When we talk about learning to ride a motorcycle or being a beginner rider, there are a couple of questions we should ask.
Firstly, have you ever ridden a motorcycle before, even a PeeWee or Minibike as a kid? Did you once have a license and let it lapse, not having ridden for several years or more?
While there is some truth to the old saying that we never forget how to ride a bike, it should also be remembered that as we get older our reflexes are not as sharp. So, choosing a motorcycle either as a total newbie or a returning rider is still an important decision.
When I was a kid, I began riding minibikes at age 10, learned to ride a pushbike only a couple of years before, and quickly became the local daredevil, or so I thought. I got my licence and rode motorcycles until my mid-20s but put bikes away for 20 years before the bug bit again.
After riding an EagleRider rental for a day, I yearned for a Harley. Even though my earlier experience had been on smaller singles and dirt bikes, I found the 1200 Sportster surprisingly approachable.
Now we remember that Harley-Davidson launched the Street 500 (XG500) back in 2015 specifically to introduce new riders to the brand by creating a Learner Approved Motorcycle Scheme (LAMS) bike. Obviously, this is where you will start if you are on your L plates.
While the Harley-Davidson Street 500 has been discontinued and replaced by the all-new X350 and X500 parallel twins, the principle of starting on an easy-to-ride bike is the same. While a brand new bike is always lovely, a pre-owned XG500 can always be found at your Harley-Heaven dealer.
The idea behind these simpler X350 and X500s is to help new riders acquire the skills needed to ride safely from a standing start. The team at Australian Motorcycle News agreed, saying “the upright riding position provides a good view of what is around you, and the seat narrows near the tank making it easy to plant both feet on the ground.”
Let’s say you’ve been riding before and just need to get back up to speed. Then you might consider moving up a notch to something like the new Nightster with the RevMax engine or one of the earlier Sportsters like the Iron 883, Superlow or maybe the Roadster. Despite the old tech, the Evolution engine in 883 or 1200cc is versatile, rider-friendly, and a perfect starting point if you can leap-frog the LAMS stage.
Get some miles under your belt, hang out with your new HOG pals and be sure to try out the new models as well as the pre-owned ones. You know you want to.
