Hi Jack welcome to the forum. I have been riding for six months and my America is my first bike. First and for most, take the MSF course before you do much of anything. They will teach you the basics. Second thing I would suggest, read the book Proficient Motorcycling.
http://www.amazon.com/Proficient-Motorcycling-Ultimate-Guide-Riding/dp/1889540536 Next get you license! You are going to need it. Depending on how well you did in the MSF course and how comfortable you are on a bike, you can go take test rides. HOWEVER there are two schools of thought on this subject. Some say to buy a used older bike that you can tear up and not be upset about. Others say to buy the bike you want and spend your money once. As for me I bought my bike from my best friend and it was here for 2 months before I took the MSF course. I personally feel any Bonneville is a great first bike. Even the America and SM are light compared to most other cruisers out there.
I seriously recommend you ride every bike you can. When I bought my bike, I took my best friend to the Triumph dealership to pick up his new 06 bonnie black. I thought when I saw the bike, I can’t believe he is selling my bike for this thing. It looked like half the bike mine was and I kind of felt bad for him. Fast forward 4 months and 4 thousand miles later, we were riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway and we swapped bikes. I was speechless, I loved riding the 06 Bonnie! It really messed me up, the only thing I thought about for a couple months was that bike. To the point, I think I am going to buy his or another one sometime this year. I have also ridden the new Tiger and the ST, but my two favorites are the America and the Bonnie. By the way I don’t think I will ever sell my America, it has been the best. I would have never considered the Bonnie until I rode it and I ended up loving it. Ride everything you can get your hands on.
