I need something for my wife

[keefbikes]

I love riding and want to get my wife involved. I dont have a lot of money to spend so I was looking at some of these Chinese bikes, and quads so she can take our kids as well. She has no exp. riding at all. What do I start her on, and wont empty my bank account?

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

I would NOT recommend buying one of the cheap no-name bikes. There is a reason that they are cheap. You will not be doing you or your wife any favors by getting a bike that breaks down, is hard to find replacement parts for and performs poorly.

The big decision you need to make is quad vs bike. A quad is definately easier on a beginner but it is unlikely that she will ever keep up with your KTM on a quad.

In order for us to help you at all we need to know a few details about your wife. Fill out the form in the "sticky" post in this section of the forum.

Without that information the best I can do is general information based on rash assumptions. What I would recommend is to buy a bike that is easy for your wife to ride rather than one that is "high performance". Electric start can go a long way towards improving your wife's overall happyness when trail riding.

Rod

 

[keefbikes]

She is about 5' 4'' and 125lbs. She has little to no exp. with bikes. She is not eager to start in on the sport thinking it may be to risky for her. i bet if she has a bad exp. with the bike she will never try again so I want to get her something she can handle with ease. I can go as slow as I need on my KTM or Honda to make sure she has a good time and stays safe. I was looking at some small quads but I would like her to have a bike. Not everything has to be for the kids. :cool:

 

[_JOE_]

I recently got my wife into riding on a trr125. She does fine, and has taken a liking to it. She did crash once, on pavement(a driveway), got a bunch of roadrash and bruises, and still likes to ride :ride: . She took to the manual clutch pretty quick. We now get out a couple times a month together. I thought it would be easier to start her on a manual clutch bike to let her learn how to ride. I'm hoping in the next two years she is good enough to pilot the crf so I can upgrade :laugh: .

 

[mkelly04]

I would recommend a ttr-125 2003+


The 03 model and newer have the e-start which makes a big difference. Nothing is more frustrating to a new rider then trying to kick start a stalled motor.

 

[_JOE_]

I would recommend a ttr-125 2003+


The 03 model and newer have the e-start which makes a big difference. Nothing is more frustrating to a new rider then trying to kick start a stalled motor.

Definately go for the magic button. My wifes is kick, and she does get frustrated sometimes trying to start it. I have it jetted pretty good so it starts easily, but I've heard horror stories about how hard some can be to start.

 

[keefbikes]

ttr125, is that a 2 or 4 stroke? I am afraid a two strokes powerband may be intimidating to her. But I hate how much 4 strokes are to repair.

 

[_JOE_]

4t. Usually rock solid reliable, not a high performance race bike. Just change the oil, check the air filter and valves. Valve adjustments take about 20 minutes.

 

[rmc_olderthandirt]

ttr125, is that a 2 or 4 stroke? I am afraid a two strokes powerband may be intimidating to her. But I hate how much 4 strokes are to repair.

If your wife isn't keen on this idea then I would do everything I could to make the experience as un-intimidating and easy as possible.

The TTR line is Yamaha's "off road" bike, which is exactly what she should be on. The frame size is a bit smaller and the seat a bunch lower so that she won't have to be balancing the bike on tip-toe. It will have electric start, just push the magic button and go. Being 4-stroke it will have a nice, smooth, wide power band. It won't foul plugs when she putts around and it won't fall flat on its face when she lugs it.

The worst thing you could do is buy her a MX bike with a high performance, high compression 2 stroke engine. She won't be able to start it, it will foul plugs, fall flat on its face when she drops the RPMs below the power band, etc.

The TTR is a lower compression engine. It won't develope the power that the high perforance engines do but it will run forever. If you aren't pushing it at its limit all the time it shouldn't require any special maintenance.

The TTR125 would be a great place to start but will end up being a little underpowered. She might be happier in the long run with the TTR230. The TTR line is a less expensive bike so it won't break your budget as bad.

Rod

 

[_JOE_]

Keef, I would stay away from a 230 strictly because of the weight. Your wifes is small, a 125 will do fine. If she should drop it, a 230 would be alot for her to pick up.

 

[mtk]

The no-brainer answer is a TT-R125 with electric start. You MUST have electric start. She's not into riding, which means that kickstarting the bike for the fifth time in ten minutes is guaranteed to make her quit and never try it again.

As for quads, getting a quad for someone with no experience at all so they can ride your children is, in a word, stupid. She doesn't know what she's doing and you're considering letting her ride two-up on an ATV with your children?

 

[keefbikes]

Ya, thats what I was worried about aswell. I have been pricing out ttr's and have found a few local bikes I am going to check out. I let her drive the CR last week and it took her a long time to overcome her fear, but she has seen the ttr's and she thinks those are great choices. The future looks bright.