Ladies - Women's first bike choice

[sunshine229]

A common thread on our forums has always been "What is a good bike to start on." I thought since inevitably someone will want to ask this question, we could probably get a head start and share some ideas.

Of course, since we are in the Ladies Lounge, I think we should direct our suggestions to new women riders!

Andrea

[Miss_C667]

I'd be very interested to hear some suggestions.

Firstly, once I have done my CBT, I can only legally ride a 125 until I pass my full test.

Secondly, I'm 5'2" and quite short legged. All but one of the bikes I've tried so far has been too tall for me.

[sunshine229]

Here is my 2 cents

I found that the hardest thing to overcome when learning to ride, was learning how to balance the weight of a motorcycle. At my MSF course I was able to try a cruiser, a standard & a sport bike. The sport bike was the hardest to handle because the weight makes it top-heavy. The standard was the easiest for me because the cruisers weight was very low leading to a low centre of gravity.

I would also recommend starting on a bike with lower torque and horsepower so that you can get used to the bike before it sweeps you off your feet!

Andrea

[Ladymx]

I'd be very interested to hear some suggestions.

Firstly, once I have done my CBT, I can only legally ride a 125 until I pass my full test.

Secondly, I'm 5'2" and quite short legged. All but one of the bikes I've tried so far has been too tall for me.

When you get your full test done you would likely like the honda rebel 250. It seems to be a good starting place for many lady riders, due to the height.

[southern belle]

I started on a Honda Rebel but I would also suggest trying the Honda Aero. I am also 5'2" and I can comfortable sit on this bike with both feet flat on the ground.

[Miss_C667]

When you get your full test done you would likely like the honda rebel 250. It seems to be a good starting place for many lady riders, due to the height.

I started on a Honda Rebel but I would also suggest trying the Honda Aero. I am also 5'2" and I can comfortable sit on this bike with both feet flat on the ground.

Thank you for suggestions so far, I'll look out for those bikes at the next show I'm at.

[Smurfette]

Hi! I'm 5'3" and I ride a Yamaha Virago 250. It's my first bike and I think it's fairly easy to handle. Not that heavy either unlike a Yamaha Royalstar.

[strtchick]

I have a question I am 5'5 and weigh about 115 i want to get a streetbike a nice eacy one to maneuver and fun bike I want to get somthing light i was thinking of Yamaha or Suxuki or Honda btu dotn know which would fit my needs best help

[singinggum]

I have a question I am 5'5 and weigh about 115 i want to get a streetbike a nice eacy one to maneuver and fun bike I want to get somthing light i was thinking of Yamaha or Suxuki or Honda btu dotn know which would fit my needs best help

I had some of the same concerns when I was shopping for my first bike. I ended up getting a Honda 919 which is a naked streetbike. It's one of the lightest bikes out there at under 500lbs dry weight and it kicks A-S-S! there were a lot of people out there whose opinion was that it's too much bike to start out with, but I didn't want to get a teeny bike that ultimately I would get bored with and have to sell in a couple of months. Weight was a major concern of mine as well as height. I am less than 2"taller than you, and I didn't have to make any modifications at all. but I'm pretty sure you can chop it down if you need to. I've had it for over a year and couldn't be happier. This one's a keeper!!
Hope this helps!

[Ladymx]

Two inches on a bike is the difference of touching the ground and not touching the ground. You'd be very surprised.