Good bike to get on

Alright, think im in the right spot. I've slowly been workin back towards getting into bikes, alot of time gone, and haven't ridden since I was 18. Most of that was dirt bikes, so i've got no basis for comparisson for street rides. I've looked around, and am looking for some advice on a good bike to ride. Obviously looking at the Harleys, lookin for classic lines and a solid bike. I've looked at the Sportsters and Nightsters, Dyna's and fatboys. these are the ones that I enjoy visually, so now I need to know which are good, not just good lookin. (she aint pretty, she just looks that way!) Looking for some solid advice, i've been going through the forums, and it looks like everyone on here has been riding forever except me.
Give a fella a hand, help him move up in the world from a Kawasaki 180 to a street bike! thanks all for the help im sure im about to get.

What will your riding plans be? Distance, 2 up, solo, weather we'll need more info. I have a sweet Fatboy BUT, two up and distance is tough. I wish I also had a Road King or Electra Glide in addition to the Fat Boy (best of both worlds)
Ps. Thank you for your service to your country!

I will have to agree with what FatBoy just said. The bike that you get all depends on what your intentions are. I have a Sportster because I have little time to go on long trips, but I did some modifications to it so I can go longer distances than if it were stock.

Have you looked at Harley's site? They have a new bike which is a soft tail called Blackline which I think you would like the lines on. Check it out.

FXS Softail Blackline | New Dark Custom Motorcycle | Harley-Davidson USA

Go to the Harley Davidson Canada website. Near the bottom you can click on Rental Finder. There is a dealer that rents in Alberta maybe you can try them to ride a couple of bikes. Some dealers will allow demo rides too.

Awesome. I go for supper, come back and already a ton of info. Conditions i'll be driving in are most likely alot of city for getting to work and back when its warmer (we dont really get a "summer" up here.) but definitely looking for something that I could take out on the highway and head out to the rockies. I think for the most part my riding would be solo, at this time the lady has said she's scared @#$%^@# of riding a motorcycle. I think i'll be able to coax her into it, she's a pretty amicable woman. (yes, they do exist!) I was on the Harley and saw the blackline. you're right, looks like an excellent ride, but I wasnt sure if it being a new model if there were any reports on problems and such. Another question i've got for you all is power. Most of my exp was with dirt bikes, i've ridden a few crotch rockets (not a fan) but have been on very few (read single digits) road bikes. I was looking at the 883's, because i'd been used to riding a 900 on the crotch rockets which felt like a good weight to power ratio for me ( im 5'10, almost 200 lbs.) but i've heard from a bunch of people that I should be looking at the 1200's. I'm not looking to break land speed records, I wanna ride to ride. opinions?

It is apparent that you are leaning towards a Sportster. I love Sportsters and they ahve a great power to weight ratio that you are talking about. I would listen to your friends about the 883 vs. the 1200. I think that the 1200 is a better bike. Here is a tip, if you are looking for a nimble bike that has great power, go to dealership and test ride a Sportster 48. I would have to say though that the 48 is not going to be a good 2 up bike. If you want a bike that is capable of 2 up, I personally would go with a soft tail, put a sissy bar and rear pegs then when your lady is ready to ride, you have the set up. the black line to me is basically a soft tail version of the Dyna Wide Glide, it looks to be a solid bike, just a few things that I would change to match my flavor though. Hope this helps.

Heritage or a Fatboy are both good softails, Heritage you get a windshiled and bags, with a Fatboy you have to add what you want, personally I am on my 5th Fatboy and think they are great, my wife also rides a Fatboy. we do several long rides every year 3,000 to 4,000 miles and do 600 to 700 per day. plus they are nibble around town and don't weigh as much as an electria glide.
What ever you decide on you'll like it. Once you've ridden a Harley you won't want anything else. JMO
test ride as many as you can.

The ride has to fit the rider, as the others have said. Cost is relative: if you want to ride long, you should look for a bike that is made for that. Sportsters can be ridden long, but there are comfort issues. How much discomfort can ya handle?

For me, the Road King is the best all around bike. Some look at it as a sofa on wheels, though, and others look at it as a poor man's touring bike.

My final thought on this is don't just get a bike that looks good - get one that feels right. Then you'll fall in love and ride her through many sets of tires.
:cheers:

Amen to that

We really need to know how much of your money can we spend? You can start out brand new cheap enough on your sportsters and dyna models - good for warranty and road side assistance. Which is a good feature for someone not fully wind burned yet!
If you go used you can still purchase ext-warranty through HD and it's a decent buyer's market right now.
Expect to spend an extra $2-3K the first year on chrome,pipes,gadgets, tuners,etc etc etc - sorry it's a disease and there ain't no cure

JMO 1/2 the price 1/2 the bike

Sportster - $ 10K out the door brand new with everything you need!

Softail - $ 16-18K

Touring - can be done for $ 20K

She'll get on! I was the same way and then I took the endorsemnet class and got my own bike and so now JB and I go riding all the time (when it's not snowing!) I love riding my own bike. I use to say I didn't want anything to do with motorcycles.

Incredible community you guys have here, thank you for all the info. I'll try to answer a few of the questions here. Discomfort level...I think with the job i've got I can handle a considerable amount. that being said, I still wanna ride to ride, and not to choch it up like some of the twits on the road. so comfort is something i'll still have to look at. Did the safety course last summer, just have to go get my test done, but the safety course company here in Alberta will give me a loaner for the test, so hopefully im still in country when the weather warms up enough to permit me to get out there and get it. I've been to the HD dealerships in my area, they are more than willing to allow some test driving, and they actually have a "test all the new models" day that they pull in a HD truck loaded with all the new ones, and anyone there with a bike license and insurance is allowed to try them all out, so bonus. obviously im looking to get a bike that isnt going to kill me at the bank. I didnt join to get paid hahahahaha! saying that I have heard that the quality that HD is putting out makes the bikes worth their price, and some of the newer models are very very inexpensive, compared to the old days. I'll definitely check out that sportster 48 once I get outta the field, as well as the fatboys. thanks again to everyone here for their input, and keep it coming! Certainly glad to have found this site.

Daxx, you will find that everyone has their personal favorite ride, so some bias is expected.

I like my StreetGlide as it is not quite as cumbersome as some of the bigger Glides, but it still feels pretty heavy compared to my '07 Dyna Low Rider. It's a dream on a long trip though.

The Dyna is about the most perfect do-everything bike Harley has in their line-up. It's a little heavier than a Sporty, but handles like a Ferrari on a windy road. You can carry a passenger in comfort and ease, as long as you get the Sundowner seat, and it's less money than the any Softail. Get a removable windshield and saddlebags too.

A Dyna is about 150 lbs lighter than an Ultra, so good luck with that. You might be able to take corners semi-fast on an Ultra, but you'll be replacing the footboards (and your shorts) before long. Hah!