Bike for the Wife

[Perpetrate]

We are looking for my wifes 1st dirt bike. She rips on the quads in both sand and on the trails. She is 5'7" and has never used a thumb thottle!!! She has a high confidance level but does not want to get hurt. So I was thinking a 250F would be to tall for a new rider yet a small bike like the TT-R125LE might be to small. What are some good bikes inbetween.

What are you girls riding, and what is the largest bike she could get with our being to much for trail riding.

 

[husky2kawi]

Hi,
I am 5'8 1/2", and I ride a KDX 200. Not as snappy as a 250, but has nice power for a beginner. My hubby put in Boysen reeds in it this Oct. and I could tell a difference. I need stiffer suspension, tho, cuz I am a bigger person, but it works. This was my 2nd summer riding.
I do have my heart set on a YZ 250, next summer, tho. Gonna get a little gutzier. :-) Wanna be on my hubby's tail!!!
Just my input...
Pam

 

[GETMETOCA]

I wouldn't necessarily overlook the 250's since you can make some modifications to lower them a bit.  Cut the seat down, cut the subframe, etc.  But if you don't feel like doing that there are a lot of other bikes out there.  There are just as many opinions on them all.   Is it possible to try out a few bikes before you decide? 

I ride a kTm 250rfs and my first bike was an XR250.  I'm 5'10" so the bike height didn't really matter.  I think your wife would really love the kTm250rfs as I do and many others as well.  The electric start is a great feature as well as the smooth power.  Its also a lot more fun to ride than the XR.  Just gotta try it.  Plus, there's now a big bore kit for when she's ready for more power.

 

Good luck! :thumb:

 

[KDXgirl]

I have a KDX200 for trail riding and a RMZ250 for motocross and I think either bike would be good. The new generation baby thumpers are incredibly light weight, easy enough to start without a button and the Honda and Kawasukis have a low seat height. I am a short 5"4 and can manage ok.
After riding the 250f my KDX now feels like a tank however it is still a great bike for the beginner/intermediate rider and can be set up a bit better for the more advance power. Its not too peaky being a 2 stroke either.
The TTR125s are fairly small bikes and if she is ripping on quads then may out grow the ttr125 fairly quickly

 

[Perpetrate]

I was thinking she would out grow a small bike with in the year already. But the little bike are so cheap. Jump up to a real bike and the price doubles. Oh well, I guess I will work more to ride more!

My 1st BIG bike after the 80 was a KDX200, great trail bike, easy to ride.

I love KTM's and will look into the baby thumpers for her, and me. lol!!!

Before I buy I will borrow a TT-R125L, a TT-R250 that a budy has and give her advice to what she will grow into vs what is comfy now.

Thanks for your help. Any other advice?

 

[KDXgirl]

As far as I know the KTM 200 may be better than the KTM250 four stroke. I had thought of the KTM250f and was told by several people that they are not at the same standard as the others because of them being in the 400/450 frame and unfortuntely for people who like mangos they are focusing on their 2 stroke range at the moment.

There is a big difference size wise in the ttr 125 and the ttr250. A few of my friends (girls) ride the ttr 250 and this is a great all round bike powerwise, seat height and with the button but those things are damn heavy so unless she lifts weights for a living may have trouble lifting them up.

Not sure what its like over there for price of bikes but you can pick up some decent second hand wr250fs over here for the same price as the new ttr125s so that is another option there.
We also have the DRZ125, DRZ250, KLX250 and KLX125 which are all 4 strokes so they may be options as well as the CRF150 and CRF230

Personally I would be sticking to the 250fs or the 2 stroke 200s because she is tall and has experience

 

[Michelle]

At 5'7" I wouldn't even consider the TTR/KLX/DRZ125 range.
I'm 5'3" & ride a KDX200 & TTR125L & while I find the TTR a bit small, I'm using it as a confidence builder. I'm starting to think about getting the tall seat for it, but honestly don't want to spend much on it (I feel guilty enough about even having bought the bike).

Another bike to consider is the Gas Gas 200 or Pampera.

Did you convert her quads to twist throttles? I can't get my head around the thumb throttle, even though I've been told it's easier to get used to (you mention she's never used a thumb throttle, which in my mind is a good thing hehehe).

Good luck & let us know what you decide & how it goes.

 

[Perpetrate]

The first thing I do when I got the quads new was rip the thumb throttle off and put a motion pro twist in its place. Which means that she knows "all" the controls and only has to adapt to the balance and seat height aspects of the convertion from 4 wheels to 2. I feel guilty buying a 250 thumper because I will want to ride it more than her.

Seat time will be the only way to know what she will be comfertable with. It is good to have friends that have the bikes I am looking at to try out. Now I just need to get her modivated to try it them. She is very tired of getting beat up on the quads and is ready to take the smooth ride on 2 wheels.

Thanks again!

Ride More Work Less

 

[ChknLittle]

I'm a little over 5'7" and just switched from a quadracer to a TTR225, and I LOVE it. It has great power for the steep hills in trail riding (I'm afraid becuase of the suspension it would suck for MX racing), and is the perfect height for someone my size. It's just tall enough that you can sit comfortably with your knees a little bent, but you aren't scrunched up. It's not too heavy either - I know because I let the darned thing fall over on me while sliding backwards down a hill the other day. I do feel a little guilty over the electric start, and it's not really a super zippy bike for doing wheelies and that sort of thing, but I love it nonetheless. They're reasonably priced as well (if you can find a used one like I did), so you can always move her up to a 2 stroke if she graduates! Good luck! Michelle

 

[gospeedracer]

Currently I ride a KTM200mxc. I'm 5'10 so bike height isn't really an issue for me but weight is. I won't even consider owning a bike I can't pick up. I've ridden most of the bikes mentioned here, KTM200 and 250rfs, GG200, KDX200, Pampera, TTR-125L, TTR250 as well as the TTR225. For what it's worth, if any, I'll give you my opinion on each based on my personal experience......

KTM200 - light and zippy, sometimes a little too zippy, this thing still has a tendancy to get away from me if I'm not careful and I'm working on some ways to mellow it out. Fast bike, when someone else is on it. :confused:

KTM250rfs - FUN FUN FUN!! Didn't even need the E-start, I could practically 'kick' start it with my hand! Nice and smooth. I don't recall what the weight is but I believe it is only slightly heavier than my 200 which is about 225.

KDX200 - also FUN FUN FUN. My ex-boyfriend had one and that thing was like a cadillac. A little heavier than I prefer but a good all around bike. I've seen some excellent riders do some pretty amazing things on a KDX!

TTR250 - Another cadillac but I can only use one word to describe it, HEAVY!!! My boyfriend sold his last year. When I was getting too beat up on my bike we would switch so I could cruise the 'cadillac' back to camp. :)

TTR225 - TANK!!! The few women I've known who had these bikes did not keep them long.

TTR125L - small but another FUN bike. I'd like to get one as a 2nd bike just to mess around on and use as pit bike because I just enjoy them so much.

GG200 - I've only ridden one once but the weight and size was right. Slightly more mellow 'hit' than the KTM.

Pampera - fun bike, great maneuverability, will tractor up damn near anything. I know several women who have them and just love them. One of them got a Pampera last year and her riding skills/confidence have improved immensely ever since. A little small for me though and a little underpowered in my opinion, at least with me on it. :confused:

Can't really say much about the 250f. I've only ridden one once and I damn near killed myself on it. I know a couple of girls on them though and they just love them.

 

[4EverOrange]

this thing still has a tendancy to get away from me if I'm not careful and I'm working on some ways to mellow it out.

Do you have a flywheel weight for your 200? That's what I did to mine, and it's worked wonders. If you need a little more control go with the 9 oz, if you need a lot more go with the 12 oz. Personally, I have the 9 oz and it works great for me.

 

[gospeedracer]

It does have a heavier fly wheel on it already. I'm not sure what the weight is though, I'll have to check that out tonight.

 

[pyrofreak]

KTM 105. I think it has a 125 frame i think too.

 

[Perpetrate]

We sat on some bikes at the dealer and the 250s were a little to tall for her. She might be more intimidated by the size and weight. I know it would sage a little but if it is to tall on flat ground, the hill side would be worse. You only get 1.5" max if you lower the forks in the clamps and loosen the preload on the shock.

She really liked the TT-R 125L. She could touch both feet, controls were closer and it felt more like her mountain bike then the full size bikes did. She did not like the look of the TT-R 225, she said it looked smashed.

I might consider some BBR triple clamps and new bars so that she would be more comfertable standing up. Even if I keep it for 2 years she can learn alot on a smaller bike that will help her ride larger ones.

I will try to borrow a 125L this weekend if Chris is not taking his kids.

 

[KDXgirl]

hmm are you sure she is 5"7 then? Because Im 5"4 and can touch on the 250's except the yamaha YZ/WR, the TTR is shorter and can get both feet to the ground.