What is good starter bike for girl

[DELL82]

My daughter just passed her MC license in San Diego.
Now she is looking for a ride.
She is 30 yrs old, inseam of 27 inches and 130 pounds. 5'3" tall.
Her budget is about $2,500.00 for a used bike.

I have been told that a 650cc Yamaha V star cruiser is low to the ground and stable. Low CG and easy on slow turns.
Any suggestions from the Guru's on here will be very very much appreciated
I have not ridden so many bikes so my experience is limited. I hope there is someone here that knows which bike, not necessarily Yamaha, would be a great starter for my daughter.
Thank YOU
Dell82

[tcoop]

I got a Honda Nighthawk 450 for my kids to learn on a Yamaha XJ400 would not be bad either.

The suzuki savage is a melo bike good for learning. (its a single cylender 650 bike and low to the ground)

[crazy steve]

Sent you a PM......

[DGXSER]

Schwinn......Trek.....Huffy!! Sorry...someone had to do it though!

Actually, depending what long term thoughts are, a 250 Rebel or Nighthawk is not a bad idea.

[bikerphil]

A 250 Ninja. Pick 'em up cheap, ride it for a few months, pass it on to another learner.

[DAVINCI]

Schwinn......Trek.....Huffy!! Sorry...someone had to do it though!

Actually, depending what long term thoughts are, a 250 Rebel or Nighthawk is not a bad idea.

Yup, can't beat the Rebel for ease of handling and it's nice and low. But, they're hard to come by, at least around here, simply because they're such a good starter bike. Many of the local MSF course providers use them exclusively for the basic rider course.

[MaximPhil]

Hi Dell82
There is a VStar 250 also. Used to be called Virago. very light and nimble yet sufficient power to move along.
If she feeels commited to having a bike and is comfortable with the 650 I think it would be a good long term choice especially if she likes the idea of touring /day rides rather than just buzzing around town.
Phil

[XSive Okie]

Honda Shadow 750? Light and nimble, but has decent power when needed for passing and such.

[ManitoulinLad]

250 Ninja

I agree with BikerPhil on the 250 Ninja, my co-worker just got one last year -small girl same discription & just loves it - new rider & she is keeping it also for this year too & also alot of the the 125 cbr's which are a dime a dozen up here with only a few km's on them. used one seems to go for around 2800 at the most (one year old with couple thousand, if that kms on them) My co-worker looked at the 125's too but she thought it was more of a bicyle than a motorbike & got the 250 ninja instead. Hope that helps you out - Dan

[Geezer]

I would have recommended an XS650 twin but do to making them into choppers, they usually selling for more than they're worth these days. It's a light, torquey and easy to ride bike that you won't outgrow in one riding season. A year on a 250 and you're usually wanting something bigger...

Geezer

[cywelchjr]

If you can find one, and XS400 is a nice bike, nearly as torquey as the 650 but lighter and more flickable, and less likely to be chopped, so they run less, but also a little harder to find.

[Geezer]

If you can find one, and XS400 is a nice bike, nearly as torquey as the 650 but lighter and more flickable, and less likely to be chopped, so they run less, but also a little harder to find.

I can agree with that. An XS400 is also a bike that you're not likely to outgrow in one riding season...

Geezer

[planedick]

Ayr

I belong to a local group call the AYR Riders. (All Year 'Round Riders) and there is a girl who has a Honda Shadow 750, very nice and certainly capable of keeping up.

[xsroadrunner]

My daughter just passed her MC license in San Diego.
Now she is looking for a ride.
She is 30 yrs old, inseam of 27 inches and 130 pounds. 5'3" tall.
Her budget is about $2,500.00 for a used bike.

I have been told that a 650cc Yamaha V star cruiser is low to the ground and stable. Low CG and easy on slow turns.
Any suggestions from the Guru's on here will be very very much appreciated
I have not ridden so many bikes so my experience is limited. I hope there is someone here that knows which bike, not necessarily Yamaha, would be a great starter for my daughter.
Thank YOU
Dell82

The first thing you should do is talk with her and see what she likes. does like a cruiser or does she like a sportbike? If she likes sportbikes then a Ninja 250 would make an excellent first bike. Alot of the cruisers are slow and not as nimble in handling as the ninja would be. I would stay away from the honda rebel 250s' as they are slow and have awkward handling. The thing i like about the Ninja 250 aside from its nimbleness and adequate power is that when you want to sell it ,you'll be able to get your money back from it.

[3Phase]

Dell, if you can find one: Kawasaki KZ440 LTD.

I bought one for my first wife and taught her to ride back in '82. She was short, 5'2", maybe 100 lbs soaking wet and she had no problem riding it around the mountains or on the freeway.

The only other bike she could sit on, touch the ground flat-foot and move around at low or no speed in a parking lot was a Sportster but it was a little too heavy for her to pick up if she dropped it and a little too spendy -- not really a good training bike.