What is the best harley davidson for a beginner

Q: Can a beginner ride Harley Davidson?

The Harley-Davidson Street® 500 is an ideal bike to start with once youve completed your first motorcycle safety course. You can use it for daily commuting or weekend excursions. It comes with an anti-lock brake option, which is great for beginners who may over-apply the brakes if panicked.

Buying your first motorcycle is exciting. You're opening yourself to a whole new world of thrilling experiences and when you choose to become a part of the Harley-Davidson family, you can be confident that you're getting one of the finest bikes on the market. Whether you want the ultimate power of a sports bike or want to experience a silky-smooth ride on city roads, there’s a Harley-Davidson fit for you. If you're ready to start exploring beginner motorcycles, visit us at Barnes Harley-Davidson in British Columbia. We’ve got the best Harley-Davidson beginner motorcycles and our team is looking forward to setting you up with the bike of your dreams. Stop by our dealership to check out what we have in stock.

Table of Contents Show

Sportsters
Street Bikes
The Question:
What Harley would you recommend for beginners just starting out? Why?
The Answers:
Which Harley Davidson bike is best for beginners?
Can a beginner ride Harley Davidson?
Is a Harley 1200 a good first bike?
Is it hard to learn to ride a Harley?

Sportsters

Harley is well known for producing the most reliable entry level motorcycles and their Sportster line-up is no exception. If you’re a fan of aggressive power and styling, the Sportster Iron 883 is a ride you shouldn’t miss. Driven by an air-cooled 883cc Evolution engine, this bike is a performance machine that’s extremely responsive. The combination of a lowered front and rear suspension with a low solo seat provides comfort and superior handling for new riders, ensuring a smooth drive for thousands of miles.

If you’re one of those who put a premium on making a personal statement, there are no limits when it comes to the number of customization options available with the Sportster 1200 Custom bike. Take your pick from hundreds of accessories and upgrade kits to add your unique touches and make it stand out from the crowd. The muscular 1200cc V-Twin engine delivers massive low-end torque for effortless acceleration making it the perfect ride for beginners. The Forty Eight is another iconic starter bike with a custom design featuring an Emulsion rear shock capable of tackling the roughest roads and a pre-load adjuster to fit every riding style.

Street Bikes

Harley-Davidson’s sleek and stylish street bikes such as the Street 500 are specially designed to navigate the busy city streets with ease. The 500-cc liquid-cooled Revolution X engine gives you enough power to zip through the traffic and makes your daily commute as easy and fun as possible. For enhanced safety and superior control, the Anti-Lock Braking System gives you incredible stopping power even when you need to come to a halt from top speed. Offering a combination of modern styling and unrivaled performance, these are the kinds of beginner motorcycles that will make heads turn wherever you go.

New Models

Harley-Davidson also has some new bikes coming soon that will be perfect for new riders like the Streetfighter and the LiveWire. The slim and lightweight Streetfighter, coming this year, is perfect for negotiating traffic or cruising down open roads. If you want to experience the excitement of riding a Harley-Davidson, without the expense of paying for gas, the LiveWire, released in 2019, is just what you need. The company is ready to go electric with the launch of this powerful yet easy-to-ride model designed to provide an eco-friendly and thrilling experience. As a new rider, you’ll simply love the LiveWire’s no-clutch, instant acceleration style ideal for stop and go traffic.

With amazing models like the Sportster Iron 883, 1200 Custom, Street 500, Forty Eight, Streetfighter and LiveWire, Harley-Davidson has a wide range of starter motorcycles to choose from. Hopefully this guide helps you decide on a new bike that you’d like to take out for a spin. When you’re ready to check out some bikes for yourself, visit Barnes Harley-Davidson. We’re here to help you find the motorcycle that’s perfect for your riding style. We’re located in Langley, Kamloops, and Victoria BC.

I recently set out on a quest to find out exactly which Harley Davidson motorcycle would be best suited for beginners – which includes myself.

So let me be honest. I’ve never owned a Harley Davidson, and to tell the truth, I never really understood them growing up. All I ever really thought about Harley’s is that they’re loud and annoying and I wasn’t sure why anyone would buy one.

Those thoughts were from over 20 years ago. I’m now reaching into my 30’s and I can definitely see the appeal in owning a Harley, but more than that, being a part of the community – something which I’ve only recently come to learn in the last few weeks.

I mean, let’s get real here. I’ve been searching Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and all the other social platforms, asking (feels more like harassing) Harley owners for their answers to a few simple questions.

Initially I was quite nervous to do this. I expected responses similar to what you might expect from Paul Teutul Sr. from Orange County Choppers – one of my favorite shows growing up. However, much to my surprise, each Harley rider that answered my list of questions was more than happy to be involved and help out by sharing their thoughts. Some of these short answers turned out to be impressive essays which you will see below.

This willingness to go above and beyond sacrificing a few minutes of precious time to answer my questions has given me an entirely new outlook towards the Harley Davidson rider and the Harley community. A community to which I am being pulled in closer and closer with each interaction.

The Question:

Before we get to the answers, I want to say thank you to all the guys and girls that helped make this happen. If you would like to participate, head over to this post which explains the 3 simple steps to getting involved, and also features some of the most AWESOME pictures AND stories from each and every single Harley rider that took a few minutes to share their thoughts.

As my way of “paying it forward”, I’ve embedded some of the most inspirational Instagram pictures chosen by the owners and riders whose answers you are about to read. Please give them a like and consider following these amazing humans and their two wheeled machines.

The Answers:

Dyna Low Rider/Superglide. I know so many people that start out on Sportster’s and within 1 year they’re selling it to upgrade to a bigger bike. Why not just start with the bigger bike. The bike I learned to ride on was a raked out wide glide.
I had an HD Sportster 883 and I think that was a great bike to get comfortable on, especially for a smaller rider. At 5’2” and 115 pounds, I needed to get used to maneuvering a motorcycle before I could go with something bigger.
It should be a Harley that you feel comfortable on, that you can handle well, that is not too big, too high or too heavy! I prefer a Sportster (48 or Iron) or a Softail model to start with (Softail Slim)
If living in America – a Sportster. Great style, character and customization options. In Australia we have awful laws and so the only Harley you can ride as a beginner (for two years) is the Street 500.
Sportster especially, but it s not a rule, you can ride anything as long you are capable and calm.
HD Sportster. The bike rides like a bicycle but lets you feel the spirit of Harley Davidson.
That’s a difficult question. It depends on your needs. I owned a Sportster 883 are first but for my height it was too small and had less power. I think you should try them. Start with a Softail and maybe put on some crash bars when your a beginner. And maybe don’t buy a brand new one.

Hi! I'm Wes, the rider and writer behind First Checkpoint. I spend most of my week days curating content for my fellow two wheel enthusiasts and I spend my weekends just like the rest of you... burning rubber somewhere far away from home. #Braap !!

Drop a comment below! Even if it's just to say hi :)

Which Harley Davidson bike is best for beginners?

The Sportster is a great option for beginners, they are lightweight, easy to handle, and have a low seat height. The Sportster 883 is a good choice for those who want a little more power, while the Sportster 1200 is perfect for those who want a bit more speed.

Can a beginner ride Harley Davidson?

The Harley-Davidson Street^® 500 is an ideal bike to start with once you've completed your first motorcycle safety course. You can use it for daily commuting or weekend excursions. It comes with an anti-lock brake option, which is great for beginners who may over-apply the brakes if panicked.

Is a Harley 1200 a good first bike?

The Harley-Davidson Iron 1200 is an attractive bike for anyone considering their first Harley, their first motorcycle or just a cool yet accessible bike. The Iron rides nice as long as you don't want to be too sporty. If you try that, you'll notice that the engine is too powerful for the other components.

Is it hard to learn to ride a Harley?

IS IT HARDER TO LEARN TO RIDE A HARLEY® THAN OTHER TYPES OF MOTORCYCLE? Not at all. Larger, heavier Harley-Davidson® motorcycles are positionally stable, with wide tires that make keeping the bike upright a little simpler.