What Bike?

[emily00]

Hey all, I'm new to these forums and I came here to figure out what bike to get that would be good for me. First of all an introduction would help, I'm female, 22 yrs old and live in Columbus, OH, and my name is Emily. I took the Motorcycle Ohio course last weekend which was great, very helpful and I am now endorsed. During the course I was using a Kawasaki Eliminator which I liked, mostly cause I was able to put my feet flat on the ground (I'm 5'5) and it was light and felt nice to me, but I'd like to get something with a bit more power so I could drive on the highway safely, because in Columbus, it's hard to get anywhere without driving on the highway, though just starting out I'd probably stick to roads, I'd like to get something that when I'm ready to get on the highway, it's possible to do.

It doesn't really matter to me what brand it is, but I love cruisers. My friend is a avid Honda fan so he always preaches to me about them, but whatever, even if its not Honda I don't particularly care, but yeah. I'm 5'4-5'5 so it needs to be a bit short.

Thanks, emily

P.S: It doesn't have to be a new bike either.

[Scoutmedic]

First of all.....

Second, Have you checked out the Beginner's Guide? There are also stickies and the Learn To Ride A Motorcycle page which is downloadable in PDF format (Created and maintained by Dragonhawk). Don't forget to check out the Helmet Fit Guideline by Lion_Lady.

Third, Go to a variety of dealers and sit on all kinds of different motorcycles. Even if you don’t think you’d like the ride when you look at it.

Fourth, Good Luck, Have Fun and Stay Safe Out There! I hope you enjoy this site!

[Ian522]

if you have your heart set on a cruiser, you can check out the Yamaha virago 250, honda rebel, and suzuki gz250. All are 250cc cruisers with a low seat height and are great starter bikes. They will be able to go on the highway, but not go much faster than around 75-80mph.

If you want more power to spare at highway speeds, then you will have to step up to something around 500-650cc (yamaha v-star 650, kawasaki vulcan 500, honda vlx600 etc.). However these bikes are alot heavier and bigger than a 250 so you should sit on a few to see how they feel to you first.

[Mistercory]

I am new as well but as the previous posts mentioned, there are a lot of great threads on here to help you in this regard.

My only concern is that you said your name is Emily. As far as I know I haven't heard of any Bike makers who make bikes for women named Emily. You may want to look into that....LOL(kidding).

This is a great site and everybody seems friendly. WELCOME

[safety-boy]

If you really want a cruiser, the Vulcan 500 LTD is a great bike. Check out the Ninja 500-R. The wife is 5'3" and rides it with no problems. Highway speeds will not be an issue on either. The Vulcan is a tad tall, but won't be too tall (it is tall for a cruiser).

Kawasaki is always more bike for the money, IMHO.

Also,

--Dave

[flynrider]

Odd that Safety-Boy didn't mention the Suzuki S-40 (has one in his sig). If low seat height is really important, the S-40 is definitely one to sit on. It's no highway speed demon, but it'll hold its own on the interstate. It's also very light for a 650.