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What's a Good Starter Bike?

markaz

New member
My 25 yr old daughter has been bitten by the motorcycle bug. She's been talking about a scooter (one of her friends has one) but I'm pushing a standard motorcycle. Any thoughts on a good starter bike that will get her some good experience before she moves up to an airhead? ;) Something that would have decent power and fairly light that would work for commuting and maybe short road rides? I was thinking about something in the 250 cc range...Honda Rebel or there's a Suzuki 250 that I don't remember the model number of. Something we could pick up for around $2k.
 
Cruiser or retro

The Honda Rebel is a twin with a more cruiser style and the Suzuki TU 250 is more a retro style that is a fuel injected single. So it depends on style more then anything. You might also be able to pick up a Suzuki GS500 twin for $2K if you look around for a 10 year old GS. That style is a little more standard. Good luck.

DR650's rule
 
Check out Kawasaki Ninja 250s. Been around forever and not bad looking, if she likes the ergonomics. Lots of them up for sale since people move up to bigger bikes or quit riding. Should be able to find a nice one cheap and have money left over for riding gear.
 
Something Italian?

A Ducati Monster 696 is a reasonable choice. My son started out with the 600 Monster (before they had the 696) and it was a great starter bike. We went on several long trips together. He ended up putting 30,000 plus trouble-free miles on it before upgrading to a more touring oriented bike (Ducati ST2).

Very light, docile and easy to handle, yet has the oomph if you want to ride it more aggresively. Plus the Ducati "mystique" may appeal to your daughter. Kept its value well also. The sound of the V-twin is also very satisfying.

It does exceed your $2000 price range, though good used examples are fairly plentiful in the $3-$4 K range.
 
Ultimately it comes down to what she wants and what she feels comfortable on. Don't try to push her into something that you want her to be on. She needs to feel comfortable or she'll likely walk away from riding altogether. Go to dealerships and start trying them on.
My wife started on a 250 Ninja. She tried the 500 but didn't feel comfortable. The 250 didn't have a lot of low end power that could get her into trouble. You really have to get the RPMs up to get the bike going(around 8k). As my wife learned how to ride and got more comfortable with it she was wringing it out at 11k and having fun with it. She used it for commuting and the occasional weekend ride. She put 4000 miles on it the first year before she moved up to a 650. She put 9000 on that this year.
She credits starting out on the 250 to her love of riding now.
 
Dealer

Take her to a deal, and just sit on a few smaller size bikes. Get her into a class and
don't push her, guide her to the MC that would be good.
 
I think a Burgman 400 scooter would be a better choice for a novice. It is easy to ride, will run over 100, will cruise at interstate speeds all day and handles better than most motorcycles. My brother calls mine a "girl's motorcycle".
 
My first bike was a Honda Rebel. Still have it. I've put over 28,000 miles on it in the 7 years that I have had it. In fact, I've spent more time on that bike than I have on all my BMW's combined.

And yes, its a bit underpowered, but hell, its only got 236cc. What do you expect? Our TU250 is the same way. The CBR250 and the Ninja 250 are a bit better, but not as comfortable.

I don't spend a whole lot of time on the highway with any of our 8 sub 250cc bikes. BTA, I don't spend a whole lot of time on the highway with any of my other bikes either.

The Rebel does what its designed to do. Its an inexpensive and reliable trainer and commute machine. And if you ask it to take you across the US, it'll do that do.
 
I agree with the beginning Honda idea. They are nimble, light, have a good power range, smooth, reliable, etc...
I knew a guy who would take his 600cc scooter around the twisties with the other motorcycles....
Scooters aren't all bad.
Not what I want, but it does seem to be more of a chick thing.
Same skills, nearly the same license...., M2 in CA for scooter, M1 for motorcycles and anything in class M2
 
I would be looking for something in the 400cc size. That said, I have to tell a story.

Last summer we were riding in the west. We were headed from Wyoming to the Colorado National Monument just west of Grand Junction, Colorado. We came down from the north just west of there and when we arrived at I-70 we could see a vicious thunderstorm right where we were headed. Radar on our phone said it would move east quickly so we stopped at a convenience store to let it pass. It rained a little where we were, just on the edge of the storm.

Sitting on the bench on the porch I noticed we had been joined by a young man, maybe upper teens or lower 20s. We struck a conversation and I discovered he was from New York, headed to California. He was riding a Kawasaki KL250 Super Sherpa - 2003 model, 250cc dual sport.. Since I happen to also own a 2003 Super Sherpa I thought this was cool. When the storm passed we headed east, he headed west - more or less.

A week or so later we went to the rally at the Sipapu Ski Area in New Mexico and then headed home to the Texas Big Bend. We had stopped in Roswell, New Mexico when up to us rode the guy on the Sherpa. He was detouring on his way - still headed to California.

About a week after we got home, just north of the Mexican border south of Alpine, Texas we got a phone call. The young man was 45 miles as a crow could fly west of us in Presidio, Texas. He had explored Big Bend National Park and ridden the River Road over to Presidio. We are 25 miles north of where he came out of the park so he bypassed heading west. He just wanted to say "Hi" and to let us know he was going to head to California.

I'm not sure where he went next, but I am willing to bet it didn't resemble a straight line to California. And I also know that 30 or 40 years from now he will still fondly remember this trip, on his 250.
 
It matters a bunch: how long are her legs?
I say ebay/craiglist standard Japanese bike in anywhere from 125-250.There are lots that go for far less than $2k & you can always resell & move up. I see it as practical to ride a smaller bike and feel safe then move up several times in size. The scoot(they are not girly!) ideas OK for fun & transportation but not as an intro to MC/s.
 
something simpleand easy to ride...vstar 650, can be had fairly inexpensively in the used bike market, very reliable....
 
One Option

The Royal Infield has been improved a lot lately and you might find a newer one in your budget.
 
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Excellent Ideas

Thanks for that story, Paul. Motorcycle Classics Magazine frequently runs stories and pictures from "back in the day" and -not infrequently- they involve young people riding very long distances on 250cc machines (sometimes 2-strokes), and sometimes two-up. Some of us enjoy torque, however.

I agree with the posters recommending "standard" bikes vs. scooters or cruisers. The ergos are VERY different, and if she starts out on a standard, her transition to the pinnacle of motorcycle nirvana - a well-sorted Airhead - should be easy. The 650cc Versys might also serve, depending on leg length.

Buy her a copy of Melissa Pierson's book, The Perfect Vehicle, which will stoke the fires of two-wheeled joy.

Walking Eagle
 
My youngest daughter went through this. She's been going to motorcycle shows with me since she was 13. She would sit on anything and everything. The 2 bikes that she always wanted were a Buell Blast, mostly because of the colors, and the Kawi Ninja 250. I didn't even push her in that direction.

I think she was 18 when she went to the MSF course with my wife. My wife took the course on her own Vino 125. I told my daughter to grab whatever bike looked the most like a dirtbike. She took the MSF using a Suzuki DR200. They both passed with flying colors and got their official motorcycle endorsement.

At the point in time when we were looking for a motorcycle for her, there seemed to be a complete lack of "beginner" bikes for sale anywhere within 500 miles. We ended up with a Suzuki Bandit 600. It was heavy, it seemed to have a rather high COG (to me, anyway), but we got a great deal on a good motorcycle. In retrospect, it was too much for a beginner, at least for her. She rode it for 2 years, then totalled it when she highsided on an offramp when she hit sand, the bike slid and hit the curb and she and the bike went flying. No doubt in my mind that it was her speed and inexperience that caused the wreck. Luckily for her, she only sustained some road rash and bruises.

So, having lived that, here's what I'm thinking:

- Something reliable. When she takes off on her own, you want to make sure she gets there and back. You can teach her about maintenance and troubleshooting, but it may be best to not start with a project.

- Something that fits her. My daughter is 5'11''. She fits almost anything. However make sure that the rider is comfortable starting and stopping and with the riding position.

- Something in the "mid" power range. I'm thinking something in the 400-500 cc range here. Could be a Burgman, could be a Kawi EX500. These have enough power for the freeway, yet not too much to get too much out of control.

- Do a rider's training course, whatever's available locally, if you haven't already done so.
 
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