I had never been on two wheels before I took my class, so I would suggest starting there.

I bought a cheap but decent jacket and a good inexpensive helmet, HJC, before the class.

Starting on a cruiser is much different than starting on a sport bike. Not as much power. Starting on the Harley Tour Glide might not be a problem for you. If I googled it right, 1337.00 ccm (81.58 cubic inches). Not small, but also not huge.

Take the class, practice and you should be fine. It all comes down to you. If you feel comfortable, ride away. If you don't, trade it in. I'm sure the old man will be fine with that.

 

not to be rude, but "A thick pair of jeans" aren't any better than regular jeans, or sweatpants or shorts. both will turn to shreds after a couple feet of sliding, or will tear off the instant it hits the pavement when there's enough force over area (i.e.: your knee)

don't make my mistake and crash in everything but proper pants! you've got the right mind set about wearing gear, but remember your legs keep you mobile

www.newenough.com is a great place to start.

no you don't need any extra eye protection with a helmet that has a shield. personally i wouldn't ride with anything less than a full face.

also for gloves: leather only. hands are often the first thing to hit the ground, it's your body's natural reaction to falling, ya know trying to break your fall with your hands/arms.

as far as the size of the machine you're thinking of starting on, it's a torquey cruiser that weighs a metric **** ton. the biggest thing you should have to worry about is it falling over.

that being said, i'd still look into a smaller cruiser to learn on. i was amazed at how hard it was to work with a 450 lb sport bike when all i was used to was a 300 lb dual sport.

just like guys that want to start on 600 sportbikes, with large cruisers it's not that you can't, you just might miss some things along the way that you would appreciate down the line.

 

not to be rude, but "A thick pair of jeans" aren't any better than regular jeans, or sweatpants or shorts. both will turn to shreds after a couple feet of sliding, or will tear off the instant it hits the pavement when there's enough force over area (i.e.: your knee)

don't make my mistake and crash in everything but proper pants! you've got the right mind set about wearing gear, but remember your legs keep you mobile

is a great place to start.

no you don't need any extra eye protection with a helmet that has a shield. personally i wouldn't ride with anything less than a full face.

also for gloves: leather only. hands are often the first thing to hit the ground, it's your body's natural reaction to falling, ya know trying to break your fall with your hands/arms.

as far as the size of the machine you're thinking of starting on, it's a torquey cruiser that weighs a metric **** ton. the biggest thing you should have to worry about is it falling over.

that being said, i'd still look into a smaller cruiser to learn on. i was amazed at how hard it was to work with a 450 lb sport bike when all i was used to was a 300 lb dual sport.

just like guys that want to start on 600 sportbikes, with large cruisers it's not that you can't, you just might miss some things along the way that you would appreciate down the line.

I'm sorry I didn't mean to make it appear that I wanted to start on that bike. Even if I did want to I couldn't since he sold it about 5 years back. So sorry if my post appeared that way.

Anyway, I'm not sure I've stated this but I'm looking for something I won't trade away in a year, unless I really get into it. Some people have mentioned Ninja 250 but other's say they'd be way too small when I get into serious riding. People have said the highway speeds on them are rather low and seems that someone my size would not be happy with it.

After that i had suggestions of Ninja 500, GS500, etc. By not wanting a sports bike, I don't need a bike with 4 cylinders nor do I need to do 150mph on one.

Thanks for the advice what would you recommend for pants?

 

really any pants are better than none. i wear aremored leather pants but you might be more interested in textile overpants for convenience.

i'll leave the 'what bike to get' to your research. 250's are going to be running out of breath at interstate speeds. not that they're not capable, hell i commuted down I16 40 miles a day on a 250 dual sport, but there's no room for error because you can't accelerate worth a **** at those speeds on a 250, even the ninja.

 

Yeah, I don't plan on seeing the interstate very often. But you never know, the option of being able to accelerate effectively would be nice at those speeds.

 

Take the class then really start looking for a bike. The smaller and lighter it is, the easier it is to handle. I started on a V-Star 950 and have found a lot of the small things are still difficult for me. I just have to spend more time in empty parking lots than those with smaller bikes. It all comes down to what you are comfortable with.

Good luck with the choice and enjoy the process.

 

There are a lot of options when looking for a midsized bike. The S-40 or S-50, the VLX650 or Shadow 750, etc. If you stick with a 2-cylinder to learn on and watch the weight of the bike, it's manageable for most newer riders.