21 yr old 5'4" daughter wants a streetbike

[Tim Hancock]

My youngest daughter suddenly wants a street bike. She grew up riding MX bikes and she has ridden my old Interceptor 500 up/down our road, but the only way I can see this working is if she gets a smaller "lightweight" bike. A small dual purpose would be perfect, but she likes the look of sport bikes.

Anyone here actually ridden a Ninja 250? The '08 and newer ones look pretty light and nimble although the older ones can be had for cheap. Will they comfortably cruise 70 mph on the highway?

This is likely a fad for her, so it will positively be a used bike..... and yes I know motorcycles are dangerous.

[deanp]

Check with Motion - he has (had) a business renting Ninja 250's at tracks.

[vash]

why not the interceptor? GREAT bike btw.

i have ridden a ninja 250. i did not get it to 70mph so i cannot comment. i was zipping around the worst neighborhood in oakland. it felt decent. much older bike than you are considering.

[Paco Anton]

Check out the Suzuki Gladius. It is supposedly marketed as a "womens bike":



Also a BMW F800 can be had with low seat and lowered suspension:

[Brando]

Definitely get a 500cc to 700cc bike. The 250s are fine for zipping around in street traffic but attempting to keep up on the highway may prove difficult.

[Tim Hancock]

She will likely ride it to work/school 15-20 miles on mainly rural roads with a few miles in town. Speed limit is 55 (IOW 60-65mph) but if she rides with me on occasion, I would want it to be able to manage highway speeds of at least 70 mph.

My old Interceptor is a bit tall/heavy for her.... She can ride it, but I dont like the idea of her dropping it or laying it over into a parked car. Small light bike or nothing is what I have been telling her. She is comfortable riding lightweight motorcycles due to her younger days ripping around on our side yard dirt bike track on a KX60 then a KX 80.

My older daughter went through this phase also, but after a ride around our block on my Interceptor, I just could not get behind the idea of her riding a "street" motorcycle as she dropped the bike getting it out of my shop and went off the road turning onto a side road with gravel in the intersection. At maybe 100 pounds wet, she was just not comfortable with a bike this size.

[David]

My wife is 5'3" and rides a Suzuki SV650 that's been lowered 1" front and rear. She could ride it OK before lowering but it makes it that much easier to get both feet firmly on the ground with the lowering. Unfortunately folks seem pretty proud of them even used.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by David

My wife is 5'3" and rides a Suzuki SV650 that's been lowered 1" front and rear. She could ride it OK before lowering but it makes it that much easier to get both feet firmly on the ground with the lowering. Unfortunately folks seem pretty proud of them even used.

I have no doubt that in theory she could handle a larger bike as even at 14 years old, she could ride my tall MX bike on our track, but for "me" to reach an acceptable comfort level with her commuting on a bike, she is going to have to start on something light.

[Brando]

Originally Posted by David

My wife is 5'3" and rides a Suzuki SV650 that's been lowered 1" front and rear. She could ride it OK before lowering but it makes it that much easier to get both feet firmly on the ground with the lowering. Unfortunately folks seem pretty proud of them even used.

I was going to suggest this bike as a starter. Very forgiving, not over-powered, not under-powered and a decent weight. Affordable, to boot!

You definitely have to get past the worry of her dropping the bike. As a friend of mine said: "When riding a motorcycle, the first thing you learn to do is a barrel-roll!"

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by NotaBRG

How much does the cafe bike weigh? I'm guessing it's pretty light...

If she dropped that, I think I would slit my wrists.

[MotoSook]

I was going to mention the CR too. Really, it would be ideal size and speed for her and its vintage chic!

You didn't build it to stare at did you?

Quote de NotaBRG

How much does the cafe bike weigh? I'm guessing it's pretty light...

If she dropped that, I think I would slit my wrists.

[mikeferg75]

I'd look for a older BMW F650GS with the factory lowering kit.

[Tim Hancock]

Originally Posted by Soukus

You didn't build it to stare at did you?

Yes with an occasional commute to work.

If she became an avid rider (highly doubtful) I would enjoy building her a cafe bike.... but it takes far too large of an investment in time to build one on a whim.

[motion]

Tim,

A Ninja 250 is the perfect bike for her. They will cruise 70 all day long (top speed is 100) and get 60-70mpg. The older ones are fine, but if your budget allows, the 2008-newer are much improved. I have 5500 miles on my 08, all on the race track and bouncing off the rev limiter. I've changed the oil 10 times or so, but have done nothing else. Excellent bikes. You can get dogbones to drop the seat an inch or two, if necessary.

If you have the budget for a new bike, the new Honda CBR250 is not quite as powerful, but has ABS and fuel injection. Really cheap at $4500.

Bunch of ladies over here: ninjette.org - Powered by vBulletin

[Tim Hancock]

Thanks Motion! That is great news. I will start watching the local Craigslist ads for a good deal. Ultimately it will be an '08 or newer that maybe needs some cosmetic work to keep the price down..... With a 70mph cruise and 60-70 mpg, I could even envision myself doing the 80 mile round trip commute to work on it some days as my old interceptor 500 only gets about 40-45 mpg and my cafe racer which gets about 50 with the new "highway gearing" is a bit harsh to ride daily 80 miles.

[Brando]

Tim, quick question ... Whereabouts is your daughter located? She should find a local group or riding buddy. Always better to travel in a group or pairs while riding.

[Tim Hancock]

She lives at home with my wife and I and commutes to college and works about 20 miles away. We are in NW Ohio.

[motion]

The going rate is $3200 for a low-mile bike without damage. $2500 should get you something with 10K miles and a little rash.

[Superman]

Originally Posted by Tim Hancock

If she dropped that, I think I would slit my wrists.

Yeah, I was thinking that a lightweight, two-cylinder, mid-displacement bike might be ideal. Something a tad bit slower than modern bikes but highly reliable. Something like an old Honda CB450 twin.

But seriously, folks.....low power does not, in my humble view, increase safety. High power can decrease safety, sure, but everyone who starts low tends to fairly quickly grow impatient with the power problem and wishes to upgrade. Those small bikes won't even get out of their own way. A 250 is, in my view, dangerously underpowered. Of course, modern 650 street bikes fall into the "dangerously overpowered" category.

The other input I would offer is safety-related. I would be frightened to death having a child out there on a motorcycle, and I would want two things to be in place:

1) The daughter/rider would need to be HIGHLY proficient. The kind of proficiency you get from tons of miles of riding, particularly in stop-go-turn-stop types of riding. and

2) The daughter would ideally have such a healthy respect for the dangers of riding that she would be extremely careful, observant and careful. Any experienced rider knows that near-collisions happen very frequently. Perhaps there is a motorcycle proficiency/safety class offered nearby.

Then again, Tim Hancock is not the kind of guy who needs common sense advice, so I'm surely not really contributing with the above. Nevermind.

[Brando]

Yamaha Virago 250!