[New954RRider]

so i am thinking of buying my girlfriend a bike for her b-day but noticed that honda doesnt make any sporty 250 class sportbikes... should i get the kawi 250r or honda rebel/night hawk? or just straight to 600 class bike? any input would be great, thanks.

[eyauch]

Does she have any previous riding experience?

[OSIRIS]

My wife had never ridden a motorcycle a day in her life until this past weekend. I bought her a 1981 Honda TwinStar (200cc) to practice before she takes the MSF course in May. I'd suggest something along the lines of that or a Rebel if she's never ridden. Newer 600cc sportbikes are too much for someone with no experience...maybe a F2 or something would be ok.

[seamus]

My wife had ridden a dirt bike a couple times when she was a kid then never rode anything for over 20 years.

I put her on an SV650 to start.

Several reasons:
V Twin torque is more forgiving of bad clutch action from a standing start (less frustration while learning)
Not so much HP that it's overwhelming yet not so little that she'll grow out of it within a year.
Aftermarket is flooded with inexpensive go-fast and look good goodies for when she's ready to start pushing her limits further.
Small, lightweight bike that she can easily handle at parking lot speeds while she was learning how to maneuver it.

Based on our experience (she's now doing track days with me), it's been a great choice.

[OSIRIS]

Originally Posted by seamus

My wife had ridden a dirt bike a couple times when she was a kid then never rode anything for over 20 years.

I put her on an SV650 to start.

Several reasons:
V Twin torque is more forgiving of bad clutch action from a standing start (less frustration while learning)
Not so much HP that it's overwhelming yet not so little that she'll grow out of it within a year.
Aftermarket is flooded with inexpensive go-fast and look good goodies for when she's ready to start pushing her limits further.
Small, lightweight bike that she can easily handle at parking lot speeds while she was learning how to maneuver it.

Based on our experience (she's now doing track days with me), it's been a great choice.

I was thinking the same for my wife except found the TwinStar for a couple hundred bucks and figured it was a safe buy in case she didn't like riding.
However, she loves it and I'm going to start looking for something more along the lines of an SV

[G-Force Junkie]

Originally Posted by New954RRider

so i am thinking of buying my girlfriend a bike for her b-day but noticed that honda doesnt make any sporty 250 class sportbikes... should i get the kawi 250r or honda rebel/night hawk? or just straight to 600 class bike? any input would be great, thanks.

Something cheap she can drop/crash. Something light enough she can pick up herself. Something low enough she can comfortably flat foot both feet at a stop. Anything heavy, tall, powerfull, and expensive make poor trainers. Buy a $500 whatever, have her ride it for a couple months, then if loves riding, get something better. If she isnt into it, sell it for $500 and you dont loose out on anything.

[tkorol]

Hi, My wife is newo biking and we bought her a CBR600F4.... and she s having a great time. They are light and nimble, have a very forgiving clutch and are comfortable. The RR model is not great if she is just out for recreational riding... great performance but not much comfort. I don't think my wife will outgrow her 600... she loves it. You will too.

Originally Posted by New954RRider

so i am thinking of buying my girlfriend a bike for her b-day but noticed that honda doesnt make any sporty 250 class sportbikes... should i get the kawi 250r or honda rebel/night hawk? or just straight to 600 class bike? any input would be great, thanks.

[Mojave954]

Originally Posted by G-Force Junkie

Something cheap she can drop/crash. Something light enough she can pick up herself. Something low enough she can comfortably flat foot both feet at a stop. Anything heavy, tall, powerfull, and expensive make poor trainers. Buy a $500 whatever, have her ride it for a couple months, then if loves riding, get something better. If she isnt into it, sell it for $500 and you dont loose out on anything.

[tkorol]

Don't buy her anything too cheap....ugly...she won't appreciate it. Get her to take a lesson first to builf her confidence.... then go for a small nicer bike.[


=Mojave954][/quote]