Wife wants her own bike &*^*!!! need advice

I should have know it would happen, wife wants to learn to ride and get her own bike. Input from the female riders in the group greatly needed before we go any further on riding courses and bikes own and ridden. I guess I will have to hold off on my other bike purchase until this is done.

I actually met my wife on a poker run. She was riding her own bike long before I met her and still does. Sold her 1998 Honda VLX 600 (fantastic starter bike) in 2004 and bought her a Honda VTX 1300.
first thing...make her take the MSF course to learn to ride.

Another angle.....I knew a couple many years ago.....the guy finally upgraded from a Sporty to a Road King and gave the Sporty to the wife. She learned to ride it but only road for a short time and decided that driving the bike was not her thing. She preferred to be a passenger and not the driver as she could then relax, see the scenery, party more and not have that driving responsibility.

I have one sweet Kawasaki Vulcan 500 for sale..... will work with a member on the price.

IMO, a 500 Kaw truly is a great starter bike, there are zero bad reviews and they are not available anymore and it is difficult to find many for sale.

http://samcs.mmorpgheroes.com/t1421-better-than-new-kawasaki-vulcan-500


For a member....I would take 3K.

Can't Start too small. 2nd the Riders course! My wife started with a 250 Rebel then moved up.

My wife rode the Rebel for a month then sold it, was worth it. The bike is so small it doesnt intimidate and is very light. After she got used to driving she moved up very quickly.

There is always a Rebel on craigslist. Buy it, ride, then sell it for what you paid for it. Cheap to repair if it gets dropped too.

Thank you all( jmunsey, Dragon & Tully) for the advice,

The riders course will be a must, and I sure do not want to re install the crash bars on the shovelhead and turn her loose with it. Plus I cannot afford to buy a bike she cannot or will not ride, or decides later she would rather still ride on the back. I do like the ideal of a small light weight bike for her to build her riding skills before moving up to something larger also easy to sell. This was a surprise to me when she told me so and I still am unsure how serious she is.

Teach her on a dirt bike, then go from there.

My wife is a horse expert...I am not....thought she could teach me to ride one...after about 10 minutes of her "teaching" I never wanted anything to do with a horse and was really wanting to strangle her. Kinda like the old adage of teaching yer wife to drive a car. Something like that is better left to the pros!

I think a small midsize bike is best. I really like that little Honda twinstar as it is a great learning bike....but once you learn you will soon outgrow it. Either way.....a cheaper used bike is best to start with as you will not cry near as much if it gets dropped compared to a more expensive bike.

That is the great advantage of the MSF course....pay thye fee and they provide the bikes to learn on....if you drop their bike.....it is still their bike!!

http://mobile.craigslist.org/mcy/2769232002.html

I would buy this.

yes indeed. It has been on there for a bit, he may even take less for it now.

My wife has a 06 Yamaha Virago 250. Thats been a great starter bike for her. And it does anything she wants it to do and goes any where as well. The course is a MUST ! . You buy these small bikes usually cheap and can sell them quckly if you need to and not lose any $$$$..

Appreciate the support, guys.

You never know she may get on a bike during the course and decide she really doesn't want to ride after all. Now sure how soon she wants to get in a class but, my buddy is signed up for a course the beginning of Feb at eastern shore HD. Good Luck with what ever decision is made!

The replies and advice has been great guys, thank you all and everyone.
I for sure will be putting her in the riders course for the very two reasons members have already said....to keep the peace..ie no way in hell will I attempt to teach her to ride ..sure fire fight and possible seperation!! and second if she drops the bike ..hey it is theirs. After the course and she still wants to ride then I will get her an inexpensive beginners bike to build her riding skills on before moving up.
And I am making note of the bikes you guys are advising me on for possible choice.

Thanks again everyone!!

My wife, Debi, has ridden her own bike for years so if she wants to talk to her...just PM me......fair warning though....my wife is basically evil!!!!!

;-)

I got my wife a scooter! Think about it, If she were to go out and get you a bike, it would be a scooter! She loves it though, doesn't like to shift.
Definitely riders course, She'll learn to ride safely, I think most of them supplies the bikes too. She need to get what she feels safe on.
I'll be praying for ya!

Any decent major-brand Japanese, generally-cruiser-style (non-squid) light-to-midsize with low seat height (unless she's very tall) ought to do.

I think low seat height is important for a lady beginner. Low speed maneuvering is very intimidating to a beginner and low seat height and moderate weight is crucial for early confidence.

There is still one American made bike out there....750cc...has auto trans so no shifting required. More pricey than a Jab bike but pretty cool. Those are the Ridley's.

We looked at one, she wants one, high dollar, they stopped making them but there is a lot of them around still. I'm working on getting her one. I've got to get a car first. But I'm not really looking yet.

1) MSF course is a wise decision!
2) Personal opinion: Suzuki S40 has been a great first bike for me (not planning to part with it anytime in the forseeable future) I'm a 5'3" female and it fits like it was made for me, not too heavy either, but still has enough power without being scary.

Bama girl,

Thank you for the insight, yes she will be taking a MSF course very first thing and then we will she what bike fits her best and that she is comfortable with.

Thanks again!

My first bike was a Honda Shadow 500. I could put that bike anywhere...pretty light and never had to put a wrench to it even after 3 years of hard riding. Good luck Stoney.

Miss G wrote:My first bike was a Honda Shadow 500. I could put that bike anywhere...pretty light and never had to put a wrench to it even after 3 years of hard riding. Good luck Stoney.

Thank you, for some reason see seems to favor a sporty and I had nothing to say. I think after she takes the MSF course she will have a better ideal on what she wants be it a sporty or some other bike as long as it is safe and dependable.

Do you mean a sportster? Have you looked into the vulcan that Dragon is selling?

We went with the Honda Shadow, bullet proof and there are so many around at a good price, not hard to find one you can get your money back from if she decides it is not for her. My thought was we could get something nicer later and get everything spent for the Shadow back again.

We got the 1100, it sounds like a bit much I guess, but I just can't imagine it getting any easier, the bike is easy to handle & low to the ground.

http://mobile.craigslist.org/search/mca?query=shadow&srchType=A&minAsk=&maxAsk=

Probably would have gotten a Rebel if I could have found one at a decent price at the time , but they seem to of been rare at the time.

If you are looking at something bigger than a Honda Rebel for a first bike, the Vulcan 500 like Dragon's would be a good choice if it fits her. I think anything over a 600 is a risk due to the weight. A light and easy to handle bike is the key to success for a new rider.