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Woah …easy there killer. Best thing for you to do is take a week end and go rest your rump on some. Comfort comes different to everyone.
Welcome to the board though!

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MSF!!! MSF!!!! OUCH!!! 1000…. not even a first run to learn…..whew man, pace yourself. Take the MSF course!
Definitely Highly and severely and most importantly even ….suggest alot of clutch engage/disengage practice. Meaning have the bike idle…. drop it into first and slowly…ever so slowly let out the clutch lever til you feel it pull you ever so slightly forward. Pull the clutch back in to stop motion and do it again.
Parkinglots will be your friend/ life savor. Find one… and do alot of practices. Maybe JayT will be nice enough to list some easy ones with descriptions to get you at a safe pace.
Other then that …grats… good luck…. stay safe… and tell us of your progress!!

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I have the Vulcan 900 Classic LT. Honestly I would not recommend this as a first entry level bike. I got my start on the Vulcan 500. The 900 has a very different torque set up and you can find yourself in trouble very quickly. I nearly dropped mine the first ride out. With the Vulcan 500 I could drop into first slow rolling into an exit from a 2 lane. Tried that the on the 900 and it did a quick slide and grab. The engine breaking alone is enough to make you feel like it can throw you head first. Take off… oh boy , anyone who would state that cruisers can be underpowered has really not tried to hard to get it going. For a “midweight” cruiser/tourer she hauls. After initial break in got a wild hair and decided to open her up. In a 1/4 mile I easily took her into the 3 digit realm with plenty of power to go. Not something that rally needs to be under a new rider. The weight is also something that can be a little challenging to handle to the beginner. She’s 200 lbs heavier then the 500. The Night Train is even worse in my opinion as its basically gonna be in the same boat and at twice the price.
I would recommend bikes like the Vulcan 500 (might would check into getting forward foot control relocation). The V-Star 650 or even at the most a Honda Shadow Spirit 750. Keep in mind these are FIRST bike suggestions. After getting the milder power bands and riding habits settled… then you trade up for the Night Train or whatever floats your boat. Most drops are at low speeds (knock on wood I have yet to have one). Any of the above bikes would be cheaper to repair and easier for resale.
Of course that’s just my take. Above everything else. I am sure your dad and his friend are excellent riders, however I would still recommend that you take the MSF or Riders Edge course.

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Are you trying to get away from the V500?
Anyways, my only complaint about the blast is the fact that I am not a sport or even sport/standard rider. I took my Riders Edge course on one of those and felt cramped up like a kid trying to tuck in from something really gross that your friend is trying to show you.
As far as single cylinders… I cannot really see any difference in feel. You can do things like change/order engine mounts that have a better isolation of vibration ratings, get gel padded gloves (which every HD owner I know says is very much #1 gear have to have, shhh don’t tell Elwood). I have rode on a couple and see nothing wrong with them.

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Great reminder. Another that I will add that got me away from thinking about “shoes”. I rode one day with my regular shoes, reason being my riding boots were soaked from the night before. I got caught in the rain. Runnin into town for a quick errand I had to hit the supr slab. The ride was pretty uneventful with one exception…
I figured out real quick how hard a rock hits windshields when the Jacked up station wagons-otherwise known as SUV’s kick one up. Out of no where I felt something really hard hit my shin. Worst part about it was the after the impact the spot had gotten really warm, almost as if it had broken the skin. 70mph and only 4 months into riding was not the time for me to reach down and check so I waited til I got to my exit ramp to check and see if any real damage had been done. Luckily no. However had I been wearing my boots I would have never felt it. Poor windshields….good thing they aren’t living things.

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Practice taking a quick glance at your shift speed going up the gears. That will help you judge in the down shifts. Your brain has a way of figuring visual acuity and giving you that “feel”. I don’t know about your particular bike but I know on my V900 it has a very distinctive clunk when I drop down into first, especially at “faster then I need to be” for that gear.

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LOL… I did

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yea You should never ride with your elbows locked…ever. I will admit that wind “buffeting” takes some getting used to. The hardest thing for me to was turning/leaning then having a sudden gust try to help you out. LOL….that gets a lil disconcerting the first time out. I also ride somewhat unconventionally. MSF teaches you to push into the direction you want to go. However I am used to horseback riding and I truly ride my bike like a “steel horse”. Meaning I more or less plow rein it . I “pull/tug” with my opposite side to go into the turn. Not sure why its more comfortable for me, I chalk it up to the horse riding but it helps me better with fighting winds. The results are the same and if your not used to it I do not recommend you deviate from the “push” idea. I am still getting used to that floating feeling in a high speed turn though. Some of the super slab turns here are pretty sharp and to keep from getting run over need to be taken at speeds. DOT sux at keeping the grade level especially on overpasses and you feel every single dip and rise in that turn when your leaning aggressively. I still have to focus on relaxing when I go into it.

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Good job . Nice how you snuck your ride in there…lol. Man I saw the San Jacinto ad in there and it brough t back all kinds of not to good memories. I know exactly where it is. Matter of fact I lived in the nice lil cookie cutter niche of Hwy 8 and 225. Ugh… boy am I glad those days are behind me. Though I have to admit… I would like to take the ride outta Houston up to Jacksonville. Some pretty country the further north you go… oh yea… and trees start showing back up in the landscape to!

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$9,ooo …used? Wow….over spending for used I would say. I would worry more about safety then appearance. The appearance can come later when you can control the bike. I bought my Vulcan 900 for $8500 brand new. Though I wouldn’t recommend it for a beginner. Not that you couldn’t learn on it… but you would have to be cautious, very cautious. The Vulcan 500 may be worth a “sit on ” to see how it fits you. I won’t knock the Sporty (cause I may be a touch wary of Elwood (watches out the corner of eye) ), but for a starter bike you may be more focused on the intimidation of the bikes power rather then just grabbing basic skills. Get through the MSF first. Then go and sit on as many bikes as you can. Sporty’s are kind of a cruiser answer to a sport bike, the performance jumpo from that is a Vrod. Flip side take a Kawi Nomad which I think is a 1300 and even though its a bigger cc it is geared to be a tourer and not a “where’d he go ” bike.

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Yea I can agree with the 3 secs. 2 being minimum. Here you start outpacing traffic too much for too long… well your start being on a first name basis with LEO’s. Here we have to look out for State Troopers, County Sherrifs and the local law dawgs. They all like setting up on the highways. Its a triple threat you can’t escape alot.
Cagers here like to travel in “packs” I get nervous near those and usually burst speed to get ahead of the immediate pack then pace the one ahead of me to stay comfortably in between. And yes… I will follow a station wagon… puts a smile on my face to see the kids all lookin and dreaming after seeing you on your bike.

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I do almost 90% of my riding at 75+ mph. Honestly even with my V500 I didn’t seem to see a problem with winds. Guess I am used to my jeep with the doors off and such. I was nervous the first time I hit the highway now I almost prefer it then on the back roads. Depends on my mood. The things I’ve learned alot are… 1) keep the 2 second rule in following. 18 wheelers and such go ahead and pass….left side everytime possible and don’t lolli gag doing it. 2) Some what contradictory to mega, but it may depend on bike type… I have started learning the drafts that come off different vehicles. Mini vans are absolutely horrid to be behind, pick up truck are easy. Station wagons for some reason are almost a dream to follow. Oh yea, summer time… lol… I look for the car that has alot of condensation coming down from the A/C drain tube… kinda my own lil cooling device. 3) definitely relax. Your all going the same direction… just watch for the cell phones and the map readers. Also stay ahead of the game when it comes to on ramps!
Other then that… its a cinch. Still not sure what the fuss is all about on the wind thing… but hey… it could be I just don’t know any better :^)

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Me personally I slow about 5 or less mph then what I look to exit the turn at before diving into it. That away I can get the gearing correct before entering and know I have enough left to throttle out. Not to mention it lets the cager behind me back off a bit to let me roll through more relaxed.

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