BMW for my wife.

[Bigg-Brother]

I'm thinking of getting my wife a bike. She is not an experienced rider and is a small woman (5'4", 110 lbs)
I kind of like F800ST . What do you guys think? Is it a good bike for a beginner?

Thanks

Peter

[Anyname]

Personally, I like to see people start off with an older, smaller bike that will tolerate a few tip overs. Move to the nice new BMW after some experience is built up. Almost everyone dings up their first bike.

[sjarrell]

Personally, I like to see people start off with an older, smaller bike that will tolerate a few tip overs. Move to the nice new BMW after some experience is built up. Almost everyone dings up their first bike.

I agree completely. Get something that's used (you know in time you're going to sell it), light, and low to the ground. This will help her build her skills and gain confidence, then she can move up to something bigger, heavier, faster, taller, etc. when she's ready. Have her keep practicing her skills (braking, slow speed turns, etc.) every chance you get with the smaller bike.

Steve

[Bob Ain't Stoppin']

I'd suggest a used 650 single with lowered suspension and seat as needed. The F800 is a lot of bike for a beginner, while the 650 single is easy to handle and can still go anywhere. Highway is no problem on that bike. My wife is on a 650 CS and is pretty happy with it.

[CRazyCam]

This may sound like a silly remark, but have you considered asking your wife what bike she fancies?

Depending on her experience, an F800ST might well be a big and daunting lump of motorcycle to her.

regards,CrazyCam

[rockbottom]

I learned to ride on an F800ST. It can be done, but it's not optimal. I have a short inseam so I found the height a bit daunting at first and dropped it a few times. If my wife wanted to learn, I'll push her toward the F650GS with lowered suspension.

[Anyname]

To get specific, I'd look at an older Japanese cruiser styled bike. They have low seats and they tend to be built more for user friendly torque than the sportier bikes. Some of them even have shaft drive so you won't have to remember how grubby chains are.

Another alternative is a 150-250cc scooter. They aren't highway vehicles, but they are easy to learn and fairly light. My wife (5'1" and 120ish) had a 400 Suzuki Bergman which was fast and stable enough to drive cross country, but she eventually decided its 400+ pound weight made it too heavy to handle in parking spaces. Scooters have a surprising amount of under seat storage. They also have weather protection which make them more useful for daily riding.

[dbrick]

Peter,

I agree that a smaller bike would be better to start with, and one with little or no bodywork preferable because she will fall over some. A used 250cc Rebel or similar would be fine. The F800 is too tall for her to start on.

Has she taken a basic training class? (Full disclosure: I taught in the MSF program here in California for almost ten years.) It's a very good opportunity to learn some basics, and find out - on someone else's bike - if you really want to go further with this. Some do, some don't. I remember we always had students who were there because they wanted to be, and others who were there because their partner or friend wanted them to be there. Lacking their own motivation, the second group didn't do so well.

[CRazyCam]

I remember we always had students who were there because they wanted to be, and others who were there because their partner or friend wanted them to be there. Lacking their own motivation, the second group didn't do so well.

Hi David.

Yup. Same over here in Oz.

Once folk got through the basic training and were allowed out on the roads, the next least helpful business tended to be the bloke buying a bike for his wife/son/daughter.

It's too easy for experienced riders to look at a motorcycle and think, yeah, it's nice and small.

To a relative beginner, even a CB250 Honda can be quite big and intimidating.

regards,CrazyCam

[Bigg-Brother]

Guys - thank you ALL for these thoughts.

She likes the looks of F800ST. We understand this is not beginner's bike and we probably won't buy it until she gets some experience. Our friends have older Shadow which we will probably buy and start with it.

I will keep you informed.

Thank you again for your input - really good thoughts.

[rockbottom]

I'd make some catty comment about choosing a first bike based on looks rather than appropriateness except that's exactly what I did.

[ka5ysy]

Guys - thank you ALL for these thoughts.

She likes the looks of F800ST. We understand this is not beginner's bike and we probably won't buy it until she gets some experience. Our friends have older Shadow which we will probably buy and start with it.

I will keep you informed.

Thank you again for your input - really good thoughts.

First, please enroll her in an MSF or Harley Riders Edge class ASAP. Whatever you do, do not try to teach her yourself, or allow a friend to do so. The classes will give her information and a basic skill set to keep her safe, and are presented in a manner that each exercise builds on the previous one in a logical order.

There is a lot of good information from other posters above. Get something lightweight and cheap to fix when it gets dropped. She can trade up to her dream bike after getting some seat time and becoming comfortable with riding. Sport bikes are definitely not good for newbies regardless of how good they look. The F800 engine is not as bad as many sport bikes, but it is still not a beginner bike. If you want a BMW, something like the F650 (low if needed) is ideal and has a soft throttle response in comparison to the F800.


There are a lot of good used 250 cc trainer bikes around for not a lot of money, and if you can find a Buell Blast, the current used market is around $1500-2000 or so, and you can get your money out of these bikes when you upgrade. The Buell is one tough bike and is cheap to fix if it is dropped. and is a perfect first bike. Mostly only the turn signal stalks break on a drop, so no big expense. They also have a very low CG so are very easy to ride even at slow speeds.

The Honda Shadow is a good choice depending on the version you are considering.

Good luck on the search !

Doug

[Bigg-Brother]

Thank you, ka5ysy.
Motorcycle riding course is a must - we both know that. I was not even planning on going any other way. They provide bikes, so no problem there.

http://www.startseeingmotorcycles.org/Courses.asp

Is it only me or there are more and more women riding these days?

[sjbmw]

My friend bought his father a gift certificate for a MSF class after Dad made some hints he wanted to ride a motorcycle.
After the class, and after he learned the risks of riding, he passed on getting a bike altogether.
The myth in his head ran into the reality, and it was a little too much.

Get the MSF course, it could save you a lot of money.

that being said, a used F650 CS would be a stellar first bike.

Lots of gals ride them, as they have a really low seat.

[rockbottom]

My friend bought his father a gift certificate for a MSF class after Dad made some hints he wanted to ride a motorcycle.
After the class, and after he learned the risks of riding, he passed on getting a bike altogether.
The myth in his head ran into the reality, and it was a little too much.

I'd bet that 1/3 of the people in my BRC never went back. One woman in her 40s had a daughter who lived in Los Angeles who rode. The lady wanted to learn so that she could go out and ride the Pacific Highway with her daughter. I think "the box" made her realize that it would be years before she'd be ready to ride in LA.

[roger l]

When I took the MSF class there were two women who were taking the class. They had already picked out the bikes and gear that they wre going to buy. The first lady crashed the 250 Honda Rebel twice in the first day. The second lady did not crash but she was struggling to control the bike. Neither one came back for the second day. They must have found out that riding a motorcycle was not for them. That $25.00 investment saved them thousands of dollars and possibly saved them from a bad accident. Have you wife or ANYONE take the MSF class BEFORE you buy a bike.

Roger L

[ContraMoto]

At my MSF course, a 40-ish lady was the best student there. She could ride that bike in figure-eights at full lock and never wobble. She was going through cones so quick and smooth she looked like the instructors. She had already bought a small Shadow because she wanted to be able to easily flat-foot the bike. She was smart and seemed very dialed in to riding.

At the same class, three macho guys were dropping their 250s left and right. One guy that failed had already bought a $25k Harley that he couldn't pick up without his license. He wrecked one of the 250cc school bikes by stopping, revving the motor to redline and then popping the clutch. He held on with his right hand while the bike did a quick 360 around him on the back wheel, and then let go as it careened down the range. I can't wait to see how he handles an 800lb bike.

[Bigg-Brother]

I agree - a lot of people buy their first bike without really understanding what it takes to ride one... I started when I was 11 (I'm 36 now) and rode a lot of different bikes - I understand the importance of learning and experience.
My wife has few hundred miles on 250cc bike - not a lot. She is a very educated and brave women, not to mention really good car driver. I don't think MSF will be a psychological problem for her. I'm not that concern about dropping any bike - my big thing is for her to be safe and ready to react the right way.

BTW - we just came back from our vacation in Costa Rica and besides small 125cc bikes (local riders), the only other motorcycles we saw were BMW R1200GS... Unbelievable! At some point we drove for several miles on muddy, rocky and hilly road (we had to switch our 4x4 into LOW) and at the end of our trip we saw... 2011 R1200GS... It was parked there, all by itself... Blue headers... Dirt all over... Pure awesomeness...

[rockbottom]

I agree - a lot of people buy their first bike without really understanding what it takes to ride one...

I resemble that remark!

[ka5ysy]

Is it only me or there are more and more women riding these days?

I am happy to report that I usually have about 30-40% women in my classes, and on a number of occasions have done "Ladies Only" classes which they dearly love. The ladies, for the most part, do very well because they, unlike the guys, actually come in without any preconceived notions and will LISTEN to what we tell them to do and look for in each of the exercises.

About 5 % of all my students drop out by request, and decide motorcycles are not for them. There have been students who took four classes to pass the evaluations, and without fail, they thank us for getting them up to speed to be safe on the road.

The absolute payoff for any instructor is to have a student come back and tell you that something they learned in the class saved a bad accident. I have that happen a couple of times a year and it makes the baking on a hot range for seven hours all worth it.

Go Ladies