Ripplin said:
...something like a Virago is on the realistic list.
Good choice for a first street bike - and I speak from experience. I started riding in 1972, on dirt bikes. In high school, I'd moved on to Enduros (street-legal dirt bikes). My first real street bike was a 1981 Virago. Took two months pay to buy it. Got a ride to the dealer and my first ride on her was back home in the pouring rain - the first of many over the years.
This is a studio\ad shot of the bike. Mine was identical.
Several months later I took my first cross-country trip on it. Two weeks, thousands of miles, and lots-o-rain. This picture was taken on day 5 of the trip, somewhere in Tennessee - the first day it wasn't raining. Tough, but fun.
Ripplin said:
I also drew what is, as far as I can remember, a 1997 Softail Classic
I'm not well-versed on Harleys. That drawing is clearly based on one, but they have a ton of models that are very similar. Beyond the big differences - Softail, Sportster, Springer, etc, I can't tell them apart very well.
If you ever make the jump, by all means, take the MSF beginner's course. Two days of classroom & riding, covering the fundamentals and the physics - they supply the bike. I wish they would have had that when I was starting out. Really makes a difference with myth vs fact where skilled riding is concerned.