Talking a friend out of Harley

[keithaba]

My friend, who will be a new rider, is convinced he should have a Harley V-Rod. I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.

I tried recommending a yamaha warrior (also probably too fast for a first bike) a honda shadow 750, a yamaha vstar 1100...

I keep telling him it's very likely he will drop it or go down within the first 6 months of riding (6 months, that's optomistic!).

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

 

[GalaxyBlue]

My friend, who will be a new rider, is convinced he should have a Harley V-Rod. I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.
I tried recommending a yamaha warrior (also probably too fast for a first bike) a honda shadow 750, a yamaha vstar 1100...

I keep telling him it's very likely he will drop it or go down within the first 6 months of riding (6 months, that's optomistic!).

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

Good luck!

The VROD is an insane bike... NOT a very good choice for a 1st bike... :blink:

Although, I am preaching to the choir here, since my 1st bike was a VTX1800 :blink: :blink:

Hello pot, Meet kettle.... Your black!

 

[quicksilver]

The bike you select speaks volumes about you, not your friends.

If he has done a little homework and obviously collected opinions.

he should buy what makes him happy.

Regardless of what he rides, it doesn't sound like he is going to be chasing you down in a set of switchbacks any time soon.

 

[James Burleigh]

Well, there's no accounting for taste. Harley's are cool, fun bikes, but I think the V-Rod is silly looking, like something Roger Rabbit would ride:

I'm not a real experienced motorcyclist like a lot of folks on the Forum, but it seems to me you're right--that's a lot of bike for a first bike. I rode a Harley Sportster for three years and 50,000 miles (my first bike) before stepping up to the FJR. I know for a fact (I can think of at least one instance) where I would have killed myself if I'd been on the FJR during those three years and not the Sporty.

I think your best bet is to convince your friend to take the Basic Rider Course from the MSF, and maybe get him David Hough's book and the updated Motorcycle Safety Foundation book:

Proficient Motorcycling

MSF Guide to M.C. Excellence

You're a good friend. I hope he listens to you.

Best,

JB

 

[keithaba]

I think your best bet is to convince your friend to take the Basic Rider Course from the MSF, and maybe get him David Hough's book and the updated Motorcycle Safety Foundation book:
Proficient Motorcycling

MSF Guide to M.C. Excellence

I think your right on JB. If I can't convince him to get a different bike, at least I can convince him to learn about riding safely. I will be an extreme pain in the arse if he doesn't take the safety courses or read up, especially with a bike like a VROD.

 

[Epirush]

I like the look of the v-rod. This may give you chance to ride a different bike from time to time if you and your friend allow others to ride your bike. Once you get your mind set on a certain bike it's hard to change your mind or even look at bad press about it.

 

[cougar8000]

Good luck. Telling a guy not to buy a Harley is like telling a woman that fat is good for her. :dribble: Once a person makes up his mind on the Harley it is all over. But it does not mean you should stop trying.

has he taken a training class yet?

I think your right on JB. If I can't convince him to get a different bike, at least I can convince him to learn about riding safely. I will be an extreme pain in the arse if he doesn't take the safety courses or read up, especially with a bike like a VROD.

Reading would do very little. And what ever you do, do not teach him your self. Best for you and him. Most newbs that get hurt were self taught or taught by a friend. And that is a fact. Plus, once we get them in MSF it is a pain in the arse to break their bad habits.

 

[Feejer/Weejer man]

Everyone has an opinion about which bike for riders depending on experience. A lot of us learned on dirt bikes or bikes like the XL Hondas, on/off road. But most will accept the fact that a bike like this for a new rider could be a dangerous if not fatal decision. This bike is not very different from a high horsepower sport bike and we all know how many of them end up crashed early on. All new riders should be made to go through a motorcycle safety course before being issued a licensed just like a new driver needs the same training before getting their license. Hopefully he will listen to you and take a course for his own safety as well as the ohter drivers on the road.

 

[Warchild]

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

Doubtful he'll listen to stats, if he's not going to listen to a friend. The VROD is an exceedingly poor choice for a first bike. Pity.

Probably the best thing you can do for him is to see if they make VROD frame sliders..... :glare:

 

[Goryo]

My friend, who will be a new rider, is convinced he should have a Harley V-Rod. I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.
I tried recommending a yamaha warrior (also probably too fast for a first bike) a honda shadow 750, a yamaha vstar 1100...

I keep telling him it's very likely he will drop it or go down within the first 6 months of riding (6 months, that's optomistic!).

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

Speaking as a Newb rider (well, potential rider as I have the bike bug, but not the bike cash ) I can certainly understand the allure of "One Particular Bike". Where I guess I lose contact with your friend's thinking is that I also understand the worth of a "beginner bike". Not to mention the value of the MSF course.

Just shopping around, I was amazed at just how unwieldy many bigger bikes are, at least as someone with zero experience. These bloody things are heavy! I also have the distinct displeasure of having helped pick-up the pieces (both mechanical and "organic") after coming upon multiple bike accidents. (I'm only 60 miles from the Dragon and even closer to the Smoky Mountains and love to run both in my cage.) Too much power + too little experience (and/or brains) = rider sausage.

I'm a fairly good sized fellow, but I'm thinking something like a V-strom 650 or Ninja 650-R will be my first bike. Plenty of people have recommended 1000cc bikes due to my size, but I guess I’m just too cautious. Plus it gives me a trade-in if I do decide to get something bigger in the future.

Just my ill-informed $.02

 

[cougar8000]

Not to mention that smart buyer can buy a beginner bike and sell it a year down the road for the same money or as some of my friends managed to do for profit. try that with the VROD.

 

[James Burleigh]

This bike is not very different from a high horsepower sport bike...

The problem with a high-horsepower Harley is that they don't (I don't think they do, anyway) have the brakes and nimbleness to go along with them. Take the FJR: the brakes and steering head are such that you can get out of trouble often as quickly as you can get into it. Not sure the VRod can do the same. Jb

 

[evil_henchman]

Give it up and let your friend buy what ever he wants. It's his money and his ass. Just think how embarrassed you'll be if he turns out to be one of those naturally really good riders and he smokes you in the twidties :lol:

 

[SkooterG]

Take the FJR: the brakes and steering head are such that you can get out of trouble often as quickly as you can get into it.

That's the kind of thinking that will get you killed.

While no doubt the brakes and handling of the FJR are superior to the V-Rod, I can assure you that getting into trouble is much easier than getting out of it - on any bike. Especially an FJR.

 

[OrangevaleFJR]

tell him to get the VRSCR.

How is the Warrior a better first bike? Both bikes can get you in trouble pretty fast. Have him read some of our safety threads. They might make him think about some maneuvers to avoid that he hasn't thought about. Like downshifting quickly while in a turn...woohoo!

 

[James Burleigh]

Take the FJR: the brakes and steering head are such that you can get out of trouble often as quickly as you can get into it.

That's the kind of thinking that will get you killed. While no doubt the brakes and handling of the FJR are superior to the V-Rod, I can assure you that getting into trouble is much easier than getting out of it - on any bike. Especially an FJR.

Allow me to clarify my point, si vous plait, Mssr. Skoot...

The reason I don't like to ride my Harley Sportster anymore after getting the FJR and experiencing by contrast what state-of-the-art brakes are, and how quickly the FJR can change direction (swerve) vs. the Sporty, I just don't feel safe on the Sporty anymore. If I need to slam on my brakes on the FJR, whether because I did something stupid (got into trouble) or not, it's gonna respond much more quickly than the Sporty. When I do take the Sporty out, and I hit those brakes, I'm always surprised by how weak they are.

Same with swerving response. And when I'm in thick freeway traffic on the FJR, I know I can move into a new cushion, or out of an impending crunch, practically instantaneously. On the Sporty, I feel like a sitting duck.

So no, I'm not saying "Go out and ride like a horse's arse because you've got the technology to save yourself. " I'm just trying to say that better performance technology can promote safety. Emphasis on the "trying." :blink:

Jb

 

[madmike2]

You don't want statistics on the V-Rod, you want statistics on untraied/inexperienced riders being involved in accidents.

MSF or AMA might be sources of that information. We all have anecdotal information, but you need hard facts (cold reality). Even so, if he has his mind made up, you probably aren't going to change it, so try to steer him in a positive direction.

I refused to sell a bike to a young man because he wasn't going to take an MSF course. He didn't see my point about the need of training. I lost track of him, but I sold the bike elsewhere.

 

[HaulinAshe]

I think your right on JB. If I can't convince him to get a different bike, at least I can convince him to learn about riding safely. I will be an extreme pain in the arse if he doesn't take the safety courses or read up, especially with a bike like a VROD.

Okay, if logic, reason and taste aren't working, try telling him how not a single HD V-Rod in my area has managed to keep pace with my FJR. Maybe his ego will change his mind.

Seriously, HD is 99% image. If he is one (of the many) people who covet the image, not the ride, there's no hope for him. All you can do is try to keep him alive long enough to learn more of what a motorcycle is truly about.

 

[warsw]

My friend, who will be a new rider, is convinced he should have a Harley V-Rod. I have tried to talk him out of it, especially because it is his first bike. He just insists that he loves the look of the bike.
I tried recommending a yamaha warrior (also probably too fast for a first bike) a honda shadow 750, a yamaha vstar 1100...

I keep telling him it's very likely he will drop it or go down within the first 6 months of riding (6 months, that's optomistic!).

Any ideas, anyone know any stats about vrods that may help my argument?

Without knowing how your friend thinks it is hard to offer advice. Some I know could get themselves into trouble on a Honda trail 90 and other could get a 200hp sport bike and do just fine.

I would think that his first concern should be how the bike fits him (not his image of him) and a bike that he can easily handle the weight. Then as his skills increase and he finds that he wants something different (and he will) he can go from there.

There is nothing better than a MSF course to get him off on the right foot no matter what bike he chooses.

One thought though, if he gets more bike than he can handle he will probably not enjoy motorcycling for very long.