Girlfriend wants a bike. Help!!

[sonicGLI]

My girl has the bug. We've only been dating for a few months but we're nuts for each other and she loves to ride passenger with me... now she wants her own bike!

Trying to figure out a good starter bike. I'm thinking a used '08+ 250 Ninja? (she hates the older body style, but loves the look of the newer... I agree)

Any other suggestions? Oh, and she's only 122lbs, 5'8", so obviously the heavier the bike, the harder it will be on her.

Just got her her first set of gear tonight (no, she doesn't ride the R1, lol... only passenger for now):

[03GTI4Me]

I think the '08 250 would be an excellent starter bike for her. I think you can get them for about $2800-$3000. Seem to hold their value well (the '08+'s)

Just make sure you buy used. My wife loved the idea of riding a bike and I bought her a 250. She drove maybe 500 miles before giving it up.

[hrama803]

250r!!

I have a friend, she started on a 250 and since graduated to a F4i!

[Knock Sensor]

Another vote for the new bodystyle 250r. Great lil bike even for non beginners.

[VWCoop]

Kawasaki Ninja 650...more engine to grow into. Not anything crazy or scary but enough to keep up on rides with you and the R1 without making you feel like you have to creep along the entire time. It shouldn't be too heavy for her.

[veedub87]

Used Ninja 250 or CBR250 are the two top options. I've seen several used CBRs show up for $3200-$3500.

[URSledgehammer]

Bandit 650, VTR1000.

[Knock Sensor]

Bandit 650, VTR1000.

Yes to the 650.

Big no to the vtr, way too much motor for a new rider.

[URSledgehammer]

The Super Hawk is very friendly to new riders, and a bike you can grow with. Plus with the SH you get a twin which will drop insurance rates. I can see that the 1000 number may scare a lot of people but 100hp is not too much. The twin makes power way different than a I4. The 250's will get old very quickly. But after some more thought


Monster 600

[VWCoop]

A Buell Blast or an older Buell with the smaller V-Twin might work well. They are good looking and would make a fun first bike.

[vrturbojake]

I'd agree with the 250's but since she's been riding on the back of your R1 she'll outgrow that so fast she might as well buy a Ninja 650, SV650 or Monster 695. Something along those lines would be my suggestion. If she has the general knowledge and already understands the power, why not just get something she can enjoy for a few seasons at the least.

[sonicGLI]

Learning to ride is not natural or easy for everyone, being worried about not dropping the bike every time she stops or feeling like it's a balancing act just sitting on it will only distract from the learning and riding experience.

That is kinda my thought, I mean, I remember a decade ago when I got on my first bike and it was a heavy mother. I dropped it over in slow turns through parking lots a bunch of times and there's no WAY she'd be able to pick up a large bike. Plus, we're not talking about a commuter here, we're talking a "once every couple of weekends" bike, so the Ninja 250 (possibly Honda) is still certainly near the top of the list (especially since she loved the way it felt and looks). If she gets tired of it, we'll sell it and get something bigger. Anyway, that's kinda where we're headed, I think. Thanks for the input

[Paul@VWvortex]

The 250's are a great place to start and if she insists on a sport bike for that purpose then the 08+Ninja would be a great bike to start from and easy to resell when the time comes. If you want to spend a smidge less than that look for a Honda VTR250 Interceptor. I would shy away from a larger sport bike as they start to get wide and bulky pretty quickly as well as being expensive to drop.

If you can get her into something else you could also consider a small dual-sport like a DRZ400 or a KLX250. There are also a ton of small metric cruisers to consider too.

[Knock Sensor]

The Super Hawk is very friendly to new riders, and a bike you can grow with. Plus with the SH you get a twin which will drop insurance rates. I can see that the 1000 number may scare a lot of people but 100hp is not too much. The twin makes power way different than a I4. The 250's will get old very quickly. But after some more thought


Monster 600

Monster 600/620/695

I just picked up a superhawk up myself, and frankly I don't think any new rider should be using that as a primary bike. 100hp isn't much, but 70 ftlb at 5000-6000 rpm is hefty for a newbie imo. My bike has no problem getting to triple digits in a few seconds not to mention the front likes to lift off in first and second if you get on it.

Also the bmw 800s aren't bad if she wanted something different.

[Sosl0w]

SV650 is a great starter bike as well. But i would go with the Kwak 250 imo.

[dk58]

Another for the 08+ 250. I've had mine for 2 years, and I still love it. I've ridden a bunch of bigger bikes, but I still can't justify getting rid of it. I put on a set of BT-003RS tires this season and I am even more impressed. It handles great, gets 55 MPG when I'm riding the crap out of it, and everything for it is cheap.

[pknopp]

Marry her and when she divorces you, she can get your bike.

[Cabby-Blitz]

Does she have her license yet? I would suggest sending her through a MSF course and get her comfortable with riding a bike. Then I would start searching for a good bike that she feels comfortable on.

[autotragik b3attlewagen]

Ninja 250, Honda 250

[sonicGLI]

Does she have her license yet? I would suggest sending her through a MSF course and get her comfortable with riding a bike. Then I would start searching for a good bike that she feels comfortable on.

I'll definitely send her through the course (went through it myself). But the course is hardly enough to even get your feet wet, I'll have her riding for a few weeks to get her comfortable with riding.

[rambag3]

SV650 is a great starter bike as well. But i would go with the Kwak 250 imo.

This. Also to whom ever said start on the super hawk, having ridden the super and owning currently a twin 1kcc (sv1ks) I would say total bad idea. In 6th gear at 80 I can be doing 120 in just seconds, the bike is a world of trouble for someone just starting off.
Buy the 250, why because out growing the 250 and moving up is better then wrecking a larger bike and never riding again, she might never ride pylon again if that happens.

[Silly_me]

she'll outgrow that so fast

How do you outgrow a bike unless you just like going upright and straight?

[hrama803]

How do you outgrow a bike unless you just like going upright and straight?

Just underpowered. I learned on a 250 and after a year I was ready for something with more grunt.

[TurboWraith]

Just underpowered. I learned on a 250 and after a year I was ready for something with more grunt.

His point was, you wont learn everything you can from a 250 in your first year. Hence, you haven't outgrown it.

Frankly, most of us could stand to 'move down' to less powerful bikes.

[sonicGLI]

Guys, my girl (although pretty daring and willing to do some fun stuff, like sky-diving) is a pretty girly-girl. Even she admits she'll never be taking the bike to a track or riding it like a madman. She likes the looks of sport bikes, but she doesn't like the "scary" speed of the larger cc bikes. Frankly, I don't ever see her out-growing the 250. At most, we'll have a third bike at some point that will be a cruiser that we'll both ride, but I don't see her getting on a larger cc sport bike after talking with her more about it and having her sit on a bunch of different style bikes. I think she's pretty much got her mind made up on this one. And besides, even if she does outgrow the 250, we'll sell it for damned near what we purchased it for, used.

[Sosl0w]

Marry her and when she divorces you, she can get your bike.

[autotragik b3attlewagen]

a much as I will get hate on for this, a Buell Blast makes a good starter bike. Cheap, easy to find parts, easy to work on.
When she is ready to upgrade to something quicker, can turn around and sell the Buell for near the same price you paid.

[sonicGLI]

I, personally, don't have an issue with the Blast or any other faring-less bikes, she just loves the look of a faring'd sport bike, so I'm against a wall on that one.

[fasttt600]

My wife's first bike was a monster. She loved it. It would be a perfect bike to start with.

[sonicGLI]

I have 3 friends with Monsters from various generations. I had her sit on one and it was just too big/heavy for her. Again, she's a toothpic and "feeling safe" is the first thing you want a newbie to feel and she simply didn't feel safe on one. Same with the touring bikes, just too big and heavy for her.

I'm sure after a summer with a 250 I can convince her to step up, but maybe she never will. What she does, it's her decision.

[joefrompa]

if you want the looks of a sportbike...

[gr8shandini]

I wouldn't be as concerned with outgrowing a 250, so much as "outclimbing" one. I assume that there's a lot of good mountain roads in OR. A bike that makes about 20 HP at sea level would be quite a dog at 7,000 ft. I think a non-supersport 650 (SV, Monster, Ninja) would be a better choice. Since she's fairly tall, a 400 supermoto wouldn't be out of the question either, especially if it's lowered.

[sonicGLI]

She often rides with me on the R1 and is still scared when I accelerate. It doesn't help that we live next to a neighborhood full of 'vettes and even a Gallardo, all of which like to play on the backroads near our homes. Of course, a vet wanted to play while she was on the back and I tapped her hands (which means "hold on") and I think she still pee's herself a little, even in straight-line acceleration. She's still in the habit of pressing her head next to mine (so I'm all sideways cockeyed) instead of trusting me and riding in-line, I'm trying to break her of that. BUT, it does mean she's very interested in controlling the situation by wanting to watch what's in front so bad. Still, she can't see herself on a bike nearly that powerful or even midsize sportbike (she hated my Gixxer750 and 929rr too). The other bikes that are a lot safer (the sv, gs'es, older sport bikes, etc.) she simply HATES the design of. I can't fault her for that, I'm the same way. Half my love affair of my bikes are the looks, the other half is performance.

She actually road one of my buddies Monsters (2004'ish?) around the block and when she stopped we had to keep her from falling over, she's seriously new to this stuff. And we all know what the typical dump is... low speed, in a parking lot, etc. etc. She's going to dump whatever she gets, but I'd rather it be a small, used 250 than a heavier bike that she'd have even less control over. One other problem with the Monsters (and similar) is that there is even less wind cover... your faceguard becomes the windshield - streetfighters are definitely a no-go for her. Even most sport bikes allow you to get out of the wind with a good tuck.

[URSledgehammer]

Naked bikes also a lot less plastic to replace. If you want a small cc bike why not a NRS.

[Sizzla]

Don't forget about the Honda 250.