In July of 2004 I purchased my first bike. My first mistake was letting my ego get in the way of common sense when it came to picking my bike. I went into the dealership with the attitude of "I am picking my bike and there is no way in Hell that they are putting me on some GIRL bike".

My second mistake was ending up on a bike that turned out to be too big for me. In the showroom the 2005 Softail Deluxe felt perfect for me, but once I got it out on the road it was a different story. Backing up was near impossible and navigating a sharp turn was a battle with gravity itself.

Needless to say I did quite a bit of damage to that bike before giving it up to my fiance; and getting a 2002 Softail Standard. Even though there is only a 50 pound difference between the two bikes the maneuverability of the Standard, for me was amazing. This bike was a perfect fit. So what did I learn from this? Bigger doesn't always mean better and being safe is more important than being envied. So whether you're a male or female and even if you're not 5 foot 6 and weight about 120 you may want to think about what bike will really be better for you.

Watch out for Each Other
Jo