I trust you guys opinions ,so here goes ...
The wife doesn't know how to drive a  stick shift , but has really warmed up to the whole M/C thing . We were at a local dealer and found these CPI-GTR Power floorboard-less "scooters" . I know they aren't from a major manufacturer , I know parts availability and maintenance are kinda unknowns , but they don't suffer from the itty-bitty wheel issue (turn the bars and fall over syndrome of regular scooters) and they don't have floorboards ... AND they're made in China (i think - saw something about Malaysia somewhere too). They pretty much appear to be little sportbikes with CV transmissions . Anyone have any specific knowledge on these things ?

I found a link to a dealer with some info and specs on them , as our local dealer doesn't show them . She wants the 150cc one btw
here's the link i found : http://www.cbxmanmotorcycles.com/cpi-gtr-150-sport-bike.aspx

BTW - the local guys had a open house a few weeks back and had them for $2500 . I talked to the dealer since then (they have the YZF600R i'm considering) and he said he'll honor the open-house price for me still

i wouldn't mind picking one of those up for me to play with or for Kalee but there's no way I'd take one out or let the misses take it out on the open road.  They're light, underpowered, small...everything cars and trucks love to eat.

Wanna get her a 'auto' bike?  Get one of these: hondamatic

Wanna really do something for her?  Get a Strom or a tourer or a cruiser so she can sit on the bike and actually ride with you.  If she's not interested in a real bike i'd bet a nut that she's more interested in just doing something with her man.

You can get a '08 Rebel for $100 bucks more. But, if she is set on getting an automatic, check out the Kymco too:
http://www.strmotorsports.com/showroom/index.html

Comparable prices (to that CPI) but with a fairly large dealer network and easy parts availability.

Maybee you should first teach her how to drive a stick first, then it'll open up her options.

Nothing against the scooter thing but some of the chinese ones seem to be sort of disposable. You break something and it'll hard and expensive to find parts.

Quote from: makenzie71 on June 17, 2007, 11:03:59 PM
i wouldn't mind picking one of those up for me to play with or for Kalee but there's no way I'd take one out or let the misses take it out on the open road.  They're light, underpowered, small...everything cars and trucks love to eat.

Wanna get her a 'auto' bike?  Get one of these: hondamatic

Wanna really do something for her?  Get a Strom or a tourer or a cruiser so she can sit on the bike and actually ride with you.  If she's not interested in a real bike i'd bet a nut that she's more interested in just doing something with her man.

Ditto

I would say a shadow,rebel,virago,something around 250cc to 500cc

the more I think about this question the more I think you should get a bike with a suitable pillion seat.  Ask her if she'd rather ride by herself or ride with you...

I agree . My mum wouldnt get a bike herself ,. she loves being on the back of my stepdads bandit , and going to bike meets and stuff ,

Quote from: genEricStL on June 17, 2007, 10:37:07 PM
I trust you guys opinions ,so here goes ...
The wife doesn't know how to drive a  stick shift , but has really warmed up to the whole M/C thing . We were at a local dealer and found these CPI-GTR Power floorboard-less "scooters" .

Best of luck sourcing parts for those things.

I'd just teach her to drive a manual transmission -- a bike tranny is a lot easier than a car's anyway, since it's sequential and you don't have to worry about hitting 1st gear instead of 3rd etc.

Or get a scooter from an established maker used.

-b.

I learned on a Kymco Zing 125..

Pros ., Looks great for a 125cc , Sounds Great for a 125cc , 100 MPG , Can rev it to like redline , and throw the clutch out , and it will never come up , in the uk tax was 15 pounds a Year , uses very little oil , can take pillion well , it beat my mates CBr 125cc Off the mark ,
Cheap , i payed 800 pounds for a 02  , in 2004 , very comfy , i did long trips on it , and it was fine , light , Fuel Gauge, Electic Start , and Kickstart , and doesnt need a battery to run , i didnt have a battery for ages in it

Cons , Tiny front Disc , And Rear Drum Break , Parts was a murder , had to wait 2 months for a clutch cable to come in , No Rev counter
small Wheels ,



Its A Winner I think

Quote from: Jay_wolf on June 18, 2007, 10:44:58 AM
I learned on a Kymco Zing 125..

BTW-  a lot of the smaller bikes aren't easily available in the US.  We don't have graduated licensing, so people generally start off on 500+ cc bikes.

-b.

Ah ., lol my mistake , it was really good to learn on tho , like i used to learn it , and i scraped the bottom of it so bad lol ,

Quote from: Jay_wolf on June 18, 2007, 10:44:58 AM
I learned on a Kymco Zing 125..

Pros ., Looks great for a 125cc , Sounds Great for a 125cc , 100 MPG , Can rev it to like redline , and throw the clutch out , and it will never come up , in the uk tax was 15 pounds a Year , uses very little oil , can take pillion well , it beat my mates CBr 125cc Off the mark ,
Cheap , i payed 800 pounds for a 02  , in 2004 , very comfy , i did long trips on it , and it was fine , light , Fuel Gauge, Electic Start , and Kickstart , and doesnt need a battery to run , i didnt have a battery for ages in it

Cons , Tiny front Disc , And Rear Drum Break , Parts was a murder , had to wait 2 months for a clutch cable to come in , No Rev counter
small Wheels ,



Its A Winner I think

We have these in the US.A guy up the road from me has one.He wieghs about 260 pounds.  When I get behind him coming home from work,he can only run about 40mph.    Every time I pass him running the speed limit,he gets a sh!tY look on his face.  No brain bucket or anything.  At least I wear a helmet and gloves.

If she wants something that'll be easy to ride I think the Hondamatic would be easy. It has an semi-automatic transmission and this one has a 400cc engine http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1978-Honda-400-Hondamatic_W0QQitemZ250132482916QQihZ015QQcategoryZ80647QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The Transmission is a 2speed with an automatic clutch. I think they come in bigger sizes... I think I seen a 750a once. I think this would be good to get her used to shifting and then when she get some expierence on this you could teach her to ride a bike with a clutch.

CPIs are made in Taiwan, not China (at least commie china...), so they're not bad like all the ebay specials you see floating around.  Still their dealer network is small and I don't know enough about them to really offer an endorsement.

I started riding on scooters, and honestly the little wheel thing is way overblown.  They don't fallover when you hit potholes, and they're not unstable.  They're perfect for what they're designed for.  My 75 Vespa Rally 200 has 10" wheels and I've taken it to speeds in excess of 70mph on the interstate for 50+ miles at a time and its rock solid.  I can also balance upright at a complete stop without putting my feet down with the best of them.  In practicing on the MSF course at my old school I could drag parts with confidence.

If you're willing to look at more traditional scooters, where I think you'll find a better product with more support, I'd suggest a Genuine Buddy for small wheels, or a Kymco People for big (16") wheels.  They're both quality products with excellent dealer support and a standing good reputation in this country.  They both come in a range of engine sizes to meet your needs.

I learned how to ride my GS before I learned how to drive a stick car.  The bike is way the hell easier.

Part of the reason she liked the CPI was that it didn't have floorboards and she could easily touch the ground ... she's only about 110lbs wet and 5'3" or so , so straddling the floorboards at a stop would be an issue . As far as the "little wheel" thing goes , i've seen quite a few people dump them in parking lots and stuff ... it's more the low-speed situations where they get dropped IMO . The looks of the thing was one of the main reasons though hehe ... she definately doesn't want a "cruiser"

She's sitting here with me reading the replies , and Mak , I think your second post might have saved me some money hehe ... we'll see how she feels as a pillion on my GS after I've done the fork internals (yeah , I know , i've had the springs from Sonic for over a month , but i'm REALLY gonna install them soon lol) . I've already upgraded the rear to the Kat shock , so the GS should feel quite a bit more "substantial" after i'm done .

*** Now that she's run back upstairs ... I may just have to get that YZF600R i've been wanting .... that'll be more "substantial" too   ***

BTW - thanks for the input guys , much appreciated . She's also ready for me get a rental car with a manual tranny for the weekend so I can teach her . I've offered for the past 8 years (I know , 'cause tuesday was our 8th anniversary) and she keeps stalling on me

Quote from: Chuck on June 18, 2007, 12:16:23 PM
I learned how to ride my GS before I learned how to drive a stick car.  The bike is way the hell easier.

My only concerns there are that i can't be right there with her , plus if she messes up in a car she won't fall down ( another LARGE reason is that we have 3yo and 9yo daughters that i have no clue as to how to take care of by myself lol ... shhh! )

MSF will take care of that.  Seriously.  The folks tripping over their feet walking into the classroom were shifting smoothly on the second day.

Kymco has a distributor right here in Chessnee,South Carolina.I have a dealer 3 miles up the road from me.
If I could find a Hondamatic close to me for the right price,I'd jump on it.