Daughter's First Bike Recommendation

whitele said:
Good point. I think she was along the lines of a scooter is a little putt-putt and she would like a motorcycle.

She's not set on a particular model. I think she wants the experience of shifting, clutch, brakes, etc and not just gun-and-go

She's quite mature for her age. During MSF, we actually had to tell her to go faster she was so careful! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

How did that go and did she have a clutch bike...?

Does your neighborhood allow her plenty of safe places to ride and LEARN without constantly worrying about traffic...?
 
i don't see that anyone suggested the suzuki gs500f... inline 2cyl, a little more weight than the 250's, little more power, thus making it more confident for freeway/interstate/highway rides. if she's completed the course, i'd say leave the 250's alone. at best, they're a very introductory ride. my wife actually finds her gsx650f easier to ride than the ninja 250 she had.
 
I just started riding 3 years ago, went through all of these kind of posts prior to purchasing. Read the billion threads on how 600 supersports are not good first bikes. So I finally ended up getting a Triumph Thruxton 900, which is a 865cc parallel twin engine with I think 69bhp. I was underwhelmed on that bike after the first twist of the wrist. It is a fun bike for around town, but completely uncomfortable for any highway use. With that said, I look back and regret not getting what I wanted, because I was easily bored on that bike from day one.

Bottom line is this, you know your daughter, if she is a quick learner, get her what she wants. My only concession would be if she can flat foot the bike and feels comfortable with the size of the bike. I also agree that the sv650 is a great choice! but a bit of a tall bike no?
 
The SV650 is a great little bike.
Very learner friendly, not too gear fussy or stall happy.
Not going to intimidate a newbie who has basic skill's,

Unlike a 250 or a Virago ( aggresive woman?) an SV650 will still be a lot of
fun when they pick up a few skill's and isnt a bike you grow out of overnight.

We have just sold an early carb'd model but have also had other carb'd and
later injected bikes. One of the few small bikes I still enjoy on the mountain roads.

If your short in the leg or lack confidence. All SV's are easy to lower on the dog bones
and slide the front end up a little. Later SV's even have a "low seat" option of a genuine
suzuki cut down seat. (well, they do in AU)

This one (just sold) had 110,000k's on the clock.
Thats about 68,000 miles, and went very well.
ImageShack Links Do Not Work
 
Last edited:
Got-Busa? said:
How did that go and did she have a clutch bike...?

Does your neighborhood allow her plenty of safe places to ride and LEARN without constantly worrying about traffic...?
Click to expand...

It was a clutch bike - we had her up to second and I think once in 3rd :thumbsup: She was able to figure out the controls after a bit.

Neighborhood is a good place. A couple miles of roads and it's relatively private (no through roads). I thought about that too. We can also drive down a few miles on 45mph roads to more safe places.

I'll look more into the SV650.

What about a Katana 600.

As far as outgrowing the bike, she's not aggressive with it. I think she's looking at it as a fun mode of transportation and not going to go zipping around next year (I hope not and I could be wrong...) :whistle:

She was happy on the 250. :thumbsup:

I'm really leaning towards this Virago if she can flat foot it. Price is really hard to beat! (Needs new tires though - the old ones are starting to dry rot about $170)
 
whitele said:
I'll look more into the SV650.

What about a Katana 600.
Click to expand...

Katana 600 is a more sporty bike. A 4-cylinder GSX. Not a bad bike.
Great if you want the extra performance or doing more distance.
A bit more weight (i think) and certainly not so learner friendly as an SV.
 
Update:

She sat on the Virago 535 and could flat foot it. :thumbsup:

A friend has a Ninja 650r (just about same seat height as the 250r) and she couldn't even tippee-toe the bike - it was too tall. I know I can lower it, but I wonder if I can lower it enough and how much that will affect the bike.

The 650r actually scared her a bit when she couldn't touch the ground.

@Tony - the Katana 600 did look pretty slick. From your thoughts and what I've seen it might be too much for her now.

Funny side note: The Virago comes with tool kit and owners manual! :laugh:
 
I would recommend Honda Rebel. I rode that one a few times when I was taking motorcycle lessons. Nice little bike. You go 40 and think you are about to take off. I think a used one can be had for very little.
 
I agree, the little Virago is a good choice. Very low investment, not too much power, good upright seating position and good visibility unlike sportbikes that have you canted forward making your perpheral vision limited. Other new models that offer a good upright position are the new 230/250 supermotos from Honda and Kawi although the price would be significantly higher as they are available as new only. As recommended earlier the Suzi DRZ400SM is a great bike but seat hight is very high, considerably higher than the previously mentioned SM bikes from Honda and Kawasaki. The SV650 is a great bike that would take much longer to grow out of but it isn't a small bike either and has much more power than the Virago.
 
The kawasaki vulcan 500 might be an option. I has a low seat height.

Kawasaki-Vulcan500-2004.jpg
 
bazooki said:
As recommended earlier the Suzi DRZ400SM is a great bike but seat hight is very high, considerably higher than the previously mentioned SM bikes from Honda and Kawasaki.
Click to expand...

But OH SO MUCH FUN!! :banana:

Plus you don't cry when you dump em!!

IMG_4053.jpg
 
Suzuki SV 650, great bike to learn on, lots of fun and a great v twin engine. What more could a girl want. Ride safe.:thumbsup:
 
thanks for all the input. I just couldn't turn down the Virago deal. Bike looked good. At first it ran with no gusto. Then used up all the crappy gas, put in new gas and fuel/carb cleaner and after a few backfires, she's purring and even has a little oomph! Tires are on their way in (tubed!) so far, we're really happy. Her gear should get here next week too :thumbsup:

Here's the ride

kkvirago.JPG
 
That looks really great! Your daughter is very lucky and she now has lots of chrome to polish up as well. Nice choice.:thumbsup:
 
bazooki said:
That looks really great! Your daughter is very lucky and she now has lots of chrome to polish up as well. Nice choice.:thumbsup:
Click to expand...

There was some surface rust on the wheels. She is now acquainted with Mothers polish :laugh:

Now for a few months of riding around the neighborhood
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

sleepless_red
How was your very first ride? What bike?
Replies
9
Views
671
DEMMYM
DEMMYM
P
Wife is looking for first bike
2
Replies
28
Views
2,180
busagirl4444
busagirl4444
B
Please help in buying my very first Hayabusa
2 3
Replies
42
Views
4,031
RedBull
RedBull
K
First bike....ok?
Replies
17
Views
811
GSXcite
GSXcite
K
Hayabusa first bike?
2 3
Replies
50
Views
3,499
Mikey1977
M
Back
Top