No this isn't me being sexist. I love it that she wants to get her own after riding with me... But she's 5'2" and well. She can't even sit on my stock GS without barely the tips of her toes touching the ground. But she doesn't wanna start off big. so what are her choices? Help me GSTwins guys! I'd like for her to get a GS. but idk about the height issue.
Look for an older Honda CB350. They are cheap, easy to work on, and have a very low seat height. Or maybe an older GS450 - the seat can be trimmed down for shorter legs too.
Quote from: Big Rich on January 02, 2012, 10:13:37 PM
Look for an older Honda CB350. They are cheap, easy to work on, and have a very low seat height. Or maybe an older GS450 - the seat can be trimmed down for shorter legs too.
How is finding parts and stuff for the CB350? Expensive? Also how is it at riding highway speeds? 65-70?
They made thousands upon thousands of them between 68 and 73. And being one of the first "UJM's", parts from other models bolt right up. So with a little research they can be pretty cheap.
It will do highway speeds, but it can be harder on the rider than the bike.
My g/f is just over 5' 1" and has no trouble with her Ninja 250R. We got lowering links for it, this helped a lot of learning (lots of parking lot stuff). It's slightly lower (1"?) but not so bad that turning is significantly affected. She is fine now without the links.
The bike is fine on the freeway. It is a screamer but it'll do roughly the same speeds as our bikes without trouble. It is loads of fun to ride, you feel like a racer while barely doing over 40 :D
Ninja 250
VTR 250
Suzuki Intruder 250 cruiser
Virago 250 cruiser (don't dis either of these bikes, I know people who ride them and they do VERY well with them.
GS500 with cut down seat.
Here's a CB400 modded for a woman who is 5'1...
(http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc490/Bulldogtrim/Motor%20Bikes/P1030899.jpg)
(http://i1214.photobucket.com/albums/cc490/Bulldogtrim/Motor%20Bikes/P1030900.jpg)
Michael
Yeah I agree with mister but my case rests with the vtr 250 it's naked, a Honda, a v twin, and cheap to own and run. And lots of parts from other bikes fit it and lots of parts available online.
As much as I agree with Mister as well, let's remember that the US market is primarily larger bikes.
I would however love to own that CB400.......
Quote from: Big Rich on January 03, 2012, 03:16:55 AM
As much as I agree with Mister as well, let's remember that the US market is primarily larger bikes.
I would however love to own that CB400.......
yeah that is a Very nice bike!
My first street bike was a '73 CB350. Lead sled but reliable. What about Suzuki's new TU250? Retro looks, modern fuel delivery. Adfalchius is about 5' 4" and has lowering links on her GS. She built her confidence on a Nighthawk 250.
-Jessie
I would suggest a CBR250RR - provided you don't mind her beating you everywhere!
Seat height is 55mm lower,
Bike weight is 37kg less
Engine only 40 hp & 23 nm but they pull hard all the way to their 19500rpm redline
Twin discs on the front
They are learner-legal (in Aus)
(http://www.mpcg.h17.ru/images/image008.jpg)
Quote from: J_Walker on January 02, 2012, 10:05:49 PM
No this isn't me being sexist. I love it that she wants to get her own after riding with me... But she's 5'2" and well. She can't even sit on my stock GS without barely the tips of her toes touching the ground. But she doesn't wanna start off big. so what are her choices? Help me GSTwins guys! I'd like for her to get a GS. but idk about the height issue.
Honda Rebel...lots of 'em on Craigslist with less than 1000 miles on 'em............great bike...(still in production too....not too $$$ can resell after a year for same $$$
Cookie
Quote from: BaltimoreGS on January 03, 2012, 04:43:18 AM
My first street bike was a '73 CB350. Lead sled but reliable. What about Suzuki's new TU250? Retro looks, modern fuel delivery. Adfalchius is about 5' 4" and has lowering links on her GS. She built her confidence on a Nighthawk 250.
-Jessie
Actually I'm 5' 2". The Honda Nighthawk was a great bike to practice on- low height, easy to maneuver, drum brakes (forces you to get in the habit of braking early!), standard seating position...plus they are super cheap and easy to find on craigslist. Like Baltgs said, it really did help me build confidence. My E model GS is lowered 1.5 inches. Do you have an F- aren't they even higher than E's?
Oh, the New Rider Course is a smart idea and an excellent investment!
Quote from: Unsane on January 03, 2012, 05:28:19 AM
I would suggest a CBR250RR - provided you don't mind her beating you everywhere!
Seat height is 55mm lower,
Bike weight is 37kg less
Engine only 40 hp & 23 nm but they pull hard all the way to their 19500rpm redline
Twin discs on the front
They are learner-legal (in Aus)
(http://www.mpcg.h17.ru/images/image008.jpg)
That looks like a vintage VFR750 Interceptor. Hmm! Interesting! Headlight is different though.
An F I have felt is lower than an E, it is wide seat and so on and makes it look higher, but oddly the width of the seat soesn't splay your legs more making you feel shorter ... the F's seat overflows on the sides and somehow lets your legs sit closer to your center line as much a sthe pegs allow.
However for a short person I cant think of a better bike than a virago 535. A second choice is an old 450 rebel.
Cool.
Buddha.
What about a Honda Shadow 250? It's a 250 parallel twin.
Quote from: Kijona on January 03, 2012, 10:16:39 AM
What about a Honda Shadow 250? It's a 250 parallel twin.
Are you referring to the Rebel?
-Jessie
Guys she kinda wants a sports bike. Something with fairings.. what about bikes that can be lowered?
Quote from: J_Walker on January 03, 2012, 09:30:00 PM
Guys she kinda wants a sports bike. Something with fairings.. what about bikes that can be lowered?
Just about any bike can be lowered. If she wants a bike with fairings you can't go past a Ninja 250.
Quote from: Big Rich on January 03, 2012, 03:16:55 AM
As much as I agree with Mister as well, let's remember that the US market is primarily larger bikes.
I would however love to own that CB400.......
Me too but they are seriously overpriced. You can get 2 GS's for one of these new.
motorcycle world, Y U Make my life easy....
What is your budget? if a new bike is in the budget I would go with the Honda CBR 250.
If you find one a Yamaha SRX250 is a great bike, very light and easily up gradable, think TT 250-350-500.
A ninja 250 can be bought cheap and are still plentiful.i had to work on one of these and the maintenance is a lot more difficult.
Quote from: BaltimoreGS on January 03, 2012, 09:03:44 PM
Quote from: Kijona on January 03, 2012, 10:16:39 AM
What about a Honda Shadow 250? It's a 250 parallel twin.
Are you referring to the Rebel?
-Jessie
Honda Nighthawk CB250. For some reason I thought it was called the "Shadow". D'oh!
Quote from: Twisted on January 03, 2012, 09:38:11 PM
Quote from: J_Walker on January 03, 2012, 09:30:00 PM
Guys she kinda wants a sports bike. Something with fairings.. what about bikes that can be lowered?
Just about any bike can be lowered. If she wants a bike with fairings you can't go past a Ninja 250.
+1
The old Ninja 250's were great bikes and can be had dirt cheap and the new one looks great!
As far as lowering, you can lower anything. A 5 foot nothing friend has a GSXR-1000 that has been slammed to the ground to fit her. We tried riding 2 up to dinner at bike week on it and the suspension bottom out over the smallest bumps :laugh:
-Jessie
Quote from: Kijona on January 03, 2012, 11:42:14 PM
Quote from: BaltimoreGS on January 03, 2012, 09:03:44 PM
Quote from: Kijona on January 03, 2012, 10:16:39 AM
What about a Honda Shadow 250? It's a 250 parallel twin.
Are you referring to the Rebel?
-Jessie
Honda Nighthawk CB250. For some reason I thought it was called the "Shadow". D'oh!
250 nighthawk is kinda rare in USA...no longer in production....but nice bike with "standard" riding position. Not particularily low seat height......Seldom seen on craiglist
250 Rebel has same engine but is "cruiser" riding position...lower seat, very upright position.....very common bike is USA...very common amoung women for first bike....Maybe 20 to 30 examples on craigslist within 50 miles......$1000 for older ones and up to $2000 for near perfect from 2004 or so...and $4000 for '10's 11's and 12's
Cookie
Cookie
Good threads with some thoughts on lowering the GS500 and the EX250/500 bikes for a short gal or an old man :icon_lol:
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=40074.0
http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=55197.0
Quote from: twocool on January 04, 2012, 05:01:50 AM
Quote from: Kijona on January 03, 2012, 11:42:14 PM
Quote from: BaltimoreGS on January 03, 2012, 09:03:44 PM
Quote from: Kijona on January 03, 2012, 10:16:39 AM
What about a Honda Shadow 250? It's a 250 parallel twin.
Are you referring to the Rebel?
-Jessie
Honda Nighthawk CB250. For some reason I thought it was called the "Shadow". D'oh!
250 nighthawk is kinda rare in USA...no longer in production....but nice bike with "standard" riding position. Not particularily low seat height......Seldom seen on craiglist
250 Rebel has same engine but is "cruiser" riding position...lower seat, very upright position.....very common bike is USA...very common amoung women for first bike....Maybe 20 to 30 examples on craigslist within 50 miles......$1000 for older ones and up to $2000 for near perfect from 2004 or so...and $4000 for '10's 11's and 12's
Cookie
Cookie
And don't forget the Rebel has a disc brake up front instead of the drum found on a Nighthawk. I have a 1993 Nighthawk 250 I bought dirt cheap when the MSF was selling off some of their training bikes years ago. The rear suspension sucks, the brakes are marginal and it struggles to get my fat ass to 70. Those negatives aside, that is the most reliable bike I have ever owned!! It sits neglected in the garage for months and always fires right up when needed. I have never had a need to see the inside of the carb, there is no oil filter to change and it has screw type valve adjusters. Nice bike if you can find a decent one cheap :thumb:
-Jessie
She's never ridden before and she's vertically challenged. And she wants a 'sport' bike. You need to find her something light and/or that you can lower ~ I wouldn't start on the GS500, although with some experience it would be OK.
Personally, I would start on a small dual-sport so she can drop it without feeling (too) bad about it and costing a bunch of money. Might be difficult to find one that is low though. My 5'2" wife could never find one she fit on.
If all you're going to do is putt around town and stay off the busy fast roads during non-rush hour traffic, you could check out a CBR125. Rides like a mountain bike with a motor. Very light and manageable, and you should be able to sell it for close to what you paid if you don't damage it. My wife started riding again on one and we didn't lower it or anything for her, although you probably could ~ google/eBay lowering links and CBR125.
Keep in the mind the wee-BR only has 13hp, so it's going to have some serious limitations.
Beyond that there is really only the 250Ninja in the uber-beginner 'sport' bike category.
I'd prefer the new for CBR250 thumper which has performance close to the Ninja 250 but with HP and Torque peaks about the same as the GS500 so it's not so peaky as the Baby Ninja.
http://www.cycleworld.com/2011/02/24/kawasaki-ninja-250r-vs-honda-cbr250r-video/
Ninja 250 was one of my first bikes and I loved it, great bike. When Heather wanted a bike we bought her the GS500, but I still wish I had found her a 250 instead, a few less hp but I think it's a bit more user friendly for someone small, plus it was perfectly stable buzzing along at 100mph all day long, the GS always felt a little questionable at higher speeds. The newer 250s look great too, I had one of the old ugly ones.
If the price for the CBR250 was comparable for you I would consider it...available ABS is a nice option
+1 to the Ninja 250. Easy to find, easy to fix, easy on the wallet.
However, I do have to agree with the crowd opinion that old Hondas are the way to go. A Nighthawk 250 may not be the sexiest bike in the world, but it is dead simple, low to the ground, and with a small rider will do highway speeds.
Has your girlfriend done the MSF safety course yet? Odds are she'll have a Nighthawk 250 there, and if she's lucky there will be the odd Ninja 250 or small displacement dual sport to size up. That would be a good place to start.
Quote from: ryott52 on January 07, 2012, 11:30:25 AM
+1 to the Ninja 250. Easy to find, easy to fix, easy on the wallet.
However, I do have to agree with the crowd opinion that old Hondas are the way to go. A Nighthawk 250 may not be the sexiest bike in the world, but it is dead simple, low to the ground, and with a small rider will do highway speeds.
Has your wife done the MSF safety course yet? Odds are she'll have a Nighthawk 250 there, and if she's lucky there will be the odd Ninja 250 or small displacement dual sport to size up. That would be a good place to start.
no she was looking for bikes that she could actually buy/afford/ride before paying almost 300 bucks for an MSF safety course... And by the way, not to correct you or anything offensive, but "Girlfriend" not wife. :) Not yet... :D
That CB400 is SWEET!! Never seen one before, I can see that bike as a CAFE RACER
What about the new yammy rf150 or whatever it's called?
I think i'll help her buy a honda CBR250. Only 7 months old and wont have all the problems an old/used bike would. here goes more money outta my pocket, Geeze Why can't I just RIDE!!!!? I'm going broke. Gonna open a paypal for donations soon. :D
Quote from: J_Walker on January 07, 2012, 04:10:56 PM
Quote from: ryott52 on January 07, 2012, 11:30:25 AM
+1 to the Ninja 250. Easy to find, easy to fix, easy on the wallet.
However, I do have to agree with the crowd opinion that old Hondas are the way to go. A Nighthawk 250 may not be the sexiest bike in the world, but it is dead simple, low to the ground, and with a small rider will do highway speeds.
Has your wife done the MSF safety course yet? Odds are she'll have a Nighthawk 250 there, and if she's lucky there will be the odd Ninja 250 or small displacement dual sport to size up. That would be a good place to start.
no she was looking for bikes that she could actually buy/afford/ride before paying almost 300 bucks for an MSF safety course... And by the way, not to correct you or anything offensive, but "Girlfriend" not wife. :) Not yet... :D
Woops, my bad. Let us know how the CBR works, I haven't talked to anyone who has one yet.
I learned on a '73 CB350. A very forgiving bike and very easy to find cheap parts. You could cafe it like the one in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... that actress was very tiny. And it's a bit sportier and tougher looking than the standard CB.
haha, you're gonna be jealous of that cbr250 and end up making her ride your gs500 haha. I've always been jealous about some of the awesome smaller bikes you can get in other countries that they don't even think about bringing to the US. My personal favorite is that zx400r, but I'd also kill somebody for some of those old slingshot framed gsxr400s. I'd make a city sized streetfighter out of one. Many I'm jealous haha.
Also, I'm in love with that new ktm duke125. That bike looks like too much fun. Small displacement bikes in the US aren't usually much to look at.
my girlfriend offended me today, Said the old CB350 type bikes we're ugly.. God damnit, I think I see a break up in our future... JK!! but still.. no I was about to be like - facepalm - "GO MAKE ME WAFFLES NOW!!"
Quote from: tt_four on January 08, 2012, 09:43:42 PM
haha, you're gonna be jealous of that cbr250 and end up making her ride your gs500 haha. I've always been jealous about some of the awesome smaller bikes you can get in other countries that they don't even think about bringing to the US.
Forgot we get a cbr250 in the US now, I take back what I said before, haha. I was picturing this guy:
(http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/9436/cbr250rr.jpg)
The newer cbr250rs look nice enough, just not worth the excitement I had before.
I would go for a 250cc too as my wife did not even want to try my GS but after going to the store and having her sit on some 250's she is beginning to come around. I have my eye out for a Ninja 250 in the Craigslist :icon_eek:
Actually, the mid-90's 250cc and 400cc Japanese sportbikes were not that much smaller. A couple of shops here have tried to bring them over unsuccessfully ~ they are always too old, too expensive AND still too big for a newer, smaller rider.
Quote from: J_Walker on January 08, 2012, 10:56:50 PM
my girlfriend offended me today, Said the old CB350 type bikes we're ugly.. God damnit, I think I see a break up in our future... JK!! but still.. no I was about to be like - facepalm - "GO MAKE ME WAFFLES NOW!!"
Bah! Even I want to tell her to get to the kitchen. :cookoo: To each their own. My boyfriend refused to be the one to show me how to ride when I decided I wanted to learn. He said "Go take the class, then we'll talk". I was serious and really wanted to, so I took the class and sat on different bikes. If she's really serious, she'll do the same. One thing to keep in mind is the bike you start on probably won't be the one you stick with for the rest of your life. Just pick one that feels comfortable and is cheap enough that she won't be crying when she drops it in a newbie maneuver. Fairings could get all scratched up in the beginning. Get the dream bike later, after she gets some miles under her belt.
-Erika
What she said :)