Bought the wife her first bike today - Ninja 500

Actually, we bought it on Saturday (4/23/2011).

It's a 2005 Ninja 500. She is 4' 11" tall. The bike had already been lowered 1.5" and it looks to be in pretty good shape.

She, her son and I took the MSF course late last year. We have just been waiting for finances to be right and the right bike to come along.

I am really looking forward to riding with her this summer.

You can see my crashed and rashed 954 in the background. That fluid on the floor is from the CBR, not the Ninja!

 

is the kickstand supposed to be bent like that or was that done due to the lowering kit?

 

I don't know really. I think it's stock and wasn't bent. They talked about bending it if I lowered it more so I am assuming it's stock. We don't need to lower it more. The wife's heels have about 1" under them so she feels pretty comfortable with it even though she can't flat foot it. She was able to walk it into the garage after we got it off the trailer.

 

Awesome! The wife wants to take her MSF course - told her I'd find her a bike if she completed it. We'll see how motivated she is!

 

Mary took it with her son and I at the end of last year. Her son (21) had never sat on a bike before and the instructors couldn't believe it. He really took too it.

One of the instructors whispered to me, "I can't tell her this, but someone else can. If she doesn't pick up the pace she will fail the timed test." I think she was thinking about it too hard. She did great after that.

 

Today was nice. I took the Ninja 500 for a 71 mile jaunt. Had to make sure it was safe for the Missus and all that.

Riding a Ninja 500 after having been on a BMW S1000R and my 954 is interesting, and just about what I expected.

The biggest difference is in the brakes. I knew it had a single disk up front but I did expect more out of it. There is not a lot of braking power.

The power delivery is shallow and flat. Really not bad at all. It scoots along just fine on the interstate. I had it up to 90 no problem.

The stock exhaust is very quiet. I like it.

The ride is soft, especially for my 194 pounds. It handles decent enough. I didn't get too crazy with it but you can definitely exceed the posted speed in corners. It bounces around a little bit. It should be a lot better for Mary because she is much smaller than I am.

The lower seat along with the additional 1.5" lowering links had me putting my foot through the pavement. Ha!

 

Great "starter " bike. I love my little EX500. I bought it for the wife years ago. I think she's put about 100 miles on the damn thing herself. I mostly use it for a loner for friends and other family, I take her for a spin a few times a year myself and I taught my son how to ride on it. It's a great little machine, very reliable and it'll keep whatever pace it needs to. You'll be happy with it. I've never heard anyone say anything bad about those bikes.

 

I think that this particular bike is a perfect beginner bike. Also, being 500cc, she might never want or need anything bigger. The 250s are too easy to outgrow. It looks to be in great shape too. It looks like a great find.

 

So how is the new rider doing? Being able to put both feet on the ground is pretty important for newer rider.

My wife started riding 3-4 years ago on a TTR125 dirt bike and then a scooter. Eventually she got a VTR250 and then a Buell Blast. Didn't like the Blast as it was too clunky, imagine that. The Blast did fit her very well. She is 5'2" is fit and over 50 years old. She continues to ride the VTR although her confidence is not that high yet. She rides her dirt bike pretty aggressively.

I have ridden for 40 years and don't understand the limitations of being a fairly new older short rider.

The VTR will run 99 mph indicated two up. I know.

 

We have been riding 2up to a parking lot behind a school. It's well out of the way and no prying eyes. She is very nervous about riding where people can see her right now.

So far we have been practicing starts and stops. She is like I was when I got my first bike, afraid to rev it because she is used to a car's low rpm motor. She is starting to get past that now and her take offs and stops are getting pretty smooth. We have done this 4 days now about 30-45 minutes each day.

She's doing pretty well with it considering it's been 8 months since she took the MSF course. I wish would have planned that a little better and had her bike first. It's not like we couldn't sell the bike for about what we have in it if she decided not to ride. She is determined to ride so that isn't a problem. Besides, I like the 500. It's a fun bike to ride. We have put almost 300 miles on it since we bought it.

 

Hi, Mrs Camo here.

I think your wife is off to a good start.

For me, shifting on the road has been the biggest hurdle. I'm fine in an empty parking lot or country road, but traffic definitely makes me nervous. I frequently ride two up with Camo and bow to his superior skill and experience. We have had a few close calls in heavy traffic that makes me distrustful of cagers, especially as a relatively inexperienced road rider on a big bike. I ride my scooter a lot in town with complete confidence. Traffic is never heavy and not much threat where we live.

I am definitely more confident if I can at least toe touch my bikes. I have ridden a TW200 in the past, a little taller than my VTR but lighter. I could toe touch with it and was very comfortable doing that with a lighter bike. As long as your missus is comfortable not being able to toe touch (is she going to be able to handle the sudden shift of weight in a sudden stop situation? The 500 isn't a light weight bike. The 250 Ninja is slightly heavier than my 250 VTR) Maybe lowering the bike so she can at least toe touch with it might be a real confidence builder for her.

I have ridden my husbands Honda 150 dirt bike. It's tall. Can barely toe touch with it. Since it's a kick start, can't kick it worth a darn. Once it's started and moving it's okay, but I tend to ride it more cautiously than my much shorter TTR 125. Some day I will inherit it and he has promised to lower it for me when I do. I have no doubt I will be riding it as exuberantly as I do my 125.

Being a height challenged lady rider is definitely a challenge in itself when it comes to finding a bike that fits and is not intimidating especially when you are a beginner. And experience is the best teacher. I's still learning how to handle my bike properly on curves. I can whip my scooter around bends in full leans without batting an eye but I tend to be more cautious on my VTR. And curves are what riding is all about!:biggrin:

I wish her welcome to the world of lady riders.

 

Thanks for the input Mrs. Camo. :smile:

The bike has been lowered 1.5". She can touch on both sides while on the bike. I would guess the heel of her riding boots are about 1" off the ground when she sits on it.

Over at ex-500.com their was a suggestion that we shave the seat. Right now I don't see that as a necessity. I asked my wife about it and she is fine with the height for the time being. The only other bike she has been on is the Suzuki GN125 we took the MSF course together last year.

She has ridden 2up with me a LOT in the past year. We rode the CBR to the chapel to get married and then to our honeymoon at Deals Gap. She was all about making the wedding/honeymoon oriented around the motorcycle once I mentioned it.

She has ridden on the bake of the CBR on the track in excess of 150mph. She isn't afraid of the bike at all as a passenger. Riding one herself is a different ball of wax.

Like I said, she is very determined. She is learning that the clutch is her friend if things get a bit hairy (while taking off) she can just pull it in and be fine.

I think the biggest thing is she needs to get a feel for the bike and to learn to trust herself as she builds her skills. I think she is doing great.