Soon to be new biker

[m4cca]

All being well

Hi people.

I'm on DAS course at the moment and now after having a couple of days on a big newish bike my original thoughts have changed in respect of what bike to go for if and when I pass the tests. I'm quite confident as we went out yesterday in all that wind and I felt it went pretty good considering the conditions

This all started out a couple of years ago with my wife saying lets get a Harley for your 50th Well that's as far as it got up until my 50th birthday last September. I wasn't too fussed TBH, but decided to do a cbt course. I struggled a bit in the car park and was cold and thought f*** this, I'm too old. This was the first time I'd been on a bike since the early 90s. Once we got out of the training centre and on to the road everything was so much easier. I was still cold but I was hooked.

Basically She wanted a Harley, I'm not sure! They do look nice but I fancied a Bonneville as that was the last bike I rode all those years ago and liked the look of them since I was a kid. I also thought the riding position on this typ of bike would be better for us.

I've been looking at bikes in the morning auto trader and eBay and ended up looking at the tiger 800. I really like the look of these and showed the wife who will be pillion. She is not too keen and thinks they look too big and don't look anything like what we had planned. I think the Tiger would suit us better and would get more use.

The question is will this bike be any good for a new rider. I would not be putting her on the back until I've got some mileage on my own.


Thanks
Andy

[Beehive Bedlam]

I think a Tiger is a much better choice than a Harley.

[Bigvern72]

I'm surprised she thinks a tiger is too big compares to a Harley. Depends which Harley I guess though.

My opinion (nothing more) is a Harley will put a big smile on your face......and that's what it's all about.

I'm currently training my DAS (mod 2 next week) and if I had the money I'd be straight on a fatboy. I'm probably going to settle for a Triumph America though for now and save up for my fatboy so that by the time I'm 50 I can buy one (I'm 43 now).

[Rogerborg]

We could play Top Trumps with the specs, but when it comes down to it bikes are very subjective. You may perfectly well hate a Harley for the same characteristics that cause someone else to love it.

There's no obviously right or wrong choice out of those three. They'll all do the job of putting a smile on your face. You're looking for the biggest grins, is all.

I really would suggest riding them all before making up your mind, ideally with your wife as a pillion. Insurance for test rides could be a bit tricky though.

I'd suggest that the Tiger is the best choice if you're planning to put in hundreds of miles a day touring two-up with luggage.

However, if you're talking about a jaunt to the coast and back, well, a Bonneville is a spiffing way to travel.

The Harley is probably the most Marmite choice, and the one that I'd definitely want to ride before committing to.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Andy_Pagin]

Depends what you want to do. Harleys and other cruisers are not touring bikes. I've never rode one but many people who have say they're not very comfortable over a long run, and the handling isn't that great, after all they're designed in a country with long straight highways whereas winding lanes are more the norm in the UK. They're well over priced as well.
____________________
They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[bamt]

It sounds as if your wife has an idea of the "lifestyle" riding that she'd like to do, and is pushing you that way. And to be honest, as long as it doesn't go strongly against what you'd like and the bike is for leisure, then why not humour her? It's far more fun if she's involved and supportive. Get the Harley, and if you both hate it then look for something different. You may really enjoy a cruiser for pottering around on.

Or take her around lots of showrooms, and sit on the bikes together, see what would work better for you both. There's plenty of riding years left in you, nothing says that what you buy now has to be your forever bike.

[Undinist]

I suggest you do some grovelling at your local Harley dealer and get test rides on several different ones. If I was a dealer I'd want a ten grand cash deposit, but Harley test fleets are well funded by the importer and they do their best to attract noobs, unlike some other dealers who will steer you firmly towards the smaller models.

Some Harleys are as big as a cross channel ferry, but the modern V-Rods are apparently much easier to deal with. The purists say they're not real Harleys but they look ace and your wife (pics please) will love 'em. I've ridden one of the old monsters (a Road King) and a 1200cc Sportster and they're OK for tootling gently about. I haven't tried a V-Rod but the reviews make them sound like a very enjoyable halfway house between a traditional Harley and a normal bike, e.g. a Triumph. If you get a Triumph you may find yourself going twice as fast as you would on a 'real' Harley, which may need discussion with the wife. You only live once so get a V-Rod and a Bonnie.

P.S. Maybe the wife thinks the Tiger is big because it's high? Noob pillions can be scared of being stuck up high, whereas they think a much bigger bike with a low seat is far less intimidating.
____________________
Current bike: K1100RS. Previous: CD200, GSX250, GT550, VFR750, K100LT, K1100LT, R1100GS, R1150GS, ZZR1100, Hayabusa, RSV Mille, MV F4 750S, R1, ZX-10, KTM Adventure 950S

[m4cca]

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

I just spent the best part of 45 minutes typing a reply on the ipad and when I went to post it all the text had disappeared and it asked me to log in which I already had done.

So here I go again.

Some Harleys are as big as a cross channel ferry, but the modern V-Rods are apparently much easier to deal with. The purists say they're not real Harleys but they look ace and your wife (pics please) will love 'em. I've ridden one of the old monsters (a Road King) and a 1200cc Sportster and they're OK for tootling gently about. I haven't tried a V-Rod but the reviews make them sound like a very enjoyable halfway house between a traditional Harley and a normal bike, e.g. a Triumph. If you get a Triumph you may find yourself going twice as fast as you would on a 'real' Harley, which may need discussion with the wife. You only live once so get a V-Rod and a Bonnie.

Having all three would be the best

My thoughts on the Harleys are it would have to be a sportster due to cost and space. Those V - Rods do look the dogs but as with the others such as the Fatboy they are big and I think to have one as an all-rounder at this time wouldn't really work. so if it was going to be a Harley it would have to be a Sportster.
We went to the Harley dealer in Leeds the other week after I did the CBT. We spoke to the salesman who was really helpful, he took us straight to the Sportster 1200 and told me to sit on it. It felt quite heavy and given that this was the first time I'd sat on a big bike in 20 odd years I asked to look at the 883 Iron which we like the look of. TBH when I sat on that the two of them didn't feel much different. I mentioned to him I also fancied looking at a Bonnie. He said I should test ride them both and that it wouldn't be a problem for the Harley as they would probably get someone to follow me.

We went to a dealership the other day who had a lot of different bikes. Unfortunately Michelle wasn't really on it as she was full of cold and wasn't feeling well. Probably a mistake going there at that time but we were passing.

They had a Tiger and a Bonnie. The Bonnie looked quite small for two up and I thought may not be ideal for more than a day out which is pretty much what Roger said. The Tiger they had was the XC and it is because of the height that she thinks it's big. I wouldn't want the XC. We only spent 5 minutes in there due to her being ill.

Way back when I had a Honda CR 250 which she would get on with me albeit off road.

The tiger is a bit of a wild card as I'd not even considered that type of bike. We are acquainted to a couple who are bikers and recently have been speaking to them about the bikes they have. Ironically they have an old Harley, a Bonnie t140 and an older model Tiger, amongst others. Collin, our friend did say something Andy_Pagin has said regarding the Harleys not being very comfortable on any kind of distance and being hard work on the motorway at around 70mph

I only looked at the Tiger out of curiosity really after Coll said he wanted one to go around Scotland on. I wasn't overly keen on them but after a look on ebay I came across the Tiger 800 which I really like the look of.

I do like the look of the Triumph America and did have that on my shortlist before I saw the bloody Tiger
Cost was an important factor to start with and the America was very favourable but I had some good fortune last week which has opened the choices up a little.

Bigvern

All the best with MOD 2

I passed my MOD 1 this afternoon.

Gutted I got one minor for being a bit wobbly at the start. I must have done 20 when we practiced on Saturday and nailed everyone perfect. I can't believe how nervous I was.

[m4cca]

Thanks for your time and thoughts.

I just spent the best part of 45 minutes typing a reply on the ipad and when I went to post it all the text had disappeared and it asked me to log in which I already had done.

So here I go again.

Some Harleys are as big as a cross channel ferry, but the modern V-Rods are apparently much easier to deal with. The purists say they're not real Harleys but they look ace and your wife (pics please) will love 'em. I've ridden one of the old monsters (a Road King) and a 1200cc Sportster and they're OK for tootling gently about. I haven't tried a V-Rod but the reviews make them sound like a very enjoyable halfway house between a traditional Harley and a normal bike, e.g. a Triumph. If you get a Triumph you may find yourself going twice as fast as you would on a 'real' Harley, which may need discussion with the wife. You only live once so get a V-Rod and a Bonnie.

Having all three would be the best

My thoughts on the Harleys are it would have to be a sportster due to cost and space. Those V - Rods do look the dogs but as with the others such as the Fatboy they are big and I think to have one as an all-rounder at this time wouldn't really work. so if it was going to be a Harley it would have to be a Sportster.
We went to the Harley dealer in Leeds the other week after I did the CBT. We spoke to the salesman who was really helpful, he took us straight to the Sportster 1200 and told me to sit on it. It felt quite heavy and given that this was the first time I'd sat on a big bike in 20 odd years I asked to look at the 883 Iron which we like the look of. TBH when I sat on that the two of them didn't feel much different. I mentioned to him I also fancied looking at a Bonnie. He said I should test ride them both and that it wouldn't be a problem for the Harley as they would probably get someone to follow me.

We went to a dealership the other day who had a lot of different bikes. Unfortunately Michelle wasn't really on it as she was full of cold and wasn't feeling well. Probably a mistake going there at that time but we were passing.

They had a Tiger and a Bonnie. The Bonnie looked quite small for two up and I thought may not be ideal for more than a day out which is pretty much what Roger said. The Tiger they had was the XC and it is because of the height that she thinks it's big. I wouldn't want the XC. We only spent 5 minutes in there due to her being ill.

Way back when I had a Honda CR 250 which she would get on with me albeit off road.

The tiger is a bit of a wild card as I'd not even considered that type of bike. We are acquainted to a couple who are bikers and recently have been speaking to them about the bikes they have. Ironically they have an old Harley, a Bonnie t140 and an older model Tiger, amongst others. Collin, our friend did say something Andy_Pagin has said regarding the Harleys not being very comfortable on any kind of distance and being hard work on the motorway at around 70mph

I only looked at the Tiger out of curiosity really after Coll said he wanted one to go around Scotland on. I wasn't overly keen on them but after a look on ebay I came across the Tiger 800 which I really like the look of.

I do like the look of the Triumph America and did have that on my shortlist before I saw the bloody Tiger
Cost was an important factor to start with and the America was very favourable but I had some good fortune last week which has opened the choices up a little.

Bigvern

All the best with MOD 2

I passed my MOD 1 this afternoon.

Gutted I got one minor for being a bit wobbly at the start. I must have done 20 when we practiced on Saturday and nailed everyone perfect. I can't believe how nervous I was.

[Undinist]

I suggest you add BM to your shortlist. Try the F800ST https://www.visordown.com/reviews/motorcycles/sports-tourers/bmw-f800st-2006---2012/3891.html Or if you have long legs the F800GS https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/uk/en/fascination/nineT/main.html

Get the wife to come with you and explain the benefits of a high seat for the pillion. With a low seat they can't see much and get bored pretty quickly. With a high seat they can see over hedges and fences and the roofs of cars - it's much more interesting. Not unlike the view from a train. And tell her it's safer because the rider gets more warning of dangerous situations.

If she thinks BMs look boring maybe she'd like the nineT https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/uk/en/fascination/nineT/main.html It would also be easy for you to ride and very comfy for day trips etc.
____________________
Current bike: K1100RS. Previous: CD200, GSX250, GT550, VFR750, K100LT, K1100LT, R1100GS, R1150GS, ZZR1100, Hayabusa, RSV Mille, MV F4 750S, R1, ZX-10, KTM Adventure 950S

[m4cca]

OOps Double post.

That's thrown a spanner in. I do like the look of the GS and I've just shown her some pictures, there wasn't a bad reaction so lets see.
I've just measured my inside leg with bare feet and it's 820mm. I take it the seat height the manufacturers publish are without any weight on the seat?.

I was bloody nervous at the start of the test but felt really relaxed after it was over. We then did a couple of hours riding and the instructor took us around a few twisty roads which I really enjoyed. I think I'm starting to wander away from the Harley. I loved the way the Gladius kind of dropped into the bends. I think this is the kind of biking Michelle would like.

Given that the Harley dealer seems happy enough doing a test ride I won't totally discount it.

[m4cca]

OOps Double post.

That's thrown a spanner in. I do like the look of the GS and I've just shown her some pictures, there wasn't a bad reaction so lets see.
I've just measured my inside leg with bare feet and it's 820mm. I take it the seat height the manufacturers publish are without any weight on the seat?.

I was bloody nervous at the start of the test but felt really relaxed after it was over. We then did a couple of hours riding and the instructor took us around a few twisty roads which I really enjoyed. I think I'm starting to wander away from the Harley. I loved the way the Gladius kind of dropped into the bends. I think this is the kind of biking Michelle would like.

Given that the Harley dealer seems happy enough doing a test ride I won't totally discount it.

[Rogerborg]

820mm / 32.25" is plenty for the 800 BMWs. The weight is low down and they have decent torquey engines, although if I could have found a Tiger in budget I'd likely have gone that way.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Undinist]

May as well test ride everything you can get your hands on - it's always fun and informative. Who knows, maybe you'll end up with a 1 litre sportsbike. Some of them have a comfy pillion seat - e.g. certain Fireblades and ZX10s - and they're safe and smooth and easy to ride IF you leave them in top gear and just use the massive torque. Safer and less aggro than a Harley in many ways - so long as you have the discipline to restrain yourself.
____________________
Current bike: K1100RS. Previous: CD200, GSX250, GT550, VFR750, K100LT, K1100LT, R1100GS, R1150GS, ZZR1100, Hayabusa, RSV Mille, MV F4 750S, R1, ZX-10, KTM Adventure 950S

[m4cca]