New to the world of motorcycles!

I really don't think a Sportster is the best choice for a Beginner Bike but if it's what you want go for it .. Was the First Ride I purchased in 1970 a 1969 XLCH .. Back then was no Motorcycle Permit/Endorsement just have a Drivers License and the Cash and Ride it off the Lot ..

Welcome to the Forum:grin:

A Harley Davidson 883 in any model, is a great bike to start on for many reasons, if you feel confident and have the riding skills to handle the little bike.

They are mildly tuned and won't get you in trouble with their easily controlled power band. They are absolutely reliable and the 883 holds its value very well.

My last one was a black 2005 883R, the special series with dual front disks and some other cool features. Mine came from the dealer with the 'Stage 1' Screaming Eagle 'HOP UP' kit installed and it ran very well and sounded like a bike should, like a HARLEY:smile_big:

There are many very clean ones available on the used market, just GOOGLE: "Used Harley Davidson Sportster's for sale" and many bikes will show up.:wink2:

Be careful and get the proper training and practice and ride on rural roads if possible and have fun:smile_big:

Sam:nerd:

Hi Katelyn it can be very confusing to buy a bike there are so many to choose from and buying second hand is the way to go, a riders course is mandatory I feel if you have never ridden before some people have it others dont and have lots of road rash to prove they cannot ride.
You have to think twice as fast as the average car drive because they do not give a toss about m/cycle riders and as far as push comes to shove they will win every time.
There is a good degree of coordination involved in even getting the bike moving, releasing the clutch whilst giving the bike rev's not to much lifting your foot when you start to move and keeping balance whilst the bike is at low speed as thats when they are most unstable.
Have a friend help you with the bike you want sit on it get them to get ready to stop the bike tipping and take the bike to its tipping point to feel the weight of it to see if you could really stop it falling over (The dealer will probably go grey here)

We have all seen u-tubes novice riders take of with a zillion revs and freeze at the controls I told my wife when teaching her if at any point when your taking off and it gets out of control shut the throttle down so many pour on more revs and just go balistic with terror.
Get good gear a helmet that fits correctly, leather jacket, Kevlar jeans, top notch gloves & riding boots why because bitumen tears your skin off better that an angle grinder trust me when I was 19 riding my Z900 I learnt what happens to squids when the flesh meets the tar.

I hope you get what you want I do not dispespect any bike rider or their chosen m/cycle we are all the same just trying to stay alive amongst mobile lounge rooms whilst enjoying the freedom of riding.
Its horses for courses me I like High performance based machines which I will admit are a pain for touring on (Thats why I have a 1100XX as backup) but get into the twisties and get cranking there is nothing like it.

All the best to you and your future.

Katelyn Lanz said:

Hello! I'm Katelyn and i'm 19 yrs old. Bike wise I have no idea! So please share your advise on anything that will help me!

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Hi Katelyn, by the age of 19, I'd crashed a bike maybe 50 times...in the grass and dirt...you learn a lot about riding via crashing...but you don't want to learn about crashing/riding on cement and around cars:smile:

I've ridden for 40 years now, and those ~50 crashing lessons in the dirt/grass have kept me alive and well on the streets.

My advice, buy an on/off bike of at least 150cc...fyi, and "on/off" bike is one that's made for both the dirt and streets....ride it carefully on the street to an old gravel pit, the woods, anywhere you can ride and develop the skills to handle two wheels like a pro. An on/off bike is light, fast, and easy to handle; there's just no better way to build the skill you need for the streets.

One the street, on a large bike, I had a car pull right out in front of me from a stop sign. Most people would have t-boned the car and probably died..not me, I instinctively put the bike into a sideways skid and slid sideways right into the side of it. Put a big dent in the car, but I was uninjured...had I hit it head-on? Yikes, I would have been thrown over the car...that life saving skid stop came from all that dirt experience.

Not only is riding off road a great skill builder, it's a TON-O-FUN! Way more of an adrenaline rush than the streets.

Great video on skidding to a stop: