03-19-2018, 12:47 AM
Welcome tommymck. Obviously there is a learning curve for new riders, and some things are not as obvious as others. I sold a 750 pound Harley, and bought a CB1100EX because ( among other things ) I was not comfortable at age 65 wrestling that much weight in around town traffic. So, on the weight side, how much would she be comfortable with rolling around by hand, or putting on a center stand, or picking up by herself if necessary if she dropped it?
A while back, I bought my wife a Rebel 250 and fixed it up for her, but promptly sold it. I found that it was easy to handle in terms of weight, but extremely lacking in power, even for around town. Having ridden motorcycles since I was 17 ( my first bike was 80cc ), I think around 500cc would be a decent compromise between weight and power for a beginner....light enough to handle rolling by hand and around town, but with enough power for short hops on the freeway if necessary. I say short hops on the freeway, because I think a beginner should learn at slower speeds on surface streets, preferably with very light traffic.
Just as suggestions, you might want to look at a Honda CB500F or a Rebel 500. The Rebel 500 has only a solo seat, which might be a good thing to discourage riding two up, as I think a significant amount of solo riding experience should be under anyone's belt before even considering taking a passenger. Either of those bikes should have a seat height that would allow her to have both feet flat, and firmly on the ground at stops as well.
Regardless of any well intended opinions and/or suggestions, whatever she ends up with should be something that you have confidence in, she is comfortable with, and suits her needs.
A while back, I bought my wife a Rebel 250 and fixed it up for her, but promptly sold it. I found that it was easy to handle in terms of weight, but extremely lacking in power, even for around town. Having ridden motorcycles since I was 17 ( my first bike was 80cc ), I think around 500cc would be a decent compromise between weight and power for a beginner....light enough to handle rolling by hand and around town, but with enough power for short hops on the freeway if necessary. I say short hops on the freeway, because I think a beginner should learn at slower speeds on surface streets, preferably with very light traffic.
Just as suggestions, you might want to look at a Honda CB500F or a Rebel 500. The Rebel 500 has only a solo seat, which might be a good thing to discourage riding two up, as I think a significant amount of solo riding experience should be under anyone's belt before even considering taking a passenger. Either of those bikes should have a seat height that would allow her to have both feet flat, and firmly on the ground at stops as well.
Regardless of any well intended opinions and/or suggestions, whatever she ends up with should be something that you have confidence in, she is comfortable with, and suits her needs.