Bike for the girl
 

Shes looking and has the bug all of her friends ride and after riding with me she is itchin for a bike. I said i will teach her in the dirt, then after she is proficient enough help her get into a good bike thats not over her head( while considering she wants something sporty). Im thinking The kawi 650 twin for a first street bike after the dirt experience or a F4i both of which plenty powerful for a novice rider but not as all out as a newer 600.

What do you guys think? keep in mind she wont be on the street anytime soon.... this is just to get the gears in motion.

A cheap, used SV650 is the way to go in my opinion.

I built the ZZR for my wife and she absolutely adores it. I know you can't get the 400 in the US, but it's the same bike as the ZX6E except for the engine, and the ZX6E is still plenty tame for a novice. If you can find one of those, I'd recommend it.

There's also the YZF600R, SV650, F4i, and the like. I don't have any experience with Kawasaki's new 650 twin, but I imagine it would make a pretty decent starting bike as well.

My wife rides the F4I and I think it's a good choice, so it gets my vote.

cant go wrong with a parallel twin!

250r.

250r.

250r.

250r.

Um....what does SHE want. Have her sit on bikes - there's going to be a matter of what is physically comfortable. It's not a power issue for girls. In either direction. How long are her legs, how big are her hands, is she more comfortable with sport position or standard?

What she said. All the recommendations in the thread have been great so far, but in the end, HER wants/needs are what's most important.

Yep, what she said. I think it's cute though that all the boys *know* what she needs :lol:

Just like they told me what I 'needed' when I was bike shopping! :lmao:

:shrug: Meh, I'd have made some of those same recommendations if the new rider in question were a guy. SV's, F4i's and Ninja 250's are all solid starter bikes (and beyond), IMO.

I'm with the other women.... Let HER decide.

Fwiw, the f4i is a huge bike compared to what is now available. No way would that be one of my first suggestions.....

Yep! Yep! And Yep!

Let's not forget how heavy the bike is. The main reason I went from learning on a cruiser to buying a sport bike was to shed some weight. A fat pig of a bike (to her) can be as difficult to ride as one that she can barely touch the ground on. Trust me, I know. :lol:

Yea, I woudn't do the F4i.

Pick up a used 08' ninja 250 or a ninja 650.... I dont know what her size is so these are light and skinny, with a low seat hight. And the parallel twin has a more useable pawerband.

I know where you can get a Ninja 250 real cheap...it might need some work though :lol:

It really depends on what she wants, but I always would recommend a Ninja 250. That's what I started on 4 years ago, that's what I totalled 5 weeks ago with 25,000 miles on it. It's a fun little bike. I wouldn't have stuck with riding if I would have started on a bigger bike. :shrug:

She wants a brand new r6 im trying my bst to talk her out of it, and yea shes tiny 5'2ish and likes the sport position. She just wants to dive right in and get a 600 i still kinda like her so dont wanna see her with skin graphs all over. I agree she also has to sit on somethin and find out what she likes.

Has she taken the MSF course yet? That certainly helps you get the feel of a bike and get you started off in the right direction.

predictable torque build too

Her first bike doesnt need to be new. It's more than likely going to go pavement surfing at least once while she learns.

I recently picked up an 86 VF500F for my GF to learn on. Does the job just fine plus it's even fun for me to screw around on.

:lol:
and if you didn't, she can get a liter huh? lol



for real tho, i vote for a used 250 as well.
my wife's actually gonna go for her permit soon and wants to rides as well.
i'm thinking used '08 Ninja for me... uh, her. ; )

A good bike to learn on that you can resell pretty easy and will teach you all sorts of throttle control and you won't have to worry about dropping it hasn't been said yet.

A 225XT or 250XT dualsport or something similar. She can learn on dirt and street and you don't have to worry a thing about dropping it. It's low cost, and resells decent. Plus since it is dirt bred, it's got low end torque to get you use to twitchy throttle.

Yamaha TW200 would also fit the bill.

Do you pat her on the head when you talk to her about it?

How about, did you ever say the words "You shouldn't get that..."

I only ask because women won't hear any of the reasons WHY - they just hear the YOU SHOULDN'T part and assume you mean THEY can't. Not that any human shouldn't - but that THEY can't because of some inability that they have.

At that point, said female will usually ball up their fists and assume the petulant child "I can do it myself" stance.

If that is the case - the ladies here [myself included] would be more than happy to help her off the ledge.

I wish everyone can hear and see you give this speech. :lol: Especially the balling of fists and "I can do it myself" part. It's the best. :lol:

If she is forking out the cash for it, tell her to go for it. If she expects you to help out, deny your funds. Just get her to take MSF.

F4I huge??? My wife is 5'1" at most, she rode the Ninja 500 prior to the F4i, for HER there was no comparison between the ride and which one SHE rode better, the F4I weighs slightly less the the Ninja 500 dry. She could not wait to get off the Ninja, whereas she has that I want to play some more look when she gets off the F4I.

I also think that the compression braking and general engine characteristics of a twin, (low end torque and such) relatively speaking sometimes can be more of a deterrent than the smoothness of an I4 style engine. My wife certainly felt that way at least.

As mentioned everyone will have their own choices/preferences but in the end it's her choice and as Lauralynne was alluding to most female riders can start off with bikes that perhaps teenage or younger males should not because most women are not looking to prove anything.

Agreed. Although I pretty much bought what my now husband suggested. And I liked it. A lot of women like the SV but I do not and she might not either.

She will do everything better if she is able to get the bike that is more comfortable for her. She will trust it and feel all around better therefore allowing herself the freedom to learn and just ride.

That is exactly what I was told at the track too, that the women tend to learn more and better because they "don't have anything to prove".

I started on a 250 Ninja and loved it. Looking back my hubby said he would have rather I started on the 500 since it's a little more powerful. I could have ridden it a little longer, but he broke me by letting me ride his ZX9. It was downhill from there (in me getting a 600).

In our riding group, all of our wives or girlfriends ride their own bikes or are in the process of gaining experience. The most experienced in terms of years riding and mileage is about 2 years/12,000 miles she started on a Ninja 250 went to a katana 600 to her present 07 GSXR 600. My wife started on the 500 because I bought it at a good she deal hated it, and then moved up to the F4I which she loves and feels completely confident/comfortable and it shows big time. The other women started out on 06 and 07 R6s with one having some dirt bike experience and the other having no experience at all. We have one more just learning on her boyfriends GSXR.

Not a single one has crashed or had any type of incident. For the most part I'd bet the farm with a group of guys the story would be different.

If she's short and a small build it will limit the majority of bikes for her. I'm 5'2 and about 110lbs. and only have about a 29" inseam. I can't reach the ground on either the Ninja 500 or the F4i. When I say can't reach the ground I mean there's a good few inches between my tipy tiptoes and the ground. It would take some major lowering for me to be able to ride either of those bikes.....or have someone waiting for me to hold the bike up when I came to a stop each time. :panic: I strongly agree with everyone's comments to take her to sit on a few bikes and see what she likes. She'll know what she's comfortable with or not. I'd also recommend she go through the MSF class before you guys went bike shopping or you took her out in the dirt. My boyfriend tried to teach me how to ride back in college and all that did was annoy me and make me want to kill him. Neither of us had the patience for that.

What bike do you own/ride now? We did lower than ninja about 3/4" and I lowered the F4i about 2.5 inches for her.

[sarcasm] So, what you're saying is we should send all women to your riding group to learn to ride? :nee:

LOL, I'd rather bring them all to your track day!

I currently have a Buell Blast. When I went bike shopping it was quickly narrowed to bikes I could ride without lowering them. That narrowed it to a Ducati Monster, a Ninja 250, and the Blast. The Monster was the most expensive one to fix if I dropped it, and the Blast was a more comfortable sittiing position for me than the Ninja. So, the Blast won.

Yes, people call it a girly bike....but hey I'm a girl. It's not like I really care. I think it's a fun little bike, and it does everything I need. Other than look ridiculous on it because it looked like his knees were up to his chin my dad said it handled well for him. He said he had it up to about 95 mph before it dropped speed on him. If a 6' 200+ man can do all that on it, I'd say I'm set with it for quite a while.

There's no such thing as a girlie bike. Ride what you can afford and handle. Learn to ride a small bike fast and you will smoke anyone who rides a big bike slow.

I can't say I'm concerned with "smoking" anyone. I'm much more the type to enjoy a ride all by myself out in the countryside to destress for the day than to ride with a group of people.

Even some of the larger buells have relatively low seat heights, at the cycle world show my wife sat on basically every bike there lol she's about your size.

Seriously?? I'm jealous if she could reach the ground on all of them! The Blast is the only one from the line that I can reach the ground with solid footing on. I can kinda tippy toe the XB12Scg, but it would be a whole lot more comfortable if I could just grow about an inch...or four! :whistle:

*grin*

Here's the fun part - learning to ride on a motorcycle you're comfortable with is half the win. I know plenty of vertically challenged individuals - men and women alike that ride most anything they'd like. HEIGHT and inseam isn't the issue. It's comfort level with the weight management - being able to hold it up, move it around, turn, etc.

The rest of it is wrapped in emotion.

I really wanted to get an 08 ninja to putt around on...... the upsale on them is unreal right now. I'll hold off a year or two and pick one up for 2 grand....

Not necessarily flat foot them but had enough down that she felt comfortable on the xb12 and I think the seat height is 28.X" on that, we also came very close to getting the Ducati Monster 620 as well.

If I could get the balls of my feet down on the XB12Scg I'd be happy. But, I just can't quite do it. If I get another bike I'm considering getting it and just shaving down the seat a bit or getting a Corbin for it. Corbin told me they could easily get it an inch or so lower by custom making the seat. Zoomie hit it right on with the comfort level. I'm just not comfortable having to start or stop on a hill without being able to get the balls of both my feet down. That Monster was nice.

No i know better than to belittle her to her face :) unless im looking to piss her off

my girl has been learning on my cm450, which kinda put the kibosh on her plans to ger a ninja 250 this year. now shes looking for something along the lines of the sv650f. im still pitching the idea of older supersports but its hit or miss with out the bike there for her to see in person

I'd like to hear about a girl that instead of letting her boyfriend tell her what to ride, actually went out and did the research herself. granted a girl that wants to ride cause you do is awesome, but a girl that wants to ride because she loves to ride truely shares my passion.

ask her to picture her shiney new bike on the ground because it's likely to end up there (a few times). With a used bike, that's not so heart wrenching. She'll need to be able to pick it up herself too.
She won't outgrow her bike within a year unless she's an anomoly - even a 250 or a 500 will take a good year and a lot of miles before you're using it to 100% capacity.

Meanwhile, have her go sit on bikes - any of them, all of them.

Agreed to both of you

shes in your signature :lmao:

I'm gonna have to become a thief and come visit you. :evil:

:rockwoot:

That's just silly. Girls don't ride motorcycles.... :whistle:

What she said... :whistle:

I want to know the percentage of guys that actually do that. I mean what percentage are the douchebags who see their buddy on a GSXR1000 and then got to have a hayabusa with no research. I got a feeling people who do research are a minority.

Hi - I'm Lauralynne - nice to meet you. Louie rode and raced before I met him and when I said I wanted to ride, he said "go for it". That was the extent of his involvement. I got an FZR600, signed up for MSF and signed up Novice racing. when my FZR when to race only, I rode a VFR800i for awhile until I found the perfect deal on my perfect bike. I'm still riding my SuperHawk.

Just another vote for having her sit on bikes and see what she is comfortable on.

My first bike was an EX250, rode is almost a year. Glad I did, helped me build my confidence before moving to an R6. :D

I may have just missed it, but did she take MSF yet?

I guess I'm just clueless when it comes to this hill talk. I tippy-toe on my bike but don't think I have any problems when it comes to hills. So I just don't get it. :?:

I researched my ZX6RR before I bought it and it was my decision to by that bike. I just can't remember everything, especially now that I've had it so long. I knew a little bit about my EX250. And I do all my own basic maintenance work (oil changes, brakes, air filter, tires, etc), just as I know a lot of other women on here do to.
My husband has little input into any of my purchases, unless I ask for it, which I do. I value his opinion, but in the end it's my payment, my purchase, and I'm the one that has to live with it. Same goes for him.

I sat on one of the RR's at a dealer not too long ago.... isnt it a pretty extreme riding position???

Yes, it's pretty aggressive. And to think I've ridden nearly 400 miles on it in one day. I was just 8 miles short of that mark.

shes against learning in the dirt and is very open to the idea of a 250 (afraid she cant lift a bigger bike if/when she wrecks) so i may cave and teach her on a kawi 250

Spouse teaching = FAIL.

MSF = WIN.

Lol probably right thats why i suggested msf first

:dthumb:

It's really nothing personal. It's just most people learn better when there isn't emotional pressure. That emotion can create a hostile learning environment - that doesn't mean "angry" it just means not conducive to learning.

I tell most people, women and men, go take the MSF FIRST. Then get your idea of which bike / style you want to invest in. There are many people that start on something they would have thought twice about if they would have taken the MSF and puttered around on those kick ass little bikes first.

Hell, there have been people that took the MSF and decided riding wasn't for them...

i agree completely

Why is she against learning in the dirt? It so much more fun than pavement, but i'm biased here.

Umm i can't pick up my little Dr200. But i don't offroad alone because of that reason. If she's on the street, all she has to do is take off her helmet and a bunch of guys will be flocking to pick it up for her. Heck even if she doesn't take off her helmet, guys will still come and help out.

For me it's completely a practice issue.

I'd never driven a stickshift before the bike, and I simply wasn't used to it. I always remember to pull in the clutch when coming to a stop....but I've been known to not completely downshift....then trying to startup in say 3rd and killing it. I don't need things to start rolling around down a hill on top of all that if I can't quite reach the ground. (Not that I'm likely to save it anyway should I start to go over. But, at least I have a bit better of a chance of the bike not falling directly on top of me....or maybe I'd just like to think that).

Then there's the whole possibility of not quite getting my tippytoes down quite right and just keep on tipping all the way over. Which is possible hill or no hill.

Maybe someday when I've been riding longer it won't be as big of a deal to me. But, now just isn't that day.

Do you use your back brake to keep from rolling back when you're on top of the hill?

Yup, but balancing a bike on one tippy toe just isn't and ideal situation for me. I'm fully willing to admit that I tend to over think situations being a Safety Engineer and all. But, it really does all come down to me not being comfortable with the situation unless I can get at least the balls of my feet down. Tippy tip toes just feels too unstable for me.

you can get a bike for your girl? She must be something special.

I'd trade immediately.

Agree! I took my MSF course and learned the basics of riding in a parking lot:lol: It did help a lot and I highly recommend it for all new riders. The first time I rode in front of Jeeps I was a nervous wreck. Even though he was very supportive I was so nervous about doing something wrong or just plain stupid in front of him that I was literally shaking. Not sure I would have done it without the MSF course basics under my belt. Now I can be a stuipd newb and we can both laugh at my stupidity:panic:

Im with the group. MSF, take her and let her sit on bikes and see whats comfortable! If she's not comfortable, she'll never get complete enjoyment and the thrill of a good ride.

I wish more people understood this! People let things intimidate them needlessly, if you arent 100% comfortable and confident in your skills, the whole height and inseam thing will get ya every time! 2 of the best female riders I've ever seen (both racers) were even shorter than me, putting them at 5 ft or less!

SO IMPORTANT!! You may think it wont ever happen, but one day, you wanna go out on your own, nice weather, peaceful ride, etc. and something happens and you drop that bike, either just on the ground or on your body, you better be able to do something about it. Adrenaline plays a huge part in this kinda thing too but Im a firm beleiver if you cant pick it up by yourself, back it up, etc. you might not need to be riding it. You never know where you might find yourself. Before I started riding I actually started lifting weights and building some strength, to make it a little safer for me should something happen. I know not everyone can do this, but it doesnt make a bad goal to strive for!

:lol: I had to go look.

Gotcha, I don't do the one tiptoe either, I can do 2 tiptoes on my bike now, but its light and narrow, I can't touch the floor without my boots. Now on a heavier bike, I'll want the balls of my feet down, or at least halfway btwn that and tip toe, which usually means some seat shaving for me.

About this picking up the bike all alone thing: At the Cycle world show, Harley Davidson had an area where they were giving instruction/demonstrations on how to pick a bike up aimed more so for women riders. I forget the exact model used in the demo but recall it weighed just at 700lbs. My wife at 5'2" 120lbs was able to get the bike up using their instructions/technique. Our sport bikes are almost half as light so using the same technique I would think most women could get their bikes back upright.

Maybe for the majority, but my husband "taught" me and I think I turned out OK. I suppose the draw back is that I tend to ride more like him, but that isn't completely horrible.

Now that makes sense to me. I had the issue of not getting to 1st gear when I started riding, but quickly learned to make sure I was there.

Lifting weights and having strong leg muscles and balance helps. A could years ago I was lifting very heavy and could tell a difference in how I felt on the bike.

I taught my wife how to ride in our driveway, cul de sac and at a local highschool parking lot, then she went to take the MSF class. She felt like the time I spent with her before hand helped her in MSF class.

rae, you're a goof :lol: