Buying a Harley-Davidson

One of the biggest intial questions that most people have is whether to buy new or used.  I learned that the only reason to buy used is if you want certain modifications/upgrades already in place and you want to possibly save a small fraction of the price. 

Harley's are pretty amazing as far as resale value, so it's pretty hard to get a big gap between new and used.  I opted to go new so I knew how the motorcycle was broken in, and I received the entire 2 year warranty period.  So far, its been a great choice, and I love riding my Harley every day.

One side note, if you are going to be purchasing a motorcycle for the first time, I highly suggest taking a state sponsored safety class and getting your license first.  In Washington state, you aren't allowed to test drive without a valid license.  Not sure if thats the same state to state.  It was pretty embarassing having my brother in law have to drive me to a parking lot so I could try out the bike (I had completed the class, but the DMV was closed for Memorial Day).  Imagine 2 pretty big guys on a motorcycle leaving the harley dealership.  Not pretty.

Update:  So, I finally bought my first parts for the Harley, and decided I could do the work myself (well, with my brother in law).  Hey, it was just some saddle bags and a seat back....well, 6 hours later and having taken apart the entire back end of my motorcycle, I learned a valuable lesson.  It was cool to learn about the bike, and if the tools were mine and not my bro-in-laws, and time was not an issue, it would be a blast to work on bikes.  In reality, I will likely take it to the service dept on anything larger than basic cosmetic upgrades.