Trying to get my wife involved. Needs to be light, low seat (30"?), easy, low vibes. Like a Gold Wing/Trials bike? Oh...and I'd like to ride it, too. No such thing? S
Suzuki DL650 Wee for mostly street riding. Yamaha Wr250 for mostly dirt riding. Both are great bikes.
Bought my wife a Yamaha FZ6R this season. It's a de-tuned FZ6. Very smooth, low seat height, Yamaha reliable with good looks that betray the reasonable price tag. Best of all, the bike is very easy to ride - it is soft on the low end so a ham fisted new rider won't get into trouble and has just enough pep up top to be entertaining. I believe this is an unbeatable beginner/intermediate bike that most people could be happy with for many years.
Welcome to ADVrider! When you say "get my wife involved," do you mean to ride as her own, or to bring her along? I tried to get my wife to ride her own a couple times. It turns out she tried just to make me happy. Her heart wasn't in it. First, I got her a Nighthawk 250, then a Ninja 250. She started to take the MSF Basic Ridercourse, but dropped out after one day. She said she didn't feel comfortable and coordinated enough that she would feel safe on the street. She said she felt much better riding cupcake with me. Later, she felt like she might like a scooter better, so I bought a Honda Metropolitan. She did like it, but only rode it once and said it was too slow. When I upgraded to a Buddy 125, she wouldn't even try it. "Whatever. I tried." I said to myself. Now, she's in the stage of just putting her opinion in when I think of getting new bikes. She was the reason we bought the FJR. Great two-up bike, but hot in the summertime. Her dream for us is to someday have a big BMW. I asked why would she want to settle for a BMW when we've already had an FJR? Being European, she cannot grasp that Japanese stuff can actually be higher quality than German. Finally, I sold the FJR to get something more fun, that I would ride more in the summer. Something that was fun without having to go 80+ mph all the time. I got a KLR, and totally ignored her input. When she rides with me more, maybe we'll get a touring cruiser, a Goldwing, an ST1300, or maybe even that BMW she thinks we should get. (assuming we have enough money to own one with parts and such) What is the morale? Find out what SHE really wants. Not what she wants to make you happy, but what does she REALLY want. My recommendation is if it is for her to learn on, get a Ninja 250, first generation. They're small & light enough to be ridden by beginners, but fast enough to run at highway speeds. They are also ridiculously fun on tight twisty roads. So easy to go fast on those roads with that bike. That, or if she doesn't like the idea of shifting after completing the Basic Ridercourse, a maxi scooter. I love my scooter. Even though if I had to choose, I'd probably keep a motorcycle, scooters have a whole different set of strengths and weaknesses. If it is for both of you, it should be something big. Yamaha FJR, Honda ST1300, Goldwing, etc. Anything below 1000 cc is generally not worth considering. A Suzuki DL650 is worth considering, as long as you don't also want to go fast. Oh, and a Goldwing is in a whole different class than other bikes that are considered good two-up bikes. Bigger and heavier, yes. But also much more comfortable and surprisingly agile.
i am looking into a zero ds and bergman for the wife she likes the cargo hold of the bergman and the lack of shifting on the bergman
My wife rode a Honda Metro scooter for a couple of years. Yes, they are slow. Top speed is 40-41 mph, so you have to plan the routes well. But she has a short commute on 35 mph roads. She wanted a bigger scooter so we got her a SYM HD200. This one will do freeways. I have three motorcycles (see below), one of which is my Yamaha XT225.Can cruise at 50-65 mph.At 50 mph returns like 95 mpg.The six gear really aids this motorcycle in versatility.They dropped it for the new XT250 for 2008.The 250 is a fice speed. jon
My Girlfriends 1997 Suzuki Savage LS650 is for sale. It's a 650 thumper with a low seat (28"), new windshield, new Metzler 880's, new brakes, and new battery, new spark plug, new air filter and fresh valve adjustment, and older Willie & Max saddlebags. We have been trying to sell it all summer but no one has shown an interest. We ride it occasionally to keep the battery charged. She learned how to ride on this bike six years ago and she now rides a 2006 F650GS (lowered). The Savage is a great commuter, starter, short person bike that really helped build her confidence up. She will now ride dirt and gravel roads that have some ruts in it with the GS. Not sure if you were trying to get your wife to ride off pavement or to just get her to ride on short day trips on the pavement. Also, the bike only weights about 350 lbs, it is really easy to get off of the side stand. Also, it being a 650 it will cruise at 75mph all day long with some left over for passing.
What sort of riding do you have in mind? I'm guessing dirt since you mention trials stuff and this is in thumpers? There are four basic categories of options for sub-full size off road bikes. Slow, inexpensive trail bikes like the CRF150F, TTR125LE etc. Moderate weight, very manageable, but slow, poor suspension and brakes. Very good options for relaxed riding. Smaller MX bikes like the CRF150R, KX100, SX105, CR85 Expert etc. These are lighter than the above, offer much more power and have MX race quality suspension and brakes. Downside is they are a bit peaky and demanding to ride. Also tend to have a fairly short fuel range. Quasi-trails based bikes. Gasgas papera 250/280 and its ilk. Tend to be short, fairly light (~200lbs), lots of torque and all around great bikes for slower riding - they lack the suspension and brakes for MX or higher speed desert stuff, but great for single track etc. Some are even sort of street legal. Downside is they are rare, hard to find and not always all that reliable. Small dual sports like the DR200, TTR225 etc. These are fairly slow, very heavy, poorly suspended and often have marginal braking. Plus side is they are smooth, friendly, easy to ride, use very little fuel and are street legal (and even somewhat street worthy). Great for fairly smooth trails, dirt roads and general exploring, not the ticket for technical stuff as the weight will be a difficulty especially if she's not an advanced rider. My wife is quite happy with a DR250SE for street/dirt roads and a KX100 for off road.
My Daughter's been looking at the Kawasaki Ninja250 and 500. Also the Suzuki GSX(?)500. I think the SV is a bit taller but a lot of people have suggested it. Tons of aftermarket lowering goodies. As for Dirt, the Yamaha XT225. BTW she has a 28" inseam.
There is a really nice XT225 Serrow on here for sale that is pretty nice & cheap. If the SCQTTINA wrere still in the stable I would be picking it up for her.
Yeah. Improved dirt and off road for me, roads for my wife. Needs to be able to go 60+ miles on pavement (US hwys, State hwys) to get to the dirt. Looked at F650's (too tall/heavy), forget about oil heads!, maybe old R80's? I rode a KLR yesterday. Possibly, if seat were a lot lower. I rode it with a lowered Corbin. NOt bad, but still too tall for her. Just some fodder for you to chew on. Thanks, S
It may help if you mention the inseam of your wife because one low seat may be too tall for another short person. I started off (without any man's influence ) with a Suzuki Boulevard S40 after taking the motorcycle class. It's the same as the Savage L650 that JimR mentioned in an earlier post. The low seat allows me (only 5' 5") to flat foot while sitting on the bike. It's not overly heavy (less than 400 lbs) and I have ridden it up to 85 mph on a highway comfortably. I've dropped it so many times that when I traded it in for a Monster, it still had a duct-taped signal light which I got tired of replacing again and again. So that's something to consider. It's likely she will drop the bike. Perhaps something used and not too fanciful so the pocket won't hurt so much. The XT225 is a good option too. I have one and absolutely love riding it. Even though I can't flat foot it, at least it not too heavy to maneuver or to pick it up. Being a dual sport, it's made to be dropped various times and still not hurt it except for scratches. Oh yes, if she ends up not liking the XT, you can use it for offroad.
Smooth trials bike for beginner?..... Gotta be ELECTRIC! like 32 hp / 270 lbs for the big one, 23hp w/50lbs of torque/ 156 lbs weight for the dirt MX. http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-ds/
