Please advise: Cruiser style starter for the wife.

[cptschlongenheimer]

So, I've finally gotten enough scratch together to get my wife enrolled in the MSF course and am ready to start shopping for bikes for/with her.

She likes the cruiser style bikes and I'm thinking that a mid 2000's honda rebel might be the way to go. I've shown her a few and she likes the style and it looks to be about the right size (she's 5' tall).

Does anybody have experience with them? Is the reliability there? Does it have enough guts to at least follow me up & down canyons? Are there other learner bikes I should be looking at too?

And If any of you have a good bike to sell that fits the bill, I'll gladly come look.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

[will-t]

Did my MSF course on a Rebel. Watch the pipes. Very very easy to drag them in a turn which was a little startling to a new rider.

The engines in those Rebels, and the "250" nighthawks were super reliable. However, it is only a 234cc engine, so you're going to be bouncing on the rev limiter to get highway speeds out of it. It'll do 50mph all day though, which should be fine for canyon runs at the speed limit.

Awesome little commuter bike too, phenomenal gas mileage.

[aerofaze]

Did my MSF course on a Rebel... Awesome little commuter bike too, phenomenal gas mileage.

My MSF course was on a Rebel, also. That bike was a great confidence builder, especially accommodating my height of 5'2".

Definitely recommend as a commuter bike. Not sure how it will behave in the twisties and highways as I spent most of my time in 2nd gear on it.

[salsashark]

I would recommend at least a Honda Shadow VLX. They're not that much bigger and, unlike the rebel, they will be able to get up to a decent speed.

They're also bullet proof...

[Bueller]

We have a super clean Rebel we might be selling soon. It has a really neat paint job, gotta see to appreciate. My wife started on the ninja 250 but was somewhat still intimidated by the size so we got the Rebel and she rode it last year and gained a ton of confidence and we have now gotten her another ninja for this year.

[TFOGGuys]

I would recommend at least a Honda Shadow VLX. They're not that much bigger and, unlike the rebel, they will be able to get up to a decent speed.

They're also bullet proof...

+1 The 600 has a reputation for stone axe reliability, and a low center of gravity and ultralow seat height make it very n00b friendly.

[Doron&Katie]

Check out the Kawasaki Vulcan 500. Friend just got a used one for $2500 4 years old, has the Ninja 500 twin engine for good power. Very low seat, very easy to ride. GL

[Doron&Katie]

http://denver.craigslist.org/mcy/2333917031.html

[R1-Laubinero]

well I've taught the classes on the rebel and its and ok bike accept its unwillingness to go into neitral easy-- but that in itself is a learning experience too.. avoid the nighthawk version as its brakes are horrible--kawasakis lil 250 eliminator has way more style but about the same performance-- the yamaha virago has bad ergonomics for the pedals- as students always complain about that. If she is going to be follwing you in the canyons---well the rebel will be fine at a medium pace---
allot of new students find the sv650 a good beginner bike to grow into.....

[asp_125]

+1 on the Vulcan 500, nearly indestructable Ninja 500 motor. Or if she isn't against a non-cruiser the Suzuki TU 250.

[cptschlongenheimer]

Wow!
Lots of good info! Thank you.

I may be able to get her interested in some of the naked styles of sporties...

Is something like an SV650 friendly to shorter riders? I've never sat on one so I'm unfamiliar with how it's sized. (they just look kinda tall in pics)

[asp_125]

...Is something like an SV650 friendly to shorter riders? I've never sat on one so I'm unfamiliar with how it's sized. (they just look kinda tall in pics)

31.5 inch seat height. Stock form she may not be able to touch the ground. There are a couple of ladies here: 64Bonnielass, Skinbabe who ride SV's and are probably tippy toes.

At 5' unless she's long in the inseam you're gonna have to lower the bike.

[will-t]

I've heard of people reducing the suspension height of the SV's, but I don't know the details. Did a quick search about SV's and shorter riders on the web and found:

Hello, I happened to come across your list for short riders, and was very surprised to not see the Suzuki SV 650 listed there! I am a short rider (only 5' without boots on and a 27" inseam), and I ride a 2001 Suzuki SV650. I bought this bike after a year of riding a Virago 250. The stock height was way too high and I had the suspension lowered. The seat had also been cut down a lot when I bought it (used) and I found this problematic as my legs were bent at a very acute angle while riding. I swapped this seat for a stock seat and now the bike is a dream to ride.

If I scoot up to the tank at stops, I can flatfoot it easily. I'm even planning on raising the suspension a bit once I'm completely comfortable with the bike.

Please do recommend this bike on your site for short women who are annoyed at having to settle on a cruiser and want to ride something sporty.

Sounds like someone of similar height to your wife.

[aerofaze]

If you do convince her to go the sportbike route, and you happen to be in the Springs sometime next month, she can try sitting on my two nudes ('00 SV650 with stock seat and '09 Duc Monster 696 with both stock seat and shaved seat; neither have been lowered).

As far as cruisers go, my colleague had been riding an '08 Kawasaki Vulcan 900 as her first bike. She loved it even on the twisties, such as routes to Bishop's Castle and P2P. Her Vulcan had a 27" stock seat height; even though her inseam is 28", she had it lowered by 2" since it was her "beginner" bike and didn't notice too much of a compromise in performance. But with that said, if she had to do the Vulcan all over again, she says she wouldn't lower it this time around.

[WolFeYeZ]

http://www.vtwinmama.com/motorcycles...ort_riders.htm

Very large list of bikes for shorter people and bikes that have been modified for shorter people. Got pictures and data on lots of bikes and so far its been helpful in my searches

[MAZIN]

Another +1 for the Honday Shadow Vlx, That was what I learned on and after riding numerous bike later that is what I would stick my wife on.

[cptschlongenheimer]

Again, thanks and Aero, thanks for the offer. I'll pm ya if she wants to.

I think I might start by having her throw a leg over a few at the dealer. Sun's usually got a wide selection of styles. You guys have helped me get a much better idea which ones we should be looking at.

[brennahm]

The VLX would be a great bike in terms of seat height and size. However, (let the flaming begin) it's a shit motorcycle. Much like the VT1100. Shadow 750's are an unassuming yet reliable and decent middleweight.

The TU250 is a GREAT idea. Proven motor + modern fuel injection + retro styling = greatest undervalued package of the recession era. My choice for sure.

[cptschlongenheimer]

So...
After looking at rebels, v-stars, shadows and a few other models we ended up seeing a good craigslist deal on a '03 suzuki savage 650. It's only got 970 miles so it's practically brand new and when Kala tried it out I could instantly see it was a perfect fit. They seem to have a great reputation as a starter cruiser and reliability issues seem rare.

I got the idea for the savage after seeing some comparisons to the shadow, rebel, tu250, etc. So, truly, a big thank you, to all of you for your help. I have a very happy wife.

[Wrider]

Very nice and congratulations to her!

[aerofaze]

Great news, glad it worked out! You're right, she does fit well on it. Congrats to both of you!