Ladies - Women's first bike choice

[bmwmotowoman]

I took the MSF course on a 250 Honda Rebel. A month later I got a BMW F650 GSAL. It is a great bike if you plan on riding long distances. It is also the only 650 that ABS is available on(excluding scooters).

[karlyn]

i think riding a small bike, more like a scooter is the first thing women shoud start driving as beginners. its more handy and you can adjust balance well.

[Buelligan]

My first bike was a 500 cc single cylinder Buell Blast, which I bought shortly after taking a Motorcycle Course. It was close enough to the ground that I could get my feet down flat (I'm 5'6"), light weight, enough power to keep up with the bigger bikes, but not so much as to get me into trouble. I did 3500 km then traded it in for a 900cc XB9S, which I still have. For me the Blast was an excellent choice as it allowed me to improve my skills without being over biked, with enough power to travel safely on the freeway.

Cheers,
Jan

[Loonette]

i think riding a small bike, more like a scooter is the first thing women shoud start driving as beginners. its more handy and you can adjust balance well.

Knowing how to ride a scooter (moped) before getting on a motorcycle is about as useful as riding a bicycle before a motorcycle. They ride very differently than a motorcycle. And why would you say this only for women? Men and women alike should start on small c.c. motorcycles with good instruction and practice as well as a good sense of the road and safety. If anything, I can see getting used to a moped as a hindrance to learning the finer points of motorcycling. This is all just my opinion though, and I may just be talking out of my back end...

Cheers,
Loonette

[Blexcroid]

I agree with Loonette as far as the ride of a scooter being different from the ride of a motorcycle. Most scooters have the engine under your bottom, whereas the motor (and majority of the weight) is centred between your legs and arms on a standard motorcycle, allowing both to control the weight of the bike. Having the CG shifted so far aft completely changes the ride and manageability of the bike. Large scooters such as the Burgman or Yamaha Majesty are advertised as being "highway-worthy", however the front end develops lift at highway speeds, due to this shift in CG and the scoop design of the front end. The vibration in the handlebars also is tremendous at highway speeds. These big scooters also fall over more easily since the weight is not as controllable by just the legs. When scooters were small (80-125cc) smaller women could still control the weight between their legs, even with the motor shifted to the rear. Trying to control a 400+ pound bike with the majority of weight behind you requires significantly more upper body strength than most women OR men have. I have seen many of these scooters "jacknife" around the legs of both men and women, tearing the heck out of their knees. Finally, the seat height of these scooters is often higher than some manual bikes, making the woman stand on tip-toes, further reducing her control of the bike. Bottom line: If a rider really needs an automatic bike due to disability or such, look into a Ridley or a custom automatic. Otherwise, get a small manual tranny bike and grow larger as your capabilities improve. Just my 3 cents.

[High_Side]

I agree with Loonette as far as the ride of a scooter being different from the ride of a motorcycle. Most scooters have the engine under your bottom, whereas the motor (and majority of the weight) is centred between your legs and arms on a standard motorcycle, allowing both to control the weight of the bike. Having the CG shifted so far aft completely changes the ride and manageability of the bike. Large scooters such as the Burgman or Yamaha Majesty are advertised as being "highway-worthy", however the front end develops lift at highway speeds, due to this shift in CG and the scoop design of the front end. The vibration in the handlebars also is tremendous at highway speeds. These big scooters also fall over more easily since the weight is not as controllable by just the legs. When scooters were small (80-125cc) smaller women could still control the weight between their legs, even with the motor shifted to the rear. Trying to control a 400+ pound bike with the majority of weight behind you requires significantly more upper body strength than most women OR men have. I have seen many of these scooters "jacknife" around the legs of both men and women, tearing the heck out of their knees. Finally, the seat height of these scooters is often higher than some manual bikes, making the woman stand on tip-toes, further reducing her control of the bike. Bottom line: If a rider really needs an automatic bike due to disability or such, look into a Ridley or a custom automatic. Otherwise, get a small manual tranny bike and grow larger as your capabilities improve. Just my 3 cents.

Wow, that is completly opposite of my impressions from having a Burgman out for an hour ride. It was completely stable, remarkably so. Totally neutral and stable handling, and it was so balanced that you had to remind yourself to put your feet down at a stop sign. I also put it to the far side of 160km/hr and it was remarkably powerful and stable for a scooter. I found that the engine placement was the greatest contributor to the stability of the bike.

I have seen many of these scooters "jacknife" around the legs of both men and women, tearing the heck out of their knees. .

Do you ride with a gang of scooter riders with week knees(I know: Is there any other kind)???? A slight exaggeration perhaps??????

[Blexcroid]

Wow, that is completly opposite of my impressions from having a Burgman out for an hour ride. It was completely stable, remarkably so. Totally neutral and stable handling, and it was so balanced that you had to remind yourself to put your feet down at a stop sign. I also put it to the far side of 160km/hr and it was remarkably powerful and stable for a scooter. I found that the engine placement was the greatest contributor to the stability of the bike.

Having any bike out for 1 hour in optimal conditions will not allow you to experience the full range of problems. Wind, riding speed, and body size will change the experience anyone has. Also, most women also carry their CG in their bottoms, adding to the aft CG (no pun intended). Men carry their CG in their upper bodies and tend to place more weight over the front fork, thus balancing the CG better.

I have seen many of these scooters "jacknife" around the legs of both men and women, tearing the heck out of their knees. .

Do you ride with a gang of scooter riders with week knees(I know: Is there any other kind)???? A slight exaggeration perhaps?????? [/quote]
Please take note that I was discussing SMALLER women as they tend to migrate to the scooters. A 100 pound woman or one who is 5'4" or less will still find the 400/650cc scooters more difficult to control because of the wide seat and wider stance required from the running boards. The strongest knees won't help if the rider's feet do not completely touch the ground. At 5'6" even I could not completely reach the ground on a Yamaha Majesty. Scooters are common where I live and I have seen my share of men and women have difficulty with them.
I would prefer to respectfully disagree with you as a Moderator than to make a rude response in kind.

[Loonette]

Slow down folks! While I don't necessarily agree with High-Side (and we've gone around on stuff before, haven't we? ), he's not acting as "moderator" in this post, and he wasn't being that rude. He's acting as a "member" in this post, voicing his opinion. Don't worry too much about his tone - try to remember how hard it is to read into things which are in print.

I do agree that if you're of a shorter stature, as I am (5'2"), a scooter isn't really practical. I see shorter folks on scooters have to lean them at stops. The only bikes that should have to be leaned on one foot are dirt bikes. A road bike should be flat-footed with both feet.

My basic opinion is, if you want to learn how to ride a motorcycle, then learn on a motorcycle. If you're into scooters for the long haul, then that's what you should learn on.

Cheers,
Loonette

[Loonette]

In fact the only people driving slow down here are the Canadians and Yankees So I was just wondering why most people on the forum tell new riders to get "small" bikes like 250s. I have only seen 1 250 on the road in all the time I have been riding and it was in town. not out on the highway.

What about Yankees!! Just kidding. Ride around downtown Detroit sometime and tell me how slow we drive. It's crazy around here. However, folks in rural Ohio drive extremely slow - I do lots of passing around here.

I think we see so few of the 250's because people trade out of them quickly. I started on a 250, and within two months I was on a 600 sports bike (which was really too much at the time - oops.). If your time is used wisely on a 250, even though brief, it just helps prepare you a bit more for the larger bike. But an 800 cruiser for a first bike is probably "okay", if you're the sort of person who can focus on early riding skills as well as on the weight and mass of a larger bike.

Cheers,
Loonette

[Cruzergirl]

My .02

As a 5'3" woman of ~120lbs I say start on whatever bike you are comfortable with. If that is a 250 Rebel, terrific. If it's a Ninja 250, great too. Even if you decide to get a Honda VTX or a Yamaha V-star 1100 (my bike) then good for you! Sit on a bunch of bikes, get the salesman/woman to hold the front tire and you sit and move the bike around. It is an okay way, aside from test driving, to find out if you are comfortable. When I was looking for my bike my friends all told me to start with the Honda Aero 750 which is a great bike. It just didn't do the trick for me. Good luck!