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New Bike for the Lady...?

Not having electric start on a 4 stroke trail bike, is like not having indoor plumbing. Sure, you could get along without it, but you sure would not want to. It will also be one less thing you will have to help with.
I am about 160lbs fully loaded, and the ttr suspension still works ok. If she rides like most women I have seen, it will take some time (if ever) for her max out the engine and suspension.
 
Brendan said:
Not having electric start on a 4 stroke trail bike, is like not having indoor plumbing. Sure, you could get along without it, but you sure would not want to. It will also be one less thing you will have to help with.
I am about 160lbs fully loaded, and the ttr suspension still works ok. If she rides like most women I have seen, it will take some time (if ever) for her max out the engine and suspension.
Click to expand...

Hi Brendan,
I completely disagree as in my opinion adding electric start to an already overweight, small displacement motorcycle is a complete waste. Said electric start is unnecessary on a minibike as such should readily start each and every time via the kick lever even with the most feeble of jabs.

As for most women never exceeding the whopping 9 RWHP 8O
A bold statement indeed considering the year 2005 and your earlier reference to indoor plumbing. :D

Respectfully,
Dale
 
I think what you should get would be the one she is most comfortable with. It is hard to tell by just sitting on one. Is there anyway that she could ride different ones? That would help. One could later on modifiy the supension and seat to fit better. Don`t get a bike to small. My guess would be a 125 to a 250 if you are looking to buy a new one.
 
Dale,

Your input, as always, is highly valued and considered as I recognize you to be an expert on these subject matters...... This is, of course, my thoughts only as I cannot speak for others.

As per our phone conversation Dale, I am seriously considering and leaning towards the CRF100F (the XR100 was replaced by this bike in 2004) as the bike I will purchase for the GF. I to tend to agree that on a bike of this size, electric start should not be needed as a well maintained and properly tuned bike should start via the kick lever by USING YOUR ARM! A good friend of mine could do this to his KTM520EXC and is no giant to say the least, 5'7" 170lbs!

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions on this and any others are always welcomed.

Regards,
Keith
 
In Sweden 125 2t or 250 4t are bikes women use. I would go for a Yamaha WR250F. There are solutions in the market to make the XR lower but the XR is heavy.
Many people have started with a Husaberg 501. The first months aren't easy but the engine is easy to handle after a while.
Have you asked her what she wants?
I will never buy a bike I haven't tried. If the bike is too easy to stall it will not be fun as well as a too heavy bike.
 
sandskipper said:
I will look through the cycle trader to see what I can find and possably take my girl down to check some out. She realy has her eye on one of the TT-R's right now and it would take some convincing to get her to change her mind. I have always rode RED prior to my Husaberg purchase (CR125, XR350, TRX400EX) and my preferance was the CRF150 but this bike turned out to be more than my GF was up for. One other small problem that is weighing on my mind was that at ~$3k out the door price on the TTR and ~$1700-$2000 on a used bike, would it be in my best bet to buy the floor room 2005 bike as I don't want to buy someone elses thrasher bike and inherit someone elses problems???

What do you think a rough estimate price on the XR 120kit, and any other needed bits would be to get this bike in top notch condition granted the bike is in good/excellent condition?

Regards,
Click to expand...

The TTR is a good bike, and is more modern than the XR. Modding the XR will get you back up to the same cost as the TTR. If you can find one, look for one of the CR85 conversions where they pull out the 2-stoke and put in an XR100, or TTR motor. This will give you modern suspension, light weight, and full disc brakes. These are the modern backyard racers that are being raced in the similar named series. Here is an example pic:

Fullsize pic link
P1010385_small.JPG



Thumpertalk.com should have more specific info. on these conversion bikes.
 
you won't see this written here at UHE very often but it's gotta be said for the bfirst time someday "go to TT and the ladies section" aaaah! now i've said it.

i'm sure they have looked at it from a ladies point of view and not from ours. 'light' to me is a 454 ci with titanium wheels making it 'light!'.

regards

Taffy
 
sandskipper said:
Fellow Husabergers,

My soon to be wife has recently showed an interest in my hobby of riding dirtbikes. Not just watching, she wants to ride also. The only bike she has ever ridden was an XR400 which she liked but was unable to keep the rubber side down and dropped it on its side while stopping! I am very excited about her interest and would like to by her a bike of her own for her birthday in early Aug. I have had her down at the local jap bike retailer to check out the Suzuki, Kawasaki, Honda and Yamaha bikes. The CRF150 is a little too tall and with 35+ lbs over the rest was written off as a no-buy as I do not want her to hurt herself. After looking at the bikes, we both seemed to lean towards the Yamaha TT-R125Le as it is a four stroke (mild power delivery for a beginner), 180lbs. (light and just the correct size for her 5'4" 120lb frame), and electric start (for ease of starting and confidence building... again for a first time rider).
I would like nothing better than to buy her a Husaberg but none are available or even suited for a beginner. What are your opinions and/or suggestions for a successful first time bike for my girl?
I ride mostly desert and sand with the occasional ride up the high country forrests but 45% desert, 30% sand and 10% forrest.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Regards,
Click to expand...

My vote is the with TTR 125LE. My girl friend just bought one for herself and is doing very well with it. She is a beginner just like your wife, but she weighs a bit more about 145 I think, and she is about 5' 9". I noticed on memorial day weekend which was her first outing, that the front end seemed to be packing when she got on anything but a really smooth surface. I asked my suspension tuner about that bike and he said all it needed was some stiffer fork springs (.33) and I think 20wt fork oil. She absolutely loves the bike.

I really like the power for a beginner, good torque with not too much horsepower. And the most important part, is that she can put both feet on the ground easily, which IMHO, is THE most important part for a beginner. I found the bike to be a gas to ride, smooth, quiet, and it starts super easy on the button every time. I tried the kicker too, and it was effortless.

We'll see how she likes it with the front end stiffened up this coming weekend.
 

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