| Author | Message | ||
     Flyingpenguin86 |
So, I convinced my girlfriend riding is a lot more fun (in my opinion) when you're not riding doubled up. She decided to start riding also. Problem is, I don't know what to get her! She is very small and has never driven a bike before. I have an 03 9XBS with very low miles and am thinking about upgrading to something more powerful, possibly an XB12R or the new 1125 they just came out with. Does anyone have any opinions on whether or not my lightning would be a good first bike for her, or any other suggestions on what else would be a good bike for her? | ||
| Towjam |
Have her take the MSF course before she even thinks about shopping for a bike. As far as the XBS, if she's very short, it's going to be a handful for her - especially with her being a new rider. my $.02 (and worth every penny) | ||
| Newbolt |
+1 on taking a riders course. The course will give her a good idea if it is something she wants to do. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
+1 on the MSF. She'll get two good days in a parking lot to decide if it's for her. The Blast is a good option for a smaller beginner. If she does the Rider's Edge course, she can test ride the Blast as well. The real issue is where she can get her feet down comfortably. Sometime tiptoe isn't enough to feel "right". | ||
| Slaughter |
You might consider having her get some time on something a bit more forgiving. If you live in an area with WIDE OPEN roads that she can ride without a whole lot of traffic, it could be just fine... but really for a first bike, it could be iffy. A Blast is a really great first bike - one of the little Ninjas (250 or 500) if you can get a deal on one. Buy a Blast used and run it for a year and sell it for about what you paid for it... just keep the XB parked and take it out once every couple weeks. When she rides the XB and likes it, THEN sell the Blast. I know Sunny rode the Firebolt and Lightning both at Femmoto - liked the Firebolt - but said she'd be spooked in traffic if she had to put her feet down often. (she's "inseam-challenged") | ||
| Speedfreaks101 |
I agree 100% on the riders course. I will tell you what my wife did (we are from Texas also). My wife was unsure if she wanted to ride so I bought her a Honda Ruckus. My thought was if she decided it was not for her then it could still be used on weekends when we go camping. She got the handbook at the DMV and went and took the written test. This way she got a permit and was legal to ride her scooter as long as she was with a licensed rider 21 years or older. The benefit was that the scooter was cheap and she got to ride the local streets (no highway) with super vision and get to see if she wanted to progress to the next level. She loved it. She then took the MSF course and picked up a Honda Shadow Spirit 750 and we now use the scooter when we go to state parks. If your girl decides she wants to ride and she buys a bike then remember that too little power is as dangerous as too much. Make sure that the bike can get her out of a jam and still be manageable if too much throttle is grabbed in haste. Just my .02, Bart | ||
| Jos51700 |
If you had to convince her, what makes you think she really wants to? Not trying to be a d**k. I just see alot of people that try this, and find out after bikes are bought, that she'll ride on her own on her her own terms, not yours. Just my opinion. | ||
| Damnut |
I was in the same boat, my girl is tiny and has never ridden any kind of motorized bicycle. I asked her last summer if she wanted to learn how to ride and she did. I was thinking of getting her a Ninja 250 but decided against it. I ended up buying her a Vespa GT 200. Automatic, 200 cc, easy to ride, does 75mph......... all she has to worry about is the gas, brakes and the road. I didn't want her to have the additional fear of learning how to shift. It is surprisingly quick, I would say that it is quicker than a Ninja 250. I figure if she doesn't like riding by herself I can always just keep it for weekend getaways camping and such.   | ||
| Carparts009 |
Check out the new 250R Kawi | ||
| Midknyte |
Honda Rebel | ||
| Buelltroll |
Vespas are like fat chicks. fun to ride until your friends see you on one. HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA HAHAHAHA YOUR"E RIDING A VESPA!  Oh and any buell will do for your girl the power is pretty noob friendly. (Message edited by buelltroll on February 12, 2008) | ||
| Cycleaddict |
i think any new rider should learn to "ride" a motorcycle in the dirt. the street is no place to learn. (too many stupid people out there ) most anyone can learn to "operate" a m/c but you need advanced skills to survive on the street !so get two dirt bikes and turn that girl into a "rider". | ||
| Budc |
Penguin, As a dealer, I would suggest that your girl take the H-D Rider's Edge program. It's 5 days with two full days of riding on the range. They also use what I consider to be the best beginner's bike on the market-the Buell Blast. I own one myself and that's what my wife rides. I also use it to practice tight turns and body position before I do track days with my XB12S. It's really a great bike. As far as the XB9S is concerned, it could be a good bike for her. There is still a low seat available for it and it's not all that heavy. As far as power goes, its just a matter of throttle and clutch control. With a good skill set she should be able to ride anything. I would let her make the decision though. That's my 2 cents worth. BudC | ||
| Jackelfox |
i know this is a bit lame considering im on a buell board, but. I bought my wife a perfectly usable (if a bit dirty) blast for 1200 bucks.. wife road it for about 3-4 months and sold it in the dead of winter for more than we paid in less than a week. Upgraded her to a CityX which we still have an she handles great (5'2" 103lbs) although we did swap the suspension with my XB12Scg, fairly straight forward and easy since DBird (a board member) did most the work for me. | ||
| Old_man |
I don't think an XB is a good beginner's bike, especially for a girl. It's too much motorcycle. A 250cc or a Blast would be a much better choice. | ||
| Sgthigg |
Suzuki Boulevard 650. If she is into a cruiser | ||
| Irideabuell |
Another, cheaper (free) avenue to take is a program that the local HD dealer offers in my area. They have a get together where people get to stop in and ride one of the MSF course Blasts to see if it's really something they would be interested in pursuing. It's low pressure and really an eye opener. One of my neighbors went after constantly asking me for rides (it was one of the neighborhood wives and my wife was always pissed at how she kept asking in such a flirtatious manner). She returned and said there was no way she could ever see herself comfortable riding in traffic no matter how much she practiced. Naturally, she had to get a dig in at the end and tell me, in front of my wife, that she can always just ride with me when she's in the mood. I can't win!!!! | ||
| Flyingpenguin86 |
Oh, I didn't mean to sound like a douche at first. She's been considering riding solo and showing a lot of enthusiasm towards it. I would never try to pressure anybody into riding, that's just a quick way to get somebody hurt. When I first started, I took the beginner's class through Harley. I thought it was a lot of fun and taught me quite a bit, and I have definitely stressed that if she is to start riding on her own, that course would be a great way to start. Thanks for all the info, we were already thinking about getting her a Blast for her first one, and from what everyone's saying, it sounds like that wouldn't be a bad idea. Any ideas on what kinds of speeds they can get up to? I'm just as scared of putting her on something with too little power as I am of putting her on something with too much! | ||
| Badlionsfan |
250r ninja for sure. the blast if she's short. best way to do it is take her to dealerships or the IMS to sit on a variety of bikes. +1 million on the MSF course. check with your local dmv about courses, much more affordable options than the HD program. | ||
| Bigdaddy |
Good training and anything with predictable power -- new riders don't do well with surprises. If you keep the "Oh, wtf?" moments to a minimum you greatly increase the safety margin. The Buells are good, IMHO, for newer riders due to their stability and predictable power band. | ||
| Dhalen32 |
Flyingpenguin86: I run a Rider's Edge program and break in every Blast we use prior to putting it in the fleet. It will do 80 mph with my big butt on it so I'm pretty sure that she will be able to keep up with traffic. Have her sign up for a course as soon as possible. The classes fill up fast in the Spring. If your dealership keeps their training bikes in inventory she may even be able to purchase the bike she learns on. If not, then I'm sure they'll help you find one. My advice is to let her decide what to ride so that if something goes wrong you can honestly say you did not force her to buy, ride, etc. I learned this the hard way with my wife the first time she learned how to ride in 1992. The second time she decided to try it in 2001 I let her drive the process. It ended much better this time around. She is on her third motorcycle now and is contemplating purchasing a much larger big twin this season. Good luck! Dave | ||
| Jlnance |
Vespas are like fat chicks. Fun to ride until your friends see you on one. God help the man who selects his woman to impress his friends. | ||
| Jlnance |
I'd add my voice to those suggesting the first thing to do is a MSF or Riders Edge class. Lot's of people buy a bike and then take the class, which I think is unwise. Riding tends to be harder than many people realize, and they end up with more bike than they are comfortable with. Personally I think the lightning is not a good choice, particularly given that she is very short. If she can't get her feet down easily, she is going to end up dropping the bike a lot, which she is going to find frightening, discouraging, and embarrassing. As to what would be a good choice, something small, light, and cheap. The Buell that fits into this category is the Blast. If she takes a Riders Edge class, it will probably be taught on Blasts, so she will have some idea if she likes the bike when she gets out of the class. The idea of getting a Blast and upgrading later is very common, but here is a secret. Lot's of people, particularly short women, fall in love with that bike and want to hold onto it. There are lot's of good starter bikes, but the Blast is one of the few with soul. From a strictly financial standpoint, you're much better off with a used bike. But if she thinks she might want to keep it a while, a new one may work out better. | ||
| Ducxl |
For a girl's bike i bought my wife,on Feb,14,2005 a Racing Red '05 XB12r.Prior to that she rode my X1 and R90/6 BMW | ||
| Towjam |
I think the Blast may be the best "starter" bike for a new rider - confidence inspiring ergos for even the shortest riders, durable, flickable and very low maintenance. I guess this is why a lot of experienced riders keep have 'em as well. My only complaint with the Blast is that $4700 MSRP, it's not really price competitive with the more popular starter bikes (Ninja 250 comes to mind). | ||
| Etennuly |
I bought a 2001 Blast for my wife, she did the course. She enjoys her bike and doesn't want a bigger one. She just wants me to paint it and put some lockable hard bags on it. At a time that I weighed 250 lbs, even with the add on Buell windshield, with its Vance & Hines header/muffler and K&N filter kit, that bike would do 87 mph. It handles way better than you would think also. I have done several 200 mile days on it, at 6' tall I sit by butt back onto the back part of the seat. Another tid-bit, the engine NEVER heats up your leg or the seat on those 100F days. A friend of mine has a Blast that he bought new. He has over 50,000 miles on it and has no plans to sell it. He says with the cheap insurance and over 70 mpg it only makes him love it even more. | ||
| Xl1200r |
250r ninja for sure. the blast if she's short. best way to do it is take her to dealerships or the IMS to sit on a variety of bikes. +1 on trying things out. My girl just bought her first bike a couple weeks ago. For YEARS she had wanted a blast, then she sat on one, and then sat on a 250 Ninja. She owns the Ninja as the Blast was just too cramped (and she's only 5'4'' with the legs of a midget). Have her sit on things and see what's comfortable. I think the Blast may be the best "starter" bike for a new rider - confidence inspiring ergos for even the shortest riders, durable, flickable and very low maintenance. Again, I agree with this, but she should try sitting on things before she decides. The Blast is definately among the best choices you could make out there. I was thinking of getting her a Ninja 250 but decided against it. I ended up buying her a Vespa GT 200. Automatic, 200 cc, easy to ride, does 75mph......... all she has to worry about is the gas, brakes and the road. I didn't want her to have the additional fear of learning how to shift. It is surprisingly quick, I would say that it is quicker than a Ninja 250. A scooter isn't a bad choice either, but I woudln't count on one to be faster than a Ninja 250. That vespa is about 10hp short and doesn't weigh all that much less. The Ninja will break 100mph, though not much more. Like I said, both are good choices, just depends on what SHE wants. Another good option would be a Suzuki GS500. check out http://www.beginnerbikers.org/ In any event, a course is a must, and your XB9 is not a good starter bike. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
It is interesting how times change, as well as attitudes towards bikes. When I was a young man, I started on a Vespa, went to a 125 Moto Rumi, a 200 cc Ducati, I thought those bikes were pretty fast, and I used to race them. In those days, a Velocette Thruxton 500 was a limited production bike that was aimed at experienced enthusiasts. Erik Buell had a Velo 500, and he told me that the current Blast is faster. Now the Blast is considered a girly bike, and lots of young people start out on 150 hp sportbikes. I think that is just crazy. I also think that an XB9 is a very inappropriate bike for a young lady who is petite to start out on. Much too much bike, in my opinion: too big, and too powerful. When I got back into riding, I started on a Blast. I bought a leftover for $2,500 and sold it for $2,500. Then I bought a Nine, and it took me every bit of two years before I really came to grips with it. But as my nephew Ben observes, "Things have changed a lot since you started to ride, Uncle Jon". He sure got that right!  | ||
| Rydberg |
1.start in the dirt 2.MFS 3.Blast! | ||
| Borrowedbike |
+1 Blast +1 MSF Have her put 5000 miles on her first (Used) bike, selected for low cost of repair after it falls over (Blast) and comfort (Blast). Dont waste $ on a bike that she may drop, dump, or not like after she learns. Remind her that it's a training mule, not the end bike. If she likes it, then invest cash seting it up for her, just the way she wants it. If she doesnt, let her select her next bike... $.02 |
