AZJoe-
I am definitely more interested in a bike that handles very well, as opposed to one that is really fast, accelerates really fast, has the ability to do wheelies, etc. I am not going to test the power/speed of any bike I get. I can't imagine going over 80mph on the highway, and I'm quite sure I will be much closer to 55mph for a long while. Again, I am VERY conservative by nature when driving a car, let alone what I imagine I would do on an MC.

So, when you say something in the 500cc+ range would be good, would the 883cc of the lower end HD sportster exceed that range (I guess I'm asking how mann cc's the "+" implies)?

Another poster pointed out that it's more the weight of the bike than the cc's that are important in regards to being able to handle it. The sporster weighs about 580 lbs (the HD touring bikes weigh around 780), and the low end Suzuki Boulevard S40 weighs about 360 lbs., for sake of comparison. Again, I'm about 6'1", 205 lbs., and pretty strong.

I know at the MSF course offered at HD, you learn on a Buell Blast, which I believe is 500cc... sounds like that's the perfect bike to serve as a foundation.

thanks again...
Andrew