Girlfriend wants a bike

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awptickes

unimpressed by you
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So, the girlie wants a bike. She was all causious about how she told me she wanted a bike, because about a year ago, I had the oportunity to buy a used r6 good condition, low miles from a friend for like 3k because he needed to get rid of a few of his bikes. Anyway, neither of us own a bike, and it's been a few years since I've ridden, I used to ride a 450 dirt when I lived in the US.

She wants something to learn how to ride on, so, something small at first. I'm thinking about something like a CBR125R, then we can learn on that, and if she likes it, she can keep it. Eventually I'll end up getting a bigger bike.

What does everyone think about this to start out with? I have to have a bike to get a license, and I have to have a license to get a bike, so I figured I'd just buy the damned bike, then get the license. I'm looking to spend NOT MORE THAN $3000 to start with.
 
you're in europe so you have a whole shit ton more bikes to chose from than we get here :(
ill throw in the obligatory recommendation for a supermoto
they are cheap, light weight, easy to ride, good on rough roads, excellent on tight twisty roads, inexpensive to repair, designed to take crashes well, etc... the Suzuki DRZ400SM is pretty inexpensive and retardedly low maintenance
being that you have dirt bike experience the supermoto will feel right at home to you
the seat height might be too high for her though
 
ill throw in the obligatory recommendation for a supermoto
i'll throw in the obligatory 250.

good power band for learning, low power, small bike. it's made for learning on the street.
 
Well, see, it's been almost 6 years since I've been on a bike. I'm pretty sure it'll come back, but I'd like to keep the "OH SHIT" to a minimum. Besides that, it looks like we'll be sharing the bike for a while.

I'm thinking about a 250, and btw, it's probably going to be a supermoto, but I'm seriously worried about her. What I'm planning on, is getting a 125 or 150, teaching both of us to ride on that, then that'd be her bike when I buy a bigger one. Sound about right? Everyone outgrows their initial bike, or kills themself on it, so I'm thinking I'll go with a really small one at first. From what I've read, the cbr125r is a nice bike, many people like them over here. Her idea of a bike is something easy for her to handle, something that looks cool, and something that gets 100mpg easily. My idea is something that accelerates quickly, is not more than 450cc, handles well, and won't make me cry when I lay it down.

I've looked at my options, and I'm thinking more about her, because I know I'll have fun with whatever. So, should I buy new, or buy used? Used bikes here are really easy to come by, because the licensing looks like this:
A1, minimum age 16, up to 125 cc and not more than 11 kw power.
A limited, minimum age 18, up to 25 kw power and not less that 6,25 kg per kilowatt (dry)
After 2 years driving an A limited you automatically get the A unlimted
A, minimum age 25, and you can drive everything, si, everything.

So you can imagine there are a lot of sub-25kW (33 HP) bikes for sale. I'm just a little worried about putting her on a 33HP bike to learn on. She's like 120 lbs, so that's not a whole lot of weight on the bike. I'm about 160 now, when I was riding the 450 on the dirt, I was around 115. What do you guys think for a sub 33.5HP bike?
 
Her idea of a bike is something easy for her to handle, something that looks cool, and something that gets 100mpg easily.
girl=vespa

My idea is something that accelerates quickly, is not more than 450cc, handles well, and won't make me cry when I lay it down.
you=250

a 450 on dirt is wayyyyy different than a 250 on pavement. plus, it's about learning how to ride streets and adapting to traffic around you. anybody can go from dirt to road. but the roads aren't empty. you are learning how to react and view traffic. thats the worst part about street riding.
 
OK, I just talked to her. She wants a honda bike. She flat out said that.

:( It looks like I'll be buying two bikes to start with. What do I look for in a used bike? I know cars, but bikes?
 
ask her why she wants a honda. and if she knows so much, let her pick it out. if she doesn't, tell her to stfu.

i wouldn't buy a used bike. i know how people ride them and maintain them, but thats' just me.

how much are you two going to ride? i bet if you got a bike, she would just want to ride and not even have her own bike.

used bike-low miles, good tires and brakes, no scratches on body. don't buy anything with custom paint.
 
Thanks for the advise. I just looked at the some video footage of a cbr125r, damn, that's one quick little bike. It's got nothing on a 250, but again, I'm thinking about her.

Nick: She wants to drive it to school, about 35 km away from home, so yeah, she wants to drive, not just ride. I'm thinking that we'll share the bike at first, probably with her logging most of the miles, then I'll buy myself one after a bit.

EDIT: I just remembered our initial conversation about her getting a bike. "It'd have to be a crotch-rocket though." Direct quote. No joke. I love this woman.
 
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EDIT: I just remembered our initial conversation about her getting a bike. "It'd have to be a crotch-rocket though." Direct quote. No joke. I love this woman.
people who stay ignorant stuff like this are the squids that end up as road goop. she sounds like she needs to settle down a little bit.
 
Guys are so narrow minded most of the time. I've been riding for over 6 years and roadracing with WERA for two. I learned on a Kawasaki ZX7-R. It's a big pig and very heavy (I am 5'4 and weigh about 115) It was however, a very stable very predictable bike. The fact is, I don't care what anyone says you can learn on whatever bike you want to. Since then I've owned more GSXR's than I can count (currently an 05 750) I've had ZX6'R's, GSXR 600's and 750's, SV650's, 600rr's, an F4i, and a few more I'm forgetting. If she has the will to learn, let her get what she wants. No it doesn't have to be a brand new bike, but it also doesn't have to be a Ninja 250 just because she's a girl. It's my pleasure spanking alot of the local squids who think they're so fast.......Good luck and I hope it works out!
 
All of these posts suck, except for GSX's post. which is odd, I've never seen her posts around here.

But in the EU she has access to LOTS more small displacement bikes. Just the NSR400 is worth the trip across the pond to get ahold of.

but the 2stroke models aren't that pleasant to ride. If you can, check out the Derbi 125 (It's got a senda motor without the senda reeds). If she's going for 4 stroke, Cagiva offers some REALLY nice, fun to own and unique solutions in smaller bore.

It's important to get to the bottom of why she wants to ride though, so you can properly support her decision. It would suck if she got a bike for the wrong reasons, you got it for the good reasons, and next yeah only you are riding. that is worse than a divorce. (likely, it will be the other way around if you get a bike just because she's getting one... that's the wrong reason to get onto 2 wheels)

But hell, you have offerings from Benelli, Sachs, KTM and Cagiva out there.. you have ALL the goodies. Even an older BMW would be a great choice, but not what she's looking for...

As far as "I want a crotch rocket" leave the girl alone. I wanted mine based solely on the looks. I wanted a "crotch rocket", but I don't use colloquialisms too often in my life.
 
Guys are so narrow minded most of the time. I've been riding for over 6 years and roadracing with WERA for two. I learned on a Kawasaki ZX7-R. It's a big pig and very heavy (I am 5'4 and weigh about 115) It was however, a very stable very predictable bike. The fact is, I don't care what anyone says you can learn on whatever bike you want to. Since then I've owned more GSXR's than I can count (currently an 05 750) I've had ZX6'R's, GSXR 600's and 750's, SV650's, 600rr's, an F4i, and a few more I'm forgetting. If she has the will to learn, let her get what she wants. No it doesn't have to be a brand new bike, but it also doesn't have to be a Ninja 250 just because she's a girl. It's my pleasure spanking alot of the local squids who think they're so fast.......Good luck and I hope it works out!

thats all well and good if she wasnt located in germany
A1, minimum age 16, up to 125 cc and not more than 11 kw power.
A limited, minimum age 18, up to 25 kw power and not less that 6,25 kg per kilowatt (dry)
After 2 years driving an A limited you automatically get the A unlimted
A, minimum age 25, and you can drive everything, si, everything.

nothing over 25kW (33.5 hp) for first 2 years (assuming she is 18+)
 
Yeah, we're both 20, so both of us have to comply with the 33HP rule. I want a bike because I know how fun it is, it'll be another toy for me. She wants a bike because she knows how much fun it could be, but also because she doesn't like driving cars.

And about the power requirements: Most manufacturers sell 'restrictor kits' for the mid-level bikes, to put them at 25kW. Not that cool, but hey, it's an option. I'm more fond of buying a small bike to start with, then after I outgrow it, she's got her own bike. She's completely cool with this, but she does side with nick about buying a used bike. Her neighbor has a multi-use bike, and he doesn't take too good care of it.

GSXRGirlie: Honestly, I don't want to start her out on a big bike, and she doesn't either. We're pretty conservative for 20 year olds, and in Germany the big bikes are not only more expensive, but harder to license, and insurance is pretty bad because of too many squids.

I looked at some bikes yesterday, and a cbr125r is going to cost 3k, and everything else is going to be more, like a thousand more. Unfortunately, honda wants 25% downpayment. That's a lotta bread -- just for a downpayment, do they think that I'm going to wreck it in the first few months? I've never seen a downpayment that high. Hell, I can buy a car with a lower downpayment. It equates out to about 747 EUR = 1167 USD, then 115/mo, that bad for a down payment on a bike? I'd probably get the lowest interest rate possible, then end up paying if off in about 2 months. I'm still looking around, but I'm pretty set on hondas, the local bike shop told me to get a honda because they never need work.
 
Well, you know that everything will need work. Bikes have a heavier maintanence schedule because the engines are high tolerance, tightly-wound precision devices. a 20 mile break-in period with oil change, another at 200 miles. 8000 mile valve adjustments, 8000 mile tire wear cycles.. it's not as much as a car to do , but it is frequent.

Unless its a ZX12. Then it is as costly to do as a car.
 
Guys are so narrow minded most of the time. I've been riding for over 6 years and roadracing with WERA for two. I learned on a Kawasaki ZX7-R. It's a big pig and very heavy (I am 5'4 and weigh about 115) It was however, a very stable very predictable bike. The fact is, I don't care what anyone says you can learn on whatever bike you want to. Since then I've owned more GSXR's than I can count (currently an 05 750) I've had ZX6'R's, GSXR 600's and 750's, SV650's, 600rr's, an F4i, and a few more I'm forgetting. If she has the will to learn, let her get what she wants. No it doesn't have to be a brand new bike, but it also doesn't have to be a Ninja 250 just because she's a girl. It's my pleasure spanking alot of the local squids who think they're so fast.......Good luck and I hope it works out!
if all that is true, then you are a rarity. it's better to err on the side of being conservative rather than going all out, crashing, and never riding again.

i firmly believe anybody saying "learn on a 600 or bigger or you are nothing," is a complete tool and has serious ego problems. if all you have access to is a 600, then be very careful. how many stories have you heard of people getting a brand new 1000 for their first bike, then wrecking it and never riding again?
 
Well, I think we've decided on a 125 for her, and I'll get a 250 after I finish paying for the 125. I got on a 250 at the dealership, and it was just the right size for me, but a tad too tall for her. The 125 fit both of us. I think I'll get the ninja 250R.

I signed us up for a free motorcycle license course that honda provides to all people interested in learning how to ride. Unfortunately, the soonest I could get was the 10th of August. There goes the whole summer riding season. I'm probably going to look into other offerings.

After couple years, we'll see where it takes us. Who knows.
 
I signed us up for a free motorcycle license course that honda provides to all people interested in learning how to ride. Unfortunately, the soonest I could get was the 10th of August. There goes the whole summer riding season. I'm probably going to look into other offerings.

After couple years, we'll see where it takes us. Who knows.
check on post, I know that they offer one here.
 
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