after much research (and one cheaper bike destroyed) i found a decent hard tail for $200. whoever on here told me that you can get a good hardtail for the same price as a cheap softail was right. got a traverse. the other bike i killed was a mongoose. i was riding through the yard and the rear derailler broke in half and pulled through the rear sprocket into the spokes. and then you stop! thanks for all the help and as in everything else,"you get what you pay for!"