson friends sneer at a metric v-twin cruiser like a Shadow -- why not get a Harley instead of a Japanese Want-a-be? But the S40 is a single, Harley doesn't have a Thumper, so it is totally acceptable.

If you have never ridden a motorcycle before, odds are good that you will crash within the first 6 months of owning one. Do you Really want to do that with your "dream bike"? Buy an old used beater for a first bike. LEARN TO RIDE. Then in a year or so, when you are ready for a bigger bike, you can think about getting a Harley.

No.

I don't like Sportys. They handle bad, no more torque than a Bonneville.

Its your choice, but, I consider XLCH's just for bar hopping. For all that displacement and $; not that much power, poor range.

You are probably better with a Honda 440, Or one of those Jap vee twins.

When you can Afford it, get a Real Harley, a Big Twin 74 or better.

REF: Had an XLCH, WLA, Bonnevilles, have Honda 650. Disappointed by the Sporty.

For many years the Sportster was Harley's 'entry level' bike. (The 48 is a Sportster, you know that, right?) Everyone says it's not the greatest bike for learning on, it's a bit too big and heavy and clumsy for a trainer, but the Sportster in all its different forms has always been VERY popular.

On YouTube and on the websites of motorcycle magazines you'll find 'competitive reviews' or 'comparative reviews' where they test several bikes in the same market segment--for the Sportster that would be Honda Shadow 750, Kawasaki Vulcan 900, Suzuki Boulevard 800 etc. The Sportster always comes in last for comfort, handling, smoothness, etc. But people who have them love them, and I get the idea that people who own Harleys, it's only because it HAD to be a Harley.

A couple years ago Harley introduced two smaller bikes meant to be trainers. The Street 500 and Street 750.

But the biggest thing is that you shouldn't buy your Dream Bike to learn to ride. You're likely to be very hard on your first bike, so the idea is that you buy a used bike to learn on. Maybe one that already has a few bruises and scratches on it, because you're very likely to add more. After 6 months or a year you can sell this old beater for about what you paid for it, and by then you'll have a much better idea of what you really want.

A 550 pound 1200cc bike isn't what I would consider a good beginner bike. I recommend a smaller, lighter bike with decent handling to learn on. Something that won't cost $1000 when you accidentally drop it over (it has happened to the best of us). Once you have learned skills on a small nimble bike, take a sportster for a test drive.