So, I think I made a mistake today  By  phssthpok (Read 1,312 times)

I think you need to talk to urbanmadness

It's not that difficult to find a place to rent a Harley in a major city. Maybe you could rent one few times and decide if that is really what you want to do.
I'm sure i would enjoy a Sportster based street tracker, but I am on a scooter budget.

The thing about the 250, is if you go the older Ninja 250 route, you can get your money back out of it pretty easy. Sport bike guys will tell you that you will outgrow it, but in reality, it's a competent bike that can do the freeway. A 250 rebel is also a good bike, but doesn't have the top speed and is good for short freeway bursts. The Harley is gonna be a bit more heavy and not handle as well. The weight and how it's balanced is one of the things that makes a bike harder to handle. You will notice it more in parking lots and u-turns. Even my Scrabeo 500 can be a handful on some of our sharper on-ramps but she's really top heavy and after 1000 miles in just over a month, there are still times I don't feel as one with the bike but I'm a way more competent rider then I was when I started.

Larger sport bikes become a challenge because in addition to the extra weight, it's easy to grab a handful at the wrong time and get into some real trouble.

Just food for thought. Be patient and the right deal will come along.

taking the BRC last month on a honda rebel has me thinking i'd rather ride a cruiser than a scooter. unfortunately i just put most of my money into a new 150cc Jonway so it will be awhile before i get another bike. gives me time to decide what i really want. i'd definitely be interested in that 650 yamaha.

I love the feeling of American made thunder

My first street bike was a Honda CM400A which had semiatuo clutch and manual 2 speed shift . A buddy had the same bike but with a manual clutch and 5 speed gear box . Takeoff he would get me and I would catch up while winding out 1st gear but when I shifted he would pull away , but we topped out at the same speed around MPH .

My first HD I rode was my oldest brothers 1974 Sportster 1000 that was jugged to 1200cc by Pete Hill who set the world record for fastest Knuckle Head Harley . It did not have electric start and I had to " man kick it " to start it . What was so darn weird to me was the toe shifter was on the right and rear brake of the left which is opposite of every MC I ever rode beside his . Man I loved the thunder from straight pipes and the torque vibration . I got to ride another 1200 Sportster last summer and I told me buddy he was lucky it did have a gas gauge for if it did I would have taken a loooooong ride . Was easy to ride but man Hawgs weigh so much more than Hondas . I only like the cruiser styles like my Suzuki GS 550 I had and got my MC license on .

Last spring I got to ride a 1952 Piaggio Vespa that was a 150cc 2T with manual clutch and 4 speed on the left grip . To go into first I twisted the grip all the way forward . To upshift I pulled in the clutch lever and twisted it back , like some bicycles with gears do , well besides the clutch on bicycles . It had no front brakes at all . It was awkward at first but it was a hoot to pop a lil wheelie at shifts . I was nervous not to wreck it as he had paid 4gs plus shipping from Korea and it was in almost mint shape other than no front brakes . I thought it was super cool to have a spare wheel .

A buddy of mine has had two 250cc Rebels and they are a great starter bike but not enough power for me . I rode a 250 Ninja and it was the same thing just not as comfortable to ride . Any inline 600cc is more than enough to have fun and go too fast . I rode a tricked out Hayabusa and man it was freaking scarey as heck after being used to scooters . I have hit 160 MPH on a Honda Hurricane ( renamed CBR later ) without a helmet on ( yes very stupid ) I had so much water streaming out of my eyes I had to stop and wipe my eyes dry so I could see .

Since I grew up riding 2T dirtbikes in the woods I was interested to ride a buddies Suzuki 250cc dual purpose or street and trail bike . It did not have the power like a Honda XR 250 that I was used to ( most of my circle of friends rode and we would swap out our bikes ) . It had enough power to ride on the highways but not interstates . I rode a Honda XL 350 and I was shocked as to how much more faster it was . The Suzuki was bone stock and the XL modded some . I regret I missed out on getting a Suzuki 650 DP with Bark Busters and Suppertrapp exhaust . Man I hit MPH in 3rd gear with ease . I went to get the money out of the bank and darned if it was not sold ten minutes before I got back , grrrrrrrrr. .

MCs are more fun with plenty of power and I love a manual shift . I still want to shift and clutch on my scoots as I have it imprinted in me so much from years of doing it . Anything over 250cc should be fast and fun without the risk of having too fast of a bike like a Hayabusa as I have so many buddies die and seriously injured from MCs mostly because of cagers and them going too fast for conditions .

Those who ride a MC without a helmet are potential organ donors .