For the last six months or so I've been bugging my wife, who has never ridden a motorcycle in her almost 56 years on the planet (other than as a passenger), to consider getting into riding. I really wanted her to start on the dirt, but once she finally started showing some interest she took off in a completely different direction and wanted a damn Harley! I talked her out of that with facts (that "worst bike ever made" article helped) and at least got her looking mainly at smaller Japanese bikes.
After much research, shopping and discussion we finally settled on a Honda CBR500R. I really wanted her to have ABS but no dealers had the ABS model in stock, so we picked up a new 2014 non-ABS yesterday. She doesn't have her M1 license yet, so I got to ride it home and put about 30 miles on it doing my usual break-in routine. What a fun little bike! About 425 lbs, well under 50hp, torque almost flat above 2500 rpm, very easy to ride. 6 speed, FI, decent brakes, nice fit and finish, but crappy suspension of course. 4.1 gallon tank and 60+ mpg so she'll probably have more range than my SuperT. Overall very impressed. But small! I'm 6' with creaky knees and it took some effort to fold myself onto the thing and be able to shift. Eventually found a position that worked and had a blast on it. Perfect first bike for my wife and I think it will keep her happy for a long time.
Not much out there between 250cc and 600cc. For new riders this bike really hits a sweet spot and comes in three flavors (sport, naked, mini-adventure), all available with ABS. Honda really hit a home run with these bikes and I bet they're selling a ton of them.
Sadly this will delay my long-planned FZ-09 purchase, and I somehow forgot to factor in all the gear she'll now be buying. But I'm feeling pretty darn magnanimous today and I like it! ::016::
After much research, shopping and discussion we finally settled on a Honda CBR500R. I really wanted her to have ABS but no dealers had the ABS model in stock, so we picked up a new 2014 non-ABS yesterday. She doesn't have her M1 license yet, so I got to ride it home and put about 30 miles on it doing my usual break-in routine. What a fun little bike! About 425 lbs, well under 50hp, torque almost flat above 2500 rpm, very easy to ride. 6 speed, FI, decent brakes, nice fit and finish, but crappy suspension of course. 4.1 gallon tank and 60+ mpg so she'll probably have more range than my SuperT. Overall very impressed. But small! I'm 6' with creaky knees and it took some effort to fold myself onto the thing and be able to shift. Eventually found a position that worked and had a blast on it. Perfect first bike for my wife and I think it will keep her happy for a long time.
Not much out there between 250cc and 600cc. For new riders this bike really hits a sweet spot and comes in three flavors (sport, naked, mini-adventure), all available with ABS. Honda really hit a home run with these bikes and I bet they're selling a ton of them.
Sadly this will delay my long-planned FZ-09 purchase, and I somehow forgot to factor in all the gear she'll now be buying. But I'm feeling pretty darn magnanimous today and I like it! ::016::