what moto for a short noob to buy?

[firstbuell]

I became interested in smaller bikes bcz my 5'3", 28-yr old daughter up in Portland decided that she wanted to start riding & quickly passed their state-req'd class - tho' our conversations since have been about awareness, safety & accumulating decent gear [bcz barf], I steered her away from vintage XS650s [no kidding] & soon heard her own wonderful realization, "this is my 1st bike - it'll be dropped & even crashed a few times before I get this figgered out” - awesome!

so I’m requesting credible suggestions from barfers who’ve actually experienced solving this classic quandary –
zero speculation, pls & thx

what’s truly worked for diminuitive beginners in your own family/social sphere?

while she’s not against purchasing new, a used, small, electric-start, 4-stroke is preferred [beyond pricing, this seems more an availability issue] – honestly, after decades of riding experience, my preferences are:
- non-bratted Honda CB125 single [srsly]
- Honda 250 Nighthawk twin
- Yam XV250 twin [dunno if she’d like the looks]

wildcards include:
- Zook TU250X single
- Honda 250 Rebel twin [again, looks]
- Taiwanese SYM 150 single [CB125-clone - are they any good?]

after above, I’m outta mainstream ideas below 350cc [again, a very strong preference] - for now, the most powerful we’ll go is a 250 Ninja or other modern 250/300 [even the SYM 250?] - my search skills here on barf didn’t yield a breakthrough [tho’ reluctant to moderately lower a smaller dual-sport, I will consider that option]

again, no 600 sport bikes; old gray-market 400-4s; SVs or Savages, etc.

thanks in advance for your thoughtful consideration of my grrl’s dilemma

 

[banshee01]

My wife is only 5'2 and she started on a 2011 cbr250 with a shaved seat and lowering link. As she became more confident we raised the bike back up to stock height little by little but kept the low seat on. She tipped the bike over a few times while it was lowered but never at full height. Learning to always put your foot down on the high side became natural

I highly recommend a small dirt bike in the dirt to learn balance and muscle memory on all the controls. Learning in the dirt where it is safer is the way to go. My wife rode an atv with a clutch in the dirt so other than the balance part she was very familiar with the controls

 

[ctrvl]

One of my friends is 5'3", she started on a brand new Grom and two years later she's banging wheelies on a WR250X. Can barely put one foot down on that thing, mounts it enduro style, climbing up one footpeg to get her leg over the seat. She also seemed to take to bikes naturally.

 

[Outlaws Justice]

It comes down to the type and style of bike that she is interested in.

Cruiser
Standard
Adventure
Dual Sport
Sport

If she has taken a class and done well then of course the options change as well.

My stand by for recommendations include good used bikes for around $2,000 that can be bought, used and sold for almost the same price.

Sport might include
Kawasaki Ninja 250, 300
Kawasaki Ninja 500
Honda CBR 250, 300
Suzuki GS500F

Standard might include
Honda Nighthawk 250
Suzuki TU250

Dual Sport might include
Suzuki DR200, 250
Yamaha XT225, 250
Honda CRF230L, 250
Suzuki DRZ400

Cruiser might include
Yamaha v-star 250 (Virago), 535
Honda Rebel 250, 450 (450 are older but great if you can find one)
Kawasaki Vulcan 500 (LTD)

There are many options and it comes down to the kind of riding that will be done, where you plan to ride and the comfort level with riding. Pick a bike that is comfortable, fits and do not be afraid to start small, with a used bike, much easier to sell it and move to something different doing it this way!

 

[Son-of-Ricardo]

My wife is barely 5ft so she sticks to her Malaguti scooter (even a Grom is tall for her lol)... But she is comfortable on a Rebel 250 or the new '17 Rebel 300 which we both think looks awesome. It's around a 27" seat height.

Let us know how it turns out!

 

[bmwbob51]

Anything short and used!

 

[BeksNY]

I started on a Ninja 250, but did a lot of my early learning on a Suzuki GZ250 (I can't remember, but I think it was a 2001 or a 2003). It was slightly lower than the TU250; a 27.5" seat height vs. a 30" seat height. I loved its classic looks and found it to be a forgiving bike.

 

[Junkie]

the GS500 doesn't have much more power than a more modern 250/300, they're reliable, they're reasonably low, they're cheap.

 

[russ69]

...or the new '17 Rebel 300 which we both think looks awesome. It's around a 27" seat height. Let us know how it turns out!

I like that choice.

 

[MysterYvil]

Mrs. Bad Example is 5'1". After she did MSF she started looking around for a moto and focused mainly on cruisers because of their low seat height. A salesman talked her into sitting on a GS500F and she was immediately sold.

She bought one and rode the heck out of it, loved everything about it.

FWIW, after a few months of riding she was also comfortable borrowing my Ninja 650 which no longer seemed so tall.

 

[LittleBigGirl]

I am only 5'2" and started on the Ninja 250. I think it was the perfect bike for me. I had it about 2.5 years. I never lowered it - just learned to ride as is.

ALSO - There are boots you can get called Daytona Ladystars that will give an extra 1.5 inches. They are pricy, but well worth it. I have had mine for the last 1.5 years and literally no signs of wear yet. The extra height gives me more confidence on my new bigger bike, too. When I wore them w/ the Ninja I literally felt like a giant. Both men and women buy these boots for the extra inches.:ride https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/daytona-lady-star-gtx-boots

 

[MotoCat]

Similar situation here. Check out the Suzuki GW250 and Honda CB300F.

Rebel 250, while the lightest and lowest of these three, is a distant 3rd.

 

[Whammy]

Whammy says.. Rebel and night hawks, 2fiddy make great starter bikes. Used!
Cheap and easy to learn on.
Used is the route to go in case she decides she doesn't like it after she starts.
Some people want to learn to ride, but they quickly find out its not for them.
Not alot invested and can be quickly divested.

Lil big girl has it right with the boots. Daytona Ladystars are about as bad ass as you can get.
Best boots ever, and a slight heel. (well worth the money spent)
Helimot has them in store.

If this pans out and she needs a bit of lowering on a second bike Soupys Performance makes excellent solutions for a wide variety of bikes.

 

[Sofa88]

My wife is 5'1" or 5'2" and can flat foot her v-star 250 comfortably. In the CMSP she was comfortable on the Suzuki gz250. First time rider and this is the bike that fits best height wise. Biggest complaint is brake and throttle controls are a bit far and can cause hand fatigue (tiny hands...smell like cabbage) *points if you get the reference lol. I'm currently looking for options to replace hand controls but seems there aren't many for the v-star 250, I'm fairly new to bikes myself so perhaps I'm not looking in the right places.

On a side note, if those new 2017 Honda Rebels were out at the time we purchased we more than likely would have got that instead. Pretty cool looking and same friendly seat height for short riders.

 

[Schnellbandit]

The seat! A lot of bikes can be comfortable for riders of lower heights by putting some coin into custom seat upholstery. Lots of times you can find used seats for popular models and have that one reshaped and get the benefits of a wider range of bikes.

Used seats are pretty inexpensive and reshaping is something you can do yourself with decent results. Then maybe get the bike that works best instead of just something that fits.

 

[Caddywumpus]

No on nighthawk. Drum brakes suck.

 

[MysterYvil]

The seat! A lot of bikes can be comfortable for riders of lower heights by putting some coin into custom seat upholstery. Lots of times you can find used seats for popular models and have that one reshaped and get the benefits of a wider range of bikes.

Used seats are pretty inexpensive and reshaping is something you can do yourself with decent results. Then maybe get the bike that works best instead of just something that fits.

Very true! We found a used GS500 seat on CL for $25. Intended to sculpt it, but Mrs. got comfortable and confident before we did. In the meantime she used a borrowed shaved seat a friend had, then she put the stocker back on.

Heeled boots work great as well.

And either/both is better than a lowering link or punching up forks, in my indirect experience (changing geometry can have weird results on handling).

 

[NoTraffic]

If it's just for fun and getting used to riding a motorized two wheel vehicle around town, I would opt for the Grom or Kawi 125 hands down. They look like a lot of fun too!arty

 

[Guoseph]

No on nighthawk. Drum brakes suck.

And carbs. I've been range help for MSF course and they use a lot of Nighthawks and those bikes are trashed by the students of course but it's a crappy bike even in brand new condition.

CBR250R is an excellent motorcycle to start out on. I helped a friend buy one and rode it from SF to Dublin, did city streets, splitting lanes, highway speeds all perfectly fine. Very light weight and easy to handle. Seat is pretty low, since she is small you can back off the preload a bit and get it to sag better for her. I believe there are lowering links still for this bike but honestly I think it's light enough (lighter than a nighthawk) to be easy enough to handle even if you can't flat foot it.

 

[Guoseph]

Oh and if she really needs to get both feet flat on the ground check out the new Honda Rebel 300.

There's been a lot of real nice progress by motorcycle manufacturers to update their small bike offerings, there's no real reason to go back to all those outdated 80's designs anymore imho.