Bike for my girlfriend

If you want a great bike for learning that can be modded up, I can't say enough about the TTR125L. There are all kinds of aftemarket parts/YZ80 suspendion swap ideas for these bikes, and a little engine work goes a long way. Basically, you can make the bike grow with the rider. I've seen some well experienced riders have a total blast on a modded up version of them.

Try a doing a search, there's plenty of reading for you.

My GF is about 2 or 3" shorter than yours and we bought an 04' CR85. I'll just say it wasn't the right choice. I was thinking the same as you that, i didnt want to get a small four stroke trail bike and have her be tired of it in two months. The power of the small two strokes just comes on too quick for most first time riders and it doesn't help that even at 5'5" she's still too tall for it so she sits further back on the seat making it even worse. It's only going to be a matter of time before she ends up on her butt. I'm not sure where we are going to go from here. Kinda leaning toward a 300 or 400EX four-wheeler. I guess if you know someone that has an 85/100 that she could try out before you buy that would help.

Definantly a Honda CRF150F. Its an offroad not to fast but decently powerful bike. She would fit it well. Make sure you get the F model not the R model. The R model is complete racing and is too powerful. Dont get her a racing bike. The honda also is alittle bigger than the ttr 125 and performs better. Thats what I have and I love it!

i think a kx 100 would be good for her

The CRF150F Honda sounds like a good fit, as well as the Kawi KLX140L.

4fox2rider0 said:

i think a kx 100 would be good for her

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I agree with this one!

The kx100 will have more power, but since it's a larger bore it is a bit more torquey and doesn't hit as quick or as suddenly as an 85. It has much more controllable power, but not too little that she would get bored with.

The advantage of that over having a modded ttr125 is that the ttr is not built for that kind of stress, so you have to start doing complete mods in order to keep it together which just isn't cost effective unless you're into the whole pit-bike scene.

With the kx100, you will have a factory reliable bike with ease of control straight out of the box, but with plenty of room to grow without having to spend money on the bike. She'll control the pace in which she begins to expand that bikes capability, rather than you having to spend time and money on modifications...

My wife's ttr get's ridden more by my friends and I than her. It's stock except for open airbox and jetting and will haul a 160lb rider up some impressive hills. It won't take off without you though and pulls smooth from idle to rev limiter, unlike a small bore two stroke(even if it has a power valve). She doesn't ride it enough to stay familiar with it so it takes her a little while to get reaquainted with the clutch and shifter, I'm sure a peaky little race bike would agrivate her.

I'd say if you ride alot and it's open trail or track a KX100 would probably be ok, but otherwise a TTR is really hard to beat. Good luck, hope she likes it!

Kolchy5 said:

Definantly a Honda CRF150F. Its an offroad not to fast but decently powerful bike. She would fit it well. Make sure you get the F model not the R model. The R model is complete racing and is too powerful. Dont get her a racing bike. The honda also is alittle bigger than the ttr 125 and performs better. Thats what I have and I love it!

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EXACTLY SAID

i wouldnt get her a 2-stoke, unless she plans on racing maybe? there are plenty of very powerful 4strokes, if she wants power.. 2-stroke bikes must be well maintained and fluids always checked, ETC. you can just fill up and go on a four stroke, change the oil every so often, and you never hardley have to wory about piston rings, (usually)

My daughter is 5' 2" and a TTR-125L is a bit small for her. That is what she learned on, but then I bought her a KX-100.

Keep in mind that the TTR-125 comes in two sizes. The small wheel version has a seat height of 30.5 while the big wheel version has a seat height of 31.7. By comparison, the KX-100 has a seat height of 34"

I would expect that at 5'8" tall your girlfriend would be tall for a TTR-125. It might be a good bike to learn on but if she starts trying to go fast a seat height that low is going to cause her a lot of difficulty. For one, it is difficult to stand up when your knees are in your chest sitting down. Second, the center of gravity gets way too high and can cause stability problems.

There are a number of bikes that have a seat height of 34 inches, which I would expect would be better for her. For simple trail rides a TTR-230 or a CRF230F would suit the bill. These have the advantage of electric start, which can be a great benefit for beginner riders.

If she is more aggressive then a CRF150RE might fit the bill. A 34 inch seat height, but it is MUCH lighter than the TTR-230 or CRF230F and even though it is lower displacement it is a high performance engine so in many situations it will out perform the mild mannered 230s

Rod