My wife will read this, respond accordingly please!

I seem to remember some body work/ painting being done not too long ago after your wife dropped the VFR. Was that the first time? My wife did the same thing with her VF700(more than once). They simply don't have the strength in most cases to handle a big sportbike. The cruisers CG is much lower there fore not a good comparison. Find a Ninja 250 she can test ride before you buy. I'd be willing to wager most of the people on this site couldn't really ride a Ninja 250 to the limit anyway.

 

Best bike for commuting, city bike, learner = da Kawasaki EX 500 Ninja. I used to race one in lightweight sportsman and embarrassed many a fast bike ridden by a slow racer. I picked up a nice clean low mileage one that I used for commuting and put 10,000 on in a year and a couple of months. Bike crashes well cause its so light it doesnt grind itself into oblivion when it hits the deck and parts are all over the place since its been made from 1986 to at least 2009 or so. Bike out performs most of the cars on the expressway and does 120 mph top end and my best gas mileage was 47 mpg. Ninja 250s share some parts but is a miserable bike cause you have to whip the hell out of it to go anywhere. Have fun looking. Peace Outtie

 

Be sure and gas up before heading out..I heard about a guy on one of those little Ninjas that ran out of gas up in Canada and was sexually assaulted by a bull moose.

 

I really hate to say this, but my 06 VFR is my first bike. Sure, its not the easiest to learn on, and I have a good 8-9 inches and 100 lbs. on Tiff, but I believe the most important lesson,restraint - especially with my right hand. , was taught to me on the vfr.

I vote for going for the mini-ninja. Its cheap, you can resell it whenever for the same price, and it'll be a useful tool for her to ride around on.


AND

I call BS. the only way to prove it is to ftp me all those extensive files....

 

Well, (long pause here and appropriate lip smacking) you certainly are in the minority here. Most of us have had no less that 70 motorcycles, have been riding 60 years and our VFR's get 60mpg and will do 180mph in 2.3 seconds. Hope this helps..

 

She will love her little Ninja. Excellent choice. I would suggest an intercom system for bike to bike communications. This way you can help coach her and teach her while you both are riding.

 

The Ninja 650 is a nice bike too. It has a better riding position than the CBR. Actually, it's very comparable to the SV650.

But as others have said, what does SHE want?

 

We ain't heard what sweet Tiff is gonna get yet. She may end up on something that will surprise everyone.

The whizzes that have all the data say it's not a really great idea to try to teach one's spouse, child, SO or other to drive. IMO riding is in that same bag. MSF

The play:

As The Tiff Turns

Breaker-Breaker! Tiff this is your husband/instructor and here is what I want you to do.

Tiff:

Breaker-Breaker my ass, English please! Do you think I look like I am pushing a fucking semi here?

Sorry Honey

Tiff:

You better be. You know what happens when you start that shit!

OK..I want you to turn right at the next intersection.

Tiff: Fine!

Directors note:

Tiff has always had a problem differentiating right from left. She turns left and is run over by a dude in a fully loaded semi headed for WalMart BSing on a CB.

The End

 

how about a 500 ninja or 500 interceptor? both are fun bikes light in weight not to fast to get hurt on

 

I think a 500 interceptor or a like is the better choice. Twins are way to buzzy and after awhile she may not like it for trips or long rides. I taught my wife first on my 75 CB750. Kind of funny and kind of a mistake. Especially after she ran my ass over. Then got her a CB350 as well as my buddy did for his wife. Lots of fun riding together. Things were different when wife and me went out alone. I heard to much complaining about the lack of "comfyness". What ever you get her try and to get something she can enjoy if you go on trips.

 

Well, that cheerful little tidbit certainly got my day off to a nice start.

 

If you enjoy riding alone, get her something she will hate riding.:wink:

 

Just so you know, I am a woman, 5'4" with about 11 years riding and have had a total of seven motorcycles (not up to 70 quite yet). Two cruisers and five sportbikes, that have ranged from a ninja 500r to a ninja zx14 to a speed triple to the 5th gen vfr.

Just a few thoughts, Tiff...

My first sportbike (not my first bike) was a ninja 500r. Just looking at that bike, it was wonderful. Very easy to ride, great mileage, actually looks better with bags, low seat height. And somehow I managed to have fun on the twisty roads of San Diego on it, too. It really teaches you to ride, including shifting and "stuff" . Not like the bigger bikes that just have power.

A tip over on most bikes, if repaired by a shop, would cost the same as a 250 you can get for $500 if not much more. And I am including the naked bikes. I have dropped the speed triple at 0 mph and very softly, i might add! The dealer quoted me over $800. I replaced one lever and some touch up paint and moved on...but most bikes are going to get some type of damamge if you drop them.

I'd snap up that 250 for my own parking lot practice and those friends who want to ride one of your bikes!

Compared to the other bikes I have ridden, I think the vfr is a very good bike to learn on. The best? I am not saying that. But it's what you have already. The throttle is very smooth and "long" (a little twist doesn't send you into space, try it on a zx14 which is known for being relatively tame around town). There is power, but it is far from overwhelming. I find the riding position comfortable (I know, subjective).

If you are just looking for a good beginner bike...there are as many out there as there are opinions and many have been posted already...but it sounds like you have a 250 lined up at an incredible price. I'd liked to be the first person to tell you to go for it :wink:

 

My wife is 5'6", and rides. Her first bike is/was a HawkGT:

- plenty of power, but not crazy (40hp to the ground?)
- light, light, light (420 lbs wet?, all down low)
- low seat height and narrow tank/frame of the v-twin makes it easy to manage feels like half the size of my 86 vfr (and she doesn't care for my vfr, too big, too heavy, especially at low speed)

Now, the downside is that the hawk hasn't been made since 91 or so, and tend to be $$$ if in good condition. Although they handle fall-over damage well. Parts are easy to find, due to the cult racer status they enjoy.

Modern bikes that are comparable:

- SV650
- ducati 696
- triumph bonneville (ok, so it's 100lbs more, but feels light due to REALLY low CoG)

And slightly larger bikes (might be too tall/heavy):

- ninja 500ex
- ??

What I'd really recommend is sitting on a bunch and seeing how heavy they feel when stopped and off. That's when things are the worst, in my experience. My wife's had 3 bike drops with the hawk, all at <5mph or standing still. I dropped my vfr the day after I bought it, backing it out of a parking space. The weight up high of the vfr really makes it a lot harder to handle. The hawk is feather-light in comparison, even though it's only about 25% lighter, it feels like half the weight.

Oh, and two bikes are just more fun.

 

+1 on the SV650, it's lighter & smaller yet still realy torky and ultra fun for an all day ride and nimble in the corners as an R6 .

and reliable too.

or

You can seek out a rare VFR 400 ?

 

Thanks everyone for their opinions! We ended up picking up the little ninja for 400 bucks. She sat on quite a few bikes, some she liked more and some she liked less. Overall, however, she could not see spending an additional 1K+ for something else. Photo below!



This will at minimum give her the experience she needs to move up the ranks. I still don't like the way she eye's the Veef'r though !

 

You stole that ninja. They are great bikes. I want one!

 

Hey Tiff you sound like a great person and a rider. Let your husband get you a VFR and you can ride together. Just my thought - whatever decision you make enjoy and be safe.

 

Damn!!! I would have opened my wallet right there for that bike. A nice thing to own is the special 250 valve lash tool from Kawi. I am jealous nice score!!!