My wife's contemplating becoming a rider!

[DELETE-PLEASE]

We went by a motorcycle shop to check something out (helmets), and they're selling a 2002 Ninja 250, mint condition with 2200 miles on it for a fair price. She sat on it, and said, "I kinda really want it". WOO HOO! Thinking about going to the guy and seeing if we can make a deal on it.....

Hmmmmm.........what do you think?

Alexi

 

[fjrchooser]

Pretty good beginner bike and hard to lose much, if any money on resale when she's ready to move up. Wish I could get mine interested.

I have to bribe her with dinner at Red Lobster before she'll get on with any kind of enthusiasm.

 

[ionbeam]

Had a similar event with my wife in May. In June she completed her MFS course and now has a MC endorsed license. Every day I come home I expect to hear, "Look what followed me home...!" Right now we are working on making a rational decision instead of an emotional decision about what may be sharing the garage with my FJR.

We have seen quite a number of ≤ 500cc bikes with low miles at a good price. Prime on the list of requirements are reliability, low seat height, light weight, visibility (to vehicles around this bike), good brakes and the ability to get some kind of bag(s) on it. I also can't help but look at availability of parts like mirrors, levers, signals and pegs for the prospective bikes

My sister-in-law discovered that her really cool cruiser like bike in black, black and black that sits very low is invisible when on the road. My brother is trying to find ways to make the bike more visible but he isn't at all keen about my idea of dune buggy flags :lol:

 

[Tyler]

We went by a motorcycle shop to check something out (helmets), and they're selling a 2002 Ninja 250, mint condition with 2200 miles on it for a fair price. She sat on it, and said, "I kinda really want it". WOO HOO! Thinking about going to the guy and seeing if we can make a deal on it.....
Hmmmmm.........what do you think?

Alexi

The little Ninja that could is a great starter bike! My daughter has one and she loves it. And, as previously stated, it will hold its resale value quite well as it's a high demand bike for new riders. And if your wife likes it, then it's a perfect bike for her!

 

[mike_123]

my wife and i ride with another couple and the woman is on a 2009 ninja 250

im not sure if its just her comfort zone but the bike limits where she will ride it

on the highway at 80 km the bike is revving at 8000 rpm and on the freeway at 100 km 9500 rpm

folowing behind her when a truck goes past you can literally see the bike shift a good 3 feet to the otherside of the road

again possibly rider experience but after seeing this little bike my wife decided on a fz6r

best riding position for her

a bit to tall so we are lookign to have it lowered an inch to get her flat footed

bags fit nice and look good

lots of room to grow with this bike to so she wont be needing to upgrade after the first season of riding

the 250s do hold their value but around here they are a tough sell because of that

why pay top dollar for used when you can buy new with warranty for a few bucks more

when she first got the bike she had her learners woes with it and dropped it in the driveway twice with no damage other then a paint chip on one corner of the fairing

i thoguht for sure the mirror would be done aswell as the signal and maybe the fairing

but its held up pretty good

she loves to ride it now as her comfort level has grown leaps and bounds wit hthe help of the msc

 

[2000LX]

I thought I would tell you about our experience. We purchased a Suzuki C50T cruiser because me wife said that she just wanted to ride on the back. 3 days after we got it she was driving it also. She really did great but it was just too big for her at the beginning. We found a Yamaha vstar 250 and purchased that. Between the MSF course and riding the 250 for a month or two she really got comfortable. Three months after buying the 250 we purchased a Yamaha FZ1 (lowered 2 inches) that she loves! Without the 250 I don't think she would have become as comfortable as she did as fast as she did. She also commented that the sport bikes require a little more self confidence and trust in yourself to put your feet behind you. She said she felt very comfortable with the cruiser 250 because it was easy to just plop your feet down quickly if you need them. If that makes sense to you? I feel a lot more comfortable with her on another bike thinking that if the terrible ever happens we will have better odds of one of us surviving for the kiddos.

Good luck! She is my favorite person to go riding with. It is great sharing the same passion with your wife. We can spend hours in motorcycle stores now. Hell of a lot better than bed bath and beyond! :yahoo:

John

 

[zenwhipper]

Two years ago me and the wife went through the process of her getting a bike. At first I was hesitant - but then realized I was being a bit hypocritical if it was ok for me to ride - but then did not want her to ride (could not stand the thought of her getting hurt or even worse). But she took the MSF course, we bought her an SV650 and now she's an riding like a pro. It is one of the things we love doing together and I cherish when we are scootin' down the road. She always has a smile on her face and gets a bit giddy when we head out.

In terms of the Ninja 250 - it would be a great starter bike. I'm sure after a year or two - she'd need something bigger. For my wife - we looked at 500s and she's larger framed so these bikes seemed tiny (no way would a 250 work for her). She has a great long term bike in the 650. Down the raod - we'll refine her bike needs and get something else I'm sure. Likely more of a touring model.

Good Luck!

Scott

 

[FantasticJohnR]

My wife also learned to ride in May of last year. Her first bike was a Ninja 250- best thing I ever did. This bike was just the right size for her to learn on and allowed her to quickly gain confidence and skill. After about 6 months, she stepped up to a "naked 650 ninja" ER6N. This bike allows for her short stature to be able to flat foot it on the ground. We discovered it is not about the seat height, but rather how the tank is sculpted- the ER-6N has a good size tank, but it is narrow between the legs allowing for better being able to touch the ground.

Here she is on the 2009 ER6N (next to my 2010 FJR).

All the best :bike:

 

[PhilJet09]

My wife and I spent the day riding in a charity even, each on our own bikes. It was an awesome day.

 

[havocdog]

We have seen quite a number of ≤ 500cc bikes with low miles at a good price. Prime on the list of requirements are reliability, low seat height, light weight, visibility (to vehicles around this bike), good brakes and the ability to get some kind of bag(s) on it. I also can't help but look at availability of parts like mirrors, levers, signals and pegs for the prospective bikes
My sister-in-law discovered that her really cool cruiser like bike in black, black and black that sits very low is invisible when on the road. My brother is trying to find ways to make the bike more visible but he isn't at all keen about my idea of dune buggy flags :lol:

My wife has not expressed an interest of late (good thing really... we nick-named her cage "The Dent" - no panel is straight), but my 17y.o. son recently got the MC endorsement and 21y.o. daughter now has a learners permit (her fiance is into bikes). Both are scheduled to take the MSF course in about 2 weeks. Anticipating my son's interest, I had picked up a DR200 2 years ago. I was riding a TW200, but this past winter, I found an F650GS for myself and sold the TW to make room in the garage (had I known the daughter would suddenly be interested in MC's, I would have kept the TW). Son has been riding dirtbikes for years. Daughter years ago tried dirtbikes once and fell, so she is a complete noob.

In my experience, the DR and TW are both great beginner bikes, but will be outgrown quickly. Both son (experienced) and daughter (noob) took quickly to and prefer the F650 to the DR or TW - they both feel more secure and confident riding it. I have to agree that it is easy to ride, is great in twisties and comfortable on super slabs. Both have tipped the F650 - nothing broke (gotta love trailies) and they were able pick it up with a little effort - at 400 lbs probably at the upper end of light weight. The F650 fits your requirements of reliability ('03+), low seat height (lower seat and lowering link for chassis also available), good brakes (ABS), bags and lots of other stuff (crash bars, windshields, heated grips). Several bold colors available for visibility. They have online support/community comp arable to FJR. And you can 'borrow' it occasionally to get dirty...

What I hate: the over-engineering - e.g., you need to loosen or remove a ridiculous number of screws (20) and body panels (5) to get the battery out.

 

[greywolf]

I think the 250 is a much better beginner bike than a 600 class. Lighter , more nimble , less investment .

Any time a significant other wants to join the ranks , I'm all for it.

 

[Silver Penguin]

We went by a motorcycle shop to check something out (helmets), and they're selling a 2002 Ninja 250, mint condition with 2200 miles on it for a fair price. She sat on it, and said, "I kinda really want it". WOO HOO! Thinking about going to the guy and seeing if we can make a deal on it.....
Hmmmmm.........what do you think?

Alexi

That's awesome news. I think you should snap up that 250, get some good gear and enroll your good lady in an MSF course. Be careful though, be very careful. You may create a monster here.

When my husband is good, I let him borrow my FJR. Once your wife gets her feet wet and discovers the limitations of the 250, she may want to ride your bike.

Seriously though, there are few better starter bikes than the 250. It holds it's value well so when she is good and ready for an upgrade (or not, as the case may be) you can sell the bike with ease. I believe that it's false economy to buy a bigger bike to 'grow into'. Having too much displacement/seat height/weight/expensive tupperward etc hampers skill development.

Just think of the rides you can take together, in the future. I would go so far as to say that it's great to have a riding buddy that you can sleep with too, but I'm sure that would be taken the wrong way here. There's a lot to be said for sharing a day trip, road trip, off road adventure or any motorcycling experience with the one you love the most.

 

[jcyuhn]

I think the 250 Kaw is the best starter bike we have in the USA. I presume the bike is in the range of $1500-$2000, assuming it's reasonably clean? There are a lot of these things on craigslist (just check DFW...), so don't jump if the price & condition are not right. A low mile 2002 probably has the original tires on it - I'd replace the 8 year old rubber before putting any road miles on it.

My spouse rode an '04 for a year before moving up. She really liked the size, riding position, and wind protection. Though after a trip to Arkansas (Talimena & Mt. Magazine) she did note it was a bit lacking in passing and hill climb power. That said, she did put 900 miles on the bike in 3 days - says a lot for the little machine.

I can't recommend MSF strongly enough to learn to ride. They have a really good method for gradually building up the skills & muscle memory to ride a motorcycle - to the point that I suggest you not try to teach her yourself. (Most marriages work better this way too )

 

[ShowMeMo]

Ok...one thing not mentioned so far...FJR's are very jealous bikes... I mean redhead-greeneyed jealous!

I've entered the garage and seen my kids bicycles mysteriously knocked over... more than once!

Just something to consider...

 

[krashdragon]

"we are working on making a rational decision instead of an emotional decision"

Oh poo!

what fun is that?

Just make sure your wife really likes the bike SHE buys or it will just sit there.

so...dont' argue as long as you see that it more or less fits her...

Mary

 

[krashdragon]

We went by a motorcycle shop to check something out (helmets), and they're selling a 2002 Ninja 250, mint condition with 2200 miles on it for a fair price. She sat on it, and said, "I kinda really want it". WOO HOO! Thinking about going to the guy and seeing if we can make a deal on it.....
Hmmmmm.........what do you think?

Alexi

Jump on it! Before she can change her mind!

good luck and have fun!

mary

 

[Duezzer]

My wife started on a Kawi 500 ( she had ridden in her younger years - a 500 magna and dirt bikes )

She has moved up to the Kawi 650R - said she wished she would of started at the 650 - said it is a nicer and easyier handling.

A very nice power delivery and good riding position

 

[iliveforcurves]

The Ninja 250 is a great starter bike. It's fast enough for the freeway and fun in the twisties if you upgrade the tires (On the stock rubber I would consistently slide both tires about a foot sideways before they would grip in a fast corner). It doesn't have much torque at low revs so it won't get away from a beginner if he/she is ham-fisted. A lot of people get them for a starter bike and decide to keep them even when they eventually get something bigger.

Take a look at ninja250.org and click on Technical and Repair Info to learn everything you'd ever need to know about these bikes.

 

[dustyrains]

My wife is a little different than most. She was riding her own Harley when I first met her. Three or four years ago, she came home one day and said, well I think I am going to ride down to Daytona Bike Week. You wanna go with me? We live in Portland Oregon. We went.