| Author | Message | ||
     07xb12ss |
She already said she is going to take the class and get her license. But what should her first bike be? Blast? XB9SL? What did your kids/girlfriends/wives/ or even yourself learn on? She said she still wants to ride on the back of mine as well so her bike would probably get ridden by me as well. I was thinking XB12Scg but didn't want to much torque on tap incase of an accidental clutch dump or accidental throttle twist going over a bump or something. | ||
| Xbeau12s |
Blast | ||
| Geforce |
2006 Ninja 250R When I was happy with her skill level she got a brand new 2009 XB12Scg because it's low enough for her to ride comfortably. | ||
| Bishopjb1124 |
XB9SL, great to start on and she will never out grow it. My wife started on it and loves it. A blast would not be bad but she might outgrow it and want to move up. I say just start here on what she will ride for a while. Jimmy | ||
| Ulywife |
I've been riding with M2nc since 2002 or so. Last year I decided to take the MSF class and get my own bike. We were offered a friend's Blast that he was about to trade in on M2. We got a good deal and I had my own bike! I'm short with with "no" inseam, so the Blast was a good option for me. Things I like about the Blast are: 1 - I can flat foot it, even with the standard seat (I did start with the low seat) 2 - Not a huge initial investment 3 - Enough power to keep up with the group, not too much to get in trouble 4 - M2nc can ride it and still has fun on it 5 - It's very forgiving Carlos took me to a parking lot to get familiar with "riding" solo before I took the class. He ran me through many of the drills they teach. It helped me have a little more confidence when I stepped onto the range. Since learning to ride last year, I've not ridden on the back of the Uly since. Not sure what my next bike will be since my reach is an issue. I'm sure I'll loose the Blast in the next year or so when our daughter turns 16 and gets her endorsement. Best of luck to your other half! Hope she enjoys it as much as I am. | ||
| Reepicheep |
Super sherpa? Lowered KLX? Easy, fun, and cheap to drop. Whatever you buy you will probably sell before long, either because she outgrew it, or lost interest, so buy used with an eye towards ease of resale. | ||
| Teeps |
A Blast, depending on the stature of "your lady", might be ok. I'd recommend something smaller, 250CCs or less. A bike that she can manage without fear. | ||
| Crackhead |
Blast, parts are cheep and it is built to be dumped. | ||
| Skiaddict |
+1 on any late vintage 250 Ninja. My wife took the BRC last fall after I picked up a used 2007. She is now addicted to riding and she absolutely loves the Ninjette. The bike is low and light weight. The transmission is smooth and easy to use. And, since it's a 250, it takes it a while to go fast. All in all, the biggest plus of the Ninjette is that it is not an intimidating bike. It's easy to maneuver and use. That means it's easier for the rider to focus on riding. | ||
| Kyrocket |
You might want to wait until after she takes the class. My wife was all gung ho about her own bike, took the class, dumped it twice and decided it wasn't for her. She's not been on one for over nine years. Not because of the class, she just feels one of us needs to be around for the children  But if she does indeed want her own bike anything small (500 or less) that fits her and that she likes. The Blasts can be bought on the cheap so it's not a large investment in case it does manage to attract some scratches. | ||
| Cyclonemick |
Gotta say that the new Ninja's, I believe are 500's look pretty good! My wife is a property manager for an apartment complex and one of her residents has a newer one and she absolutely loves it! The smaller ones used to look boxy and really un-sporty but now they look like the big bikes, good looking fairing, nice tail section and graphics! The girl rides it all the time and she is also new to riding! | ||
| Snake_oil |
I see a lot of guys get their lady too much bike and they lose interest fast, my wife likes MY blast enough that I have to get another one | ||
| Cityxslicker |
get the new Kawi 250 SuMo... when she out grows it... hello spare hooligan bike  | ||
| Cowboy |
Get what you like you will windup with it anyway. | ||
| Rex |
I too recommend she does the course first. If she still has the enthusiasm, then start looking...something light, easy handled, plenty of torque, used. I've seen a lot of people think they want to ride, but after dumping it a couple of times, change their minds. I've seen too many people try to get a high revving machine as their first bike. They have problems at the stop lights, etc. I think they feel more comfortable with a machine that is a little forgiving on take off, for a while till they get used to riding on the street. | ||
| Fast1075 |
A Blast is an excellent first bike....so in the baby ninja....but a regular old honda 250 is about the least intimidating bike I can imagine...the Blast can be ridden to the point where you want a lot better chassis....the ninja can be ridden to the point where you want more motor. The ninja has a lighter clutch pull...but the Blast clutch can be modded to make the pull lighter. | ||
| Faseljd |
I just got my son a Honda Hawk 400 to learn on. Didn't want him dropping my custom Blast. Best to start on something that you wont feel bad if dropped. Its a beater bike and we can have a little fun fixing it up and he can learn the basics of wrenching on it too. | ||
| 2008xb12scg |
A friend bought his son a ninja 250. Good bike to learn on, but when he dropped it all the fairings cracked. If he decides to replace they're expensive. I started on the Blast and really liked it. Seems if you dropped it it would be much cheaper to fix if you wanted ei no fairings. I wish I still had my Blast for putting around.. | ||
| Jumpinjewels |
My first bike was an SV650. My hubby did have to lower it a bit, but it's a fun, very forgiving bike. I then I graduated to the XB12Scg and now also have an 1125CR too. Have fun looking and the class really helped. | ||
| Bartimus |
Debbie started on a Suzuki LS650 savage. It was light, made decent power, and cost about a grand. After a year of riding, (and after riding my XB12) she decided she wanted to upgrade. We sold the Suzuki for $1500, and bought her an '03 XB9SL, it fits her perfectly. And it's also a blast for me to ride once in awhile! | ||
| Rainman |
I commute on my Blast every day. In 11,000 miles, no problems except one carb boot that I replaced for $10. It's light, it handles like a Buell, it'll go 80mph all day, but likes 70 mph and its made of golf-ball plastic so any drop is a scratch, not a dent or shatter. I like it and recommend it. | ||
| Kmbuell |
When my son was a wee little lad he started "borrowing" my YSR80 and terrorizing the neighborhood. I caught on when I noticed that somebody had put 1500 km on it. "We" decided that he needed to go get his endorsement, he did, and we picked up a trashed Honda VTR250. That is a great learner bike. Big enough that all his buddies thought it was a 600, once we repainted it, and slow enough that he had to learn to ride it to go fast. He graduated to a Ducati 620ie and now added a Ducati 848 to his stable. His only complaint is living in Savannah that the best "road" is an entrance ramp. Buy something that excites her, but is slow enough to let her develop skills. A Blast my be OK if you just have to have a Buell, but it's not a great choice other than seat height. I have one, and with significant mods, it's fun to ride 25 miles to work on a twisty back road. Stock with the feet forward pegs was NO FUN and a poor transition to my other three Buells. Just my humble opinion. | ||
| Jandj_davis |
I am a firm believer that a low-performance i-4 is the best learner bike. I started on an 83 Honda 550. By the time I sold it, I could keep up with a GSXR-600 until I hit my low redline. It had plenty of power once I tapped into it, but for the first year I never took it over 5K RPM. The sound of 10K RPM was so foreign to me I wasn't comfortable with it. As I learned more about the bike, and learned more about riding, I slowly crept into the upper RPM range, where the I-4's come alive. I would agree that a modern 600 is NOT the place to start, but a mid-80's honda is hard to beat for a beginners bike. Buy one for $1K, sell it a year later for $1K. | ||
| Delta_one |
my lady is starting out on the bike my dad used to transition me into real street riding '79 kawi LTD 400 less than a grand drop it and who cares (its not a beauty queen) everything on it is cheep and can be replaced even cheaper out of JC Whitney (but tires are getting hard to find because of the odd size) | ||
| Elsinore74 |
Kinda late to add my two cents, but here's what worked for us: After completing the basic rider course and getting her endorsement last May, my wife had two wheel fever. I was proud of her for learning something clearly outside her previous "comfort zone." She already had a good helmet and safety gear from riding as a passenger, so we set out to buy her first bike. Low seat height (<31") and a light clutch pull were necessities. She didn't want a cruiser (there goes a lot of choices with low seat height), and didn't want something too big/heavy/intimidating. We looked at the Blast, Kawasaki Ninja 250 and EX500, Honda Nighthawk 250, and a couple of small dual sports, finally arriving at Suzuki's then-new standard-style TU250X. Nothing intimidating about it; adequate power for surface streets or country 2-lanes, and a surprisingly good seat for long rides. Not a cruiser, not a sport bike, just a motorcycle. Less than a year and 4,000 miles later, she's wanting a little more power (don't we all). Found a 2008 SV650 (naked), stock and complete. Only 70 lbs or so more than the TU250X, an easy bike to ride, but enough power available anywhere in the rev range for street use. She's happy=I'm happy too. Could she have started on the SV650? Probably. When asked, I was surprised she said the 250 was a much better first bike, allowing her to concentrate on fundamentals without fear of the bike tearing her up. There were a few fleeting moments early on, I'll admit, when I questioned why I ever encouraged her to ride. The feelings you have when you see the love of your life in certain and immediate danger are more intense than the fear you'd feel facing those dangers yourself. That said, with the proper skills and focus, few activities are as rewarding as riding a motorcycle. When your wife/girlfriend/significant other rides their own bike, it's that much more you have in common. Good times, indeed. (If her riding skills keep improving at this rate, I'm thinking she'll be ready for an 1125R in a year or so, or whatever streetbike Erik & Co. have available by then).  | ||
| Babired |
hey 07 here is a good link for her http://www.womenridersnow.com/ also direct her to the MSF-USA web site for more information on the basic rider class. The women riders now site is one of the best out there. Also the AMA-USA go to the LIFE then to NEW RIDER for more good information. If your wife ever wants to talk to a female rider coach in person or by e-mail PM me. K | ||
| Ljm |
The Mrs. started on a blast, and well, went everywhere from there. After a year, bought a softail deluxe, a xb9r, honda scrambler. Got a vrod this summer but selling it. Doesn't like it. So, really after the class, a good starter bike then let her decide what she wants to do after that. | ||
| Babired |
Pros and cons on the Blast Pros the bike is extremly durable good gas milelage and can take off with power fun to ride cons weighs as much as a Honda CBR 600, 360 pounds that's a lot for a single. its a torque monster New riders tend to dump the clutch a lot when starting out on it one of the most frustrating things a RC has to go thru. The brakes are powerful too and when the front wheel is turned usually its a drop. If a student has loss of clutch throttle control on a Blast it usually is a pretty good crash. If your wife is a confident rider then the Blast would be perfect. I teach with the Suzuki TU's also and the one thing I noticed with them is that the Fuel injection makes the throttle extremly twitchy. If a new rider chops off or rolls off the throttle the whole bike responds and the same with the roll on the RPM has to be constant for smooth operation I've seen new rider confidence take a beating with both bikes. | ||
| Andymnelson |
My fiance started with the Blast, then I passed my XB9S down to her. The Blast was really too small of a bike, but I would not have started her any other way! However, she had never ridden a bike, never even driven a stick shift car! The XB9S was too tall for her- I first got her an SCG seat, then eventually installed the suspension off of an XB9SL. My vote: Blast- it's cheap, reliable and tons of fun. When she's done with it, you'll get your money back out of it when you sell it! | ||
| Crackhead |
Buell has addressed the lack of friction zone on the Blast with a new service bulletin, which should reduce the clutch dumps and increase rear tire life. http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/201 64/66673.html?1276883979 |
