Ladies - Any Advise on Enduro? (In Holland)

[Tequila]

I am female and I am planning on moving to Holland and get a bike there.
I had taken an MSF rider's course in the US about 3-4 years back, while I was still a student. I knew I wouldn't have money to buy a bike for quite sometime, but I still did it. Not having ridden since then, I don't have any confidence even test-riding a bike.

Now, I am moving to Holland. I am a bit over 30 yrs old, 5 6", 70 kilos (154lbs) I plan to ride only for fun, not for going to work, etc. I would like to ride long distance in time and use the bike to travel and see new places.

I signed up here, because there's a really nice riders forum for women.
Strange thing is, before I started the MSF course, I definitely wanted a Ninja, after the course, I figured out maybe cruisers are better for me, and now I am considering enduro. (Looks of the bike definitely matter to me, and enduro doesn't fair all that well- no offense). In any case, in online forums, noone talks about enduro bikes for beginners. So I thought I'd ask here. Any recommendations on whether I should choose enduro over a cruiser? If so, any recommendations on the brand?

Also I am not sure how/where I can ride in or near Holland for fun. I will be in north of holland and I would be interested in knowing the biking communities, good courses, anything you would be interested in sharing.

Any advise?

[Lion_Lady]

You might want to look into the restrictions/requirements to get a "M" license in Holland. I bet you'll at least have to take a riding test before being "cleared" to ride there.

In general, European countries are MUCH more restrictive of licensing for both cars and motorcycles.

P

[Tequila]

Yeah, I did look into it. I plan on taking a course and the test. There's one word for the whole experience: expensive.



Having said that, I cannot wait to get started.

Anybody who's an enduro user who would give me advise?

[MZ33]

There are bikes available in Europe that aren't here in North America--the Honda Trans Alp comes to mind. Of course, as with any bike, you really have to go sit on a bunch of them to find the one that feels right.

By "Enduro" do you mean "dualsport?" I'm asking because, even on the Adv Riders forum ( http://www.advrider.com ), it is pointed out that this term is used somewhat freely. I thought this thread kind of interesting: http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=436757. I didn't read the whole thing, though, just skimmed through it.

You may find more specific information there. I can't think of any regulars on the Ladies Lounge forum that have mentioned going to Europe. If you felt like it, your adventure--learning to ride, from the ground up, in Holland--would be an awesome blog here. I'd love to hear how it evolves.

[Johnj]

I don't know if the Yamaha TW200 is sold in Europe, but I've always liked them.