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Help picking out a bike for the GF

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psuedoarchon

psuedoarchon

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Huntsville, TX
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Jason
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So after about a year and a half of her hating me riding she has decided she wants one of her own. She is not sure what she would like (which is a big help) but does know she does not like cruisers. I am looking to see if any of yall could throw some ideas out there so I could show some to her and see what she likes.

The biggest issue is getting something she can handle. She is 5'5" and about 110 lbs so maybe some of the smaller people on the forum can give her some ideas.

EDIT: she is also looking at a $3000 limit at the time.
 
I have a female friend that just picked up a 2008 Ninja 250R. She LOVES it. it's small and light and she can handle it well. Not to mention they are cheap, hold their value, and can last a long time.
 
From looking at your sig line, how about a cruiser. They have low seats and a low COG. Shadow Series, VStar, or anothe Sportser?

No cruiser? Ninja 500 comes to mind.
 
2005-yamaha-xt225-small.jpg
 
Have her take a MSF course first. Here in GA they supply everything. After that she can test ride some things at dealers.

I know 5' 100# weemen who can ride a hog. It's all balance.
 
Let her pick her bike. The number one mistake you could make is picking one for her. Maybe steer her in the general direction of light weight, easy to handle, and what not, but let her do the picking.

Ninja 250's, SV650's, Vstar 650's, and similar bikes are all in her price range, and are typically regarded as good beginner bikes for most. It might be a start to see what kind of style she wants to start with.
 
My wife is 5'-2" tall so finding ones that fit can be an issue. Lat weekend on the way up to OKC for the OU-Tech game we stopped in at The Euro Shop in Waco and Eurosport in Fort Worth and she "test sat" a few bikes. Some of the aforementioned bikes would work fine for someone a little taller than my wife with little to some modification, non-cruiser bikes like the Suzuki SV650, Bandit 600, Yamaha FZ6, Kawasaki Ninja 500. The Euro Shop in Waco has a Moto Guzzi Breva 750 that can easily be adapted for my wife's height and someone at 5'-5" should be able to handle that fine, a Ducati Monster 620 is another one that would fit. The intriguing one is a Triumph Bonneville, my wife sat on one in Fort Worth and liked the seating position and it has many components for adjustment for her, the dealer there is pretty familiar with modifying bikes for shorter riders.
 
bluedogok said:
... a Ducati Monster 620 is another one that would fit.
Click to expand...

That's what my wife learned on. She's 5'8" but we sold it eventually to another female rider that was about 5' 4". It is right on the edge for the new rider to touch down but she has handled it well also.
 
DFW_Warrior said:
Let her pick her bike. The number one mistake you could make is picking one for her. Maybe steer her in the general direction of light weight, easy to handle, and what not, but let her do the picking.
Click to expand...

I planned on it. This thread is more for her since she is not on the forum at the moment and I do not know much about bikes for smaller people since I am nearly a foot taller than her and over twice her weight.

She plans on taking the MSF course sometime in the next month or so and then we will get serious about it but we will look over these ideas and see what she likes and then start hitting up dealerships to see what she likes and how they feel under her.
 
My 5'4" wife learned street riding on a Boulevard S50, swapped to a 2007 Ninja 650R as the cruiser was just not her type of ride. Lowered it just a bit with a rear shock mount and 1/2 up front. Many thousands of miles under the tires now.

Her first street bike was picked by her,,completely, she went to every dealer in 150miles and sat on um all.. Called me and said come get the new bike :-D

The second street bike was more of her giving me the idea, type of bike she wanted.. I picked out the ones I felt fit that category, why I liked them over another model / brand and she selected the model... Once that was done I just had to find one :rofl:

So what bike? Style of bike is important to us all, so her too... Once you have a style /type... select all the the brands and models that fit that range... Get her to sit on each for fit, pre research what is common or available for lowering, other adjustments so you can speak on those adjustments as she is sitting on the bike.
 
My sweetie adores her 09 Versys; she rode it nearly a year before finally lowering it and falling in love all over again. She's 5'4" as well. She leaves the aluminum panniers on it all the time because they make it so much easier to pick up when it takes a nap.
 
psuedoarchon said:
I planned on it. This thread is more for her since she is not on the forum at the moment and I do not know much about bikes for smaller people since I am nearly a foot taller than her and over twice her weight.
Click to expand...

:thumb: I was just making sure! ;-) If it were me, ask her what style of bike she wants, and then come back to us and let us go from there. There are several very good options with every style of bike. But just because someone loves the baby Monster (and it is a darn good bike BTW), it may be horrid for someone that really wants a cruiser.
 
DFW_Warrior said:
:thumb: I was just making sure! ;-) If it were me, ask her what style of bike she wants, and then come back to us and let us go from there. There are several very good options with every style of bike. But just because someone loves the baby Monster (and it is a darn good bike BTW), it may be horrid for someone that really wants a cruiser.
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She isnt big into bikes at the moment and doesnt really listen to me talk about them so to her bikes are either harleys or "jap" bikes. Her main deal is just not a cruiser and since that only leaves about a billion bikes i figured I would get everybodies input and then start showing her some pictures so she could start figuring out what she wants and then if I ever get the same day off as her we will go to some dealerships and actually sit on some.
 
Hey, that's a start.... no cruisers. You've already gotten some darn good info on some standard bikes so I'd show her some pics of the suggestions listed above and see where that gets you.
 
Ga-Bandit said:
Have her take a MSF course first. Here in GA they supply everything. After that she can test ride some things at dealers.

I know 5' 100# weemen who can ride a hog. It's all balance.
Click to expand...

Big +1 on taking the course before buying a bike. Since it's her first bike, try to find one that she is not only flat footed, but preferably also with a slight bend in her knees (without having to lower the bike).
 
I recommend the Ninja 500, you can get them really cheap and are great bikes. I have 2 of them and honestly love the handling, mileage and complete fun factor. I put a Corbin seat, taller windshield and bar risers on my 09 which made her even better.
 

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You're lucky (she's lucky) she's 5'5", she'll have a lot more choices. My wife is 4'10", the best solution was a ninja 250, lowered 2"!
 
Yes let her pick it out and do have her go to a MSF before she buys.
My wife went to HD and took her course riding a 500cc bike and did really well. We had gone to one of local dealerships many times and she set on a number of bikes. She likes the cruiser style bikes as both my bikes are Cruisers. She ended up finding a 2001 Honda Shadow 750 on craigslist for just under 2500 dollars. It fits her somewhat as I need to look into adjusting the shocks to lower the bike just a little bit. She is enjoying riding her own bike but still really enjoys riding behind me on mine. She did not want to spend to much money as she was worried she would dump it a couple of times which has happened already.
Keep the Shiny side up and the rubber on the road.
 
My wife has a '93 Honda Nighthawk. She absolutely loves it. Hyd valves so there is no valve adjustments to do, just change the oil and ride.

She's 5'4" and can manuvere it around very easily. We paid like $2300 for it and after 4 years I can easily get that for it again. I've seen several on this site for sale in the $2K range. I added a small windshield on it for $89 and it works perfect. It has plenty of power, yet very smooth and nimble for a beginner.
 
I see the OP is from November. Has she taken the MSF, and has she picked a bike yet?

I'm 5'3", 115#. My first bike was cb350, loved it. Second bike was a Ninja 500, loved it too. Currently have an FZ6, and it's a tad boring, but a great reliable comfortable bike. Also had a naked SV650 for a while, and it was a hoot. Any of these would be great bikes for a woman of that size.
 
HINT......try to get a bike that YOU like too, just in case.

Many Women folk try riding then don't like it that much and the bike sits.....and sits.....yes, you can sell it but you might not make your money back.

The Ninja 500 is a good choice I'd stay in the 500CC range she's a tiny gal.
 
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