Looking for a good beginer bike

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Jason02R

Member
Jul 6, 2004
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I am an experienced rider and I have my wife talked into learning so she can go with me. I ride trails and alot of jeep roads she will be starting on basic jeep roads and nothing to extreem just yet. She is 5'8" and 130# I had her sit on some smaller kids bikes, a TTR125L, a DRZ125L, and a CRF100. She felt like the Honda fit her the best but I am thinking it's too small and she'll outgrow it soon. She is not a risk taker at all and I know she'll avoid speed and anything else that she feels could wreck her, so the KX,YZ,RM 85's-100's are out of the question. She just needs a nice little thumper that she can tool around on. What do you guys recomend any experience with any of the small 4 stroke bikes for beginers?
 
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Phydeaux

Member
Jan 10, 2005
21
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The XR200 I own has been a great learner bike for a bunch of folks, mostly 13-15 year olds and a couple of them female. It's pretty close to stock and in this mild state of tune it has yet to intimidate any of the newbies that I've taken under my wing. At 5'8" she shouldn't have any trouble slinging a leg over it. My 5'3" wife can climb on it but I can't talk her into going riding. The XR will chug around at a snails pace in first gear all day long and it doesn't stall very easily. Mine doesn't even seem to ever wear out tires?!?

The nice thing about the XR is that if she becomes proficient enough that she wants to gas it a little more it will be up to the task, . . . at least until she swipes your KDX.
 
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ocotillowellsrider

Member
Jan 14, 2005
16
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Ttr125l

I have a TTR125L and the bike is perfect. It is not too intimidating for beginners and I still have fun taking it out around the campsite when I can get on it. Everyone else jumps on it even if they haven't ridden before. It is a great beginners bike and a fun play bike if you just want to screw around.
:ride:
 
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killerbeez 75

Member
Oct 26, 2004
252
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I agree,I have the same bike as well.I also have a ktm 250 four stroke in the garage for the wife but she is staying on the ttr 125 until she is ready to make the jump to the 250 4t.
 
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KTM Mike

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Mi. Trail Riders
Apr 9, 2001
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My son has a TTR 125l. I would think at 5'8", your wife woudl soon find the TTR to small however. My son is 5'6" and we are moving him up to a bigger bike this spring. The TTR is a fantastic bike for a new rider though. Dont go to big (seat height wise) for your wife though - it is hard enough learning to ride, let alone dealing with being on tippy toes! It may take two steps..a first, shorter bike (maybe the XR200?), then a step up?
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 26, 1999
19,765
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I'd really suggest she check out the CRF150 or even CRF230. Either bike would fit her fine as that is about the size of a lady I know that has a 230 she races in HS events. She rally likes the push button start which was the big draw over the 150 but either of them would be great for the application you described.
 
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darnjr

Member
Jul 5, 2001
199
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Get her something cheap in case she doesn't want to ride more than twice a year, or build a custom with a CR80e frame and an XR200 motor with lots of BBR stuff.
 
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twoofeach

Member
Dec 15, 2004
107
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darnjr said:
Get her something cheap in case she doesn't want to ride more than twice a year, or build a custom with a CR80e frame and an XR200 motor with lots of BBR stuff.
Click to expand...

There's something you don't see in a run-on sentence everyday..the words "cheap" and "BBR". :laugh: I agree those kid's thumpers are too small for any "average" sized adults. The 150F that patman suggested seems to be the best choice. Good luck. Getting them out there is half the battle.
 

ChopperDave

It's been awhile...
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 1, 2004
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[and nothing to extreem just yet. She is 5'8" and 130# I had her sit on some smaller kids bikes, a TTR125L, a DRZ125L, and a CRF100. She felt like the Honda fit her the best but I am thinking it's too small and she'll outgrow it soon.

I bought a TTR125 for my wife last November and she is already eye'ing my crf230. The 125 doesn't have enough power to make her feel confident in the bike. My wife is the same general size as yours(5'8", 122lbs), and she is not as flat-footed on the 230. There is about 3" s difference in seat ht.
If you don't think she will want more power soon, go with the smaller bike. :ride:
 
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mtk

Member
Jun 9, 2004
1,409
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If your wife really isn't into it, something with electric start is the way to go. When she stalls the bike five times in a row, being able to hit the magic button and bring it back to life can mean the difference between "that wasn't so bad" and "I'll never do this again." You don't want that last one to EVER cross her mind.

I'd also suggest you stick with something a bit smaller than average. Yeah, she could fit something a bit bigger, but the first time she stops somewhere off-camber, can't touch the ground, and the bike falls over, the fun factor goes in the crapper. Yet another thing you never want to happen.

All of the above is why I think the TTR125LE is a wonderful little machine. It's got the magic button, yet is still very small and unintimidating. If she outgrows it, who cares? You've succeeded in starting her down the path of two-wheeled happiness and that's worth spending a few bucks on in my book. Ten years from now would you rather have the extra $500 in the bank or a decade of memories of riding with your lady? That's a no-brainer to me.
 
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Kal

Member
Oct 31, 2004
3
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mtk, you are one smart mofo. I'm getting my wife into it as well and you make very valid points. If I make it fun and not intimidating then she'll stick with it. I'm gonna look into the TTR125LE.
 

xsnrg

Member
Jul 20, 2004
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I rode an XR100 long after I weighed 130# and my frame had outgrown it. But, my parents said it was the last bike they were buying me, so I rode it a few more years until I got a job and bought an RM80. In fact, about 3 years ago, a friend of mine bought 4 used XR100s for us adults to race through a little course we set up in his pine trees. I agree with mtk that you should get something deliberatly a little small and un-intimidating. It should make her get confident faster if she can "manhandle" the little bike, and also it should then bait her into wanting more power & speed. I saw ChopperDave's comment that the 125 didn't have enough power to make her feel confident in the bike. I'm not sure of the specific circumstances, but perhaps they were tackling terrain that required more power to be confident? In most cases, I would think that an underpowered bike would build confidence faster in a 1st time rider.

Regardless, my reccomendation is to go small and simple and be prepared to trade-up fairly soon if she takes to it quickly. Maybe a used CRF150 with electric start?
 
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matt-itude

Member
Jul 6, 2004
293
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Im on the ttr125le also. electric start they have a pretty low first gear so they don't stall easy and they also have an extremely heavy flywheel. the LE model has adjustable suspension where the other two ttr125 models don't. My wife is new to riding and she prefers quads but every time the quad is out of gas i cant seem to find her or the ttr.
 
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mtk

Member
Jun 9, 2004
1,409
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crazyjustin said:
i have to say that the crf 230 would be the perfect bike. it will last her for years.
Click to expand...

Not after that big, heavy pig falls over on her and she can't pick it up, leading her to decide that riding sucks and she never wants to do it again.

Remember, this is for his wife or girlfriend. She's not "into" riding, she's into the relationship with her man and knows that riding is something that brings him great joy and happiness. If she can share that activity, it improves their relationship. Instead of him disappearing all weekend with his bike, they get to disappear together all weekend. She's mostly ambivalent about the riding part of it... at least for now.

We know riding is fun, which is why we do it. She doesn't know that yet. The key is to make it as easy as possible until she knows riding is fun and wants to go riding because not only is it quality time with her man, it's also just plain fun to do.

At that point, the hook is set and you can reel that fish in the boat.

Your mission is accomplished when the wife asks you on Wednesday, "Are we going riding this weekend?" If you hear that, you do this: :yeehaw:
 
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xsnrg

Member
Jul 20, 2004
728
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mtk knows women.

And, to correct my earlier post, I was mistaken about the CRF150 having electric start. Looks like the TTR125LE with electric start is the ideal bike for her to start on. 125 vs 230 because it is so light to handle or pick up and eStart because it is just so much more pleasant.

When trying to teach my mother to ski, it wasn't falling that she was afraid of. She gave up because of how hard it was to get herself back up and going again.
 
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