Ok, keep in mind this is MY opinion, from MY experience. I realize people will want to debate, and that's fine, but I'm here to offer any assistance I can, k?

For a first bike (learning) I generally suggest a 500cc bike. I started on a '93 EX500, in 1997? I first learned to ride from some guy friends of mine- NOT a suggested method of learning. I would strongly suggest enrolling in a local motorcycle course, and this is sometimes required depending on your state. I had already been riding for a while when I took the course, and it was well worth every minute!!

I suggest a 500cc for a few reasons:
1- they are usually fairly easy to find used, and relatively inexpensive.
2- they are sometimes easier to sell if you lose interest or upgrade
3- a 250cc does not have enough power to get you out of traffic situations
4- anything bigger than a 500 will let you get in over your head. A 500cc should let you go full throttle on take-off and not "mouse-trap" you!

DON'T LEARN FROM YOUR FRIENDS!!!
1- Your friends may have bad habits
2- patience level is generally not there, and they tend to laugh
3- you will get a more rounded and comprehensive learning through an approved program. Things I learned in the class have saved me numerous times.
4- If you take the class- you learn on THEIR bikes, use THEIR gas, skid THEIR tires, and get the feel of a bike. You might hate it. Not everyone is made to drive.

BUY GOOD GEAR!!
1- Good gear makes all the difference. I will start another thread about buying gear for women, seems to be a popular question

BUYING A BIKE!!
1- Shop around. There are bikes for sale every day! Shop FIRST with your insurance, payments, BEFORE you sign anything!! A good salesperson will understand.
2- DON'T jerk your salesperson around. If you are serious about buying, don't stand around and twirl your hair. You want to buy a bike, they want to sell you a bike. Ask them to hold the bike for you to sit in a riding position on it. Does it feel comfortable? Can you touch the ground? Are the controls to your liking?
3- Negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. EVERYTHING is negotiable!! DON'T just pay because you don't know. ASK!! Search for threads about freight & setup charges, paperwork fees, etc.
4- ASK!! Do you need gear- ask for a discount. Do you need it lowered- ask for a service discount. Do you.... ASK!! A good salesperson will do what it takes to send you out on a bike. You pay their commission, YOU take control. Then negotiate even more. NEVER be afraid to walk if they treat you poorly. Again, there are bikes for sale every day.

I know this is an R6 forum, and you can all purchase an R6- but not necessarily as a first bike, or starter bike. In my opinion, an R6 is NOT a starter bike- my bike will do 145mph+ easily, will wheelie without clutching it, and is very tempermental. There is a reason why the R6 is a popular trackday/race bike.

My opinion of good bikes for learners, and/or women riders:
Suzuki SV650. It's a "naked" bike, a little easier to handle. It is easily lowered, and with a Corbin seat, can accommodate shorter riders. There was a 5'1" girl on one at my trackday, and she did very well.

Ninja 500. Good starter bike, but are a little tall for some women. Can be lowered or suspension softened depending on your height/weight. Will keep up at speeds to 80mph+ easily.

Honda CBR F2, F3, older F4's. These are the older version of CBR's, are easy to find, and easy to find replacement parts. They are very stylish, with full fairings. They are a little bigger to maneuver, but if you're a bigger framed/taller person, might not be an issue. Sit on one and try it first.

Cruiser's/scooters. A scooter can be a good learning tool- you get the basics of riding without having to worry about shifting, gears, etc. There are cruisers available as well, but the cc's will make a BIG difference (cc= engine size) A Honda Shadow 700 is about equivalent to a 500cc sportbike?

A PM'd question answered for others to see:

"How well do you touch on your R6?"

I'm 5'6" (127 lbs) and I ride tip-toes on my R6. I've also been riding for years on bikes that are too tall. I tipped my first bike over quite a few times, so there is a "learning curve" to it. Your legs are NOT strong enough to hold up a bike on your tip-toes without ever have done it. The bike will start to tip to one side, its gets heavy, and you will drop it. You are too little to pick it up yourself. My advice is to have someone lower it for you, and always wear gear. Bikes have too many hot parts that are going to burn your legs, and you will scrape your arms as you go down. Be ready for it- wear gear.

With jeans, and Sidi boots, I can touch tip-toe on each side. With full gear, it's tip-toes one side or the other with about a 1" rock to either foot. But, I have very thick, strong thighs to support this.

I do get off the bike to move it (for parking, etc). The guys will laugh at you, give them the finger!! Put the bike on it's side stand, put it in neutral, put your right hip into it, and walk with it against your body for support.

Things that will help your success- take the bike instruction course. Wear gear. Have your bike lowered, if possible. Take things at your own pace. This is going to sound dumb, but listen- DON'T fill your gas tank all the way up while you're still learning. It makes the bike more top-heavy. You're not likely to go very far when learning, gas stations are everywhere. I rode my EX500 that way for a long time :)

If you do tip your bike over:

If you can, point the handlebars all the way to the side on the ground. (If it's laying on the left side if you were sitting on it, pull the left handlebar close to the left side of the tank.) This will give you a lifting point that's solid. Your other hand will go under the tail section of the bike. With a smooth motion, try to lift the bike, being careful not to overlift and flip it to it's other side. You will want to be standing next to the bike, not try to be on it...

Once back on its tires, let it sit for a minute. If your bike is carburated, let it sit a few more minutes. If fuel injected, you don't have to wait very long. If the bike leaks any fluid on the ground, DO NOT START IT!! If no fluids are leaking, and all seems okay, try to start it. It may have flooded, so if it doesn't start, go ahead and give it a little gas. If it doesn't start, wait 5 minutes. Try again. Still doesn't start? Call someone to come help you.

Not to contradict you but I learned to ride on a 600 (first bike I had ever picked up and riden) and it was fairly easy, I know this topic is related to women riders and all but im sure a 600 wouldnt be all that hard as a starter bike for most as long as they take it slow to begin with and go by the points you outlined above. I understand that your saying the 500 would be more practical but if someone just plans on getting a 600 after they have learned the basics on the 500 wouldnt it be more cost efficient just to go ahead and pick up the 600 that way they could avoid having to buy & sell the 500 once they are done with it. Also they wouldnt have to adjust to the power curve when they upgrade to the 600 from the 500.

Great information you have here! Thanks for the post!


i do agree with Sic here, but it all depends on the girl. A 600 mya be perfectly fine for someone with a little experience. The 500 is more for those that are going ino this a little blind. Personally i'm starting on an R6... but that is just me. It all depends on the person, like i said.

Not to contradict you but I learned to ride on a 600 (first bike I had ever picked up and riden) and it was fairly easy, I know this topic is related to women riders and all but im sure a 600 wouldnt be all that hard as a starter bike for most as long as they take it slow to begin with and go by the points you outlined above. I understand that your saying the 500 would be more practical but if someone just plans on getting a 600 after they have learned the basics on the 500 wouldnt it be more cost efficient just to go ahead and pick up the 600 that way they could avoid having to buy & sell the 500 once they are done with it. Also they wouldnt have to adjust to the power curve when they upgrade to the 600 from the 500.

It does depend on the person. For most women, I'm going to stick by my guns and say a 500 is best (for the reasons listed above.) If you grew up around riding, are familiar with the controls, and have ridden passenger for an extensive amount of time, a 600 might not be the worst to start on. Most women don't have that type of background.

I recently put 2 girls on my Aprilia SR-50 scooter to learn to ride in a grassy field. One took right off, had good control, and will be a very confident student of a bike school soon. The other tipped it over in 30 feet, got up, and right back on. The difference? It was a controlled "crash", that didn't hurt anyone or anything. She rode the remainder of the day without a problem. She, too, will have that confidence.

Now, take those 2 scenarios on a big, heavy R6. They both might have gotten scared if such a big machine tipped on them, and it's more intimidating. Usually, a LOT more expensive to fix.

Opinions are like buttholes, everyone has them. But, for each person that decides that they're going to buy a bike that does 145mph out of the box, pays one month's insurance and totals it, grab your checkbooks. It affects ALL of our insurance rates!! Start smaller, build confidence, then buy good stuff :)

if you have never ever ridden a bike before an R6 is probably NOT the best option lol... the rules in the US are a bit stupid if you ask me :fact starting smaller is the way to go imo.

I started off on a 250, got bored with it in 2 months then upgraded to the R6...The bike is lowered and I am still on my tip toes.. I persoanlyl feel as if, if I didn't start on a smaller bike I wouldn't be that well as what I am now.. I am not the greatest, no racer or anything.. Have never dropped the bike.. When I first started the bigger bikes intimidated me, I felt as if I wouldn't feel comfortable on them and would not learn in a good proper way.. I am happy I started small.. But now I am selling the R6 :( :thumbdown :bash :bash :cuss :cuss :curse :rant :mad:

Great advice Crash in WI!!! I started on my 2005 R6 as my first street bike. I got it last year, at first a little intimidating but after taking it easy and getting the bike lowered, it is very comfortable. I've always had a lot of respect for the bike which is why I am always very careful and don't use anywhere near the power that the bike has. I think responsibility lies on the rider, and not thinking your better than you are. Always remembering that I am not an expert and it will take years of riding to develop all the skills of motorcycling, I have take two safety courses, well worth the money in my opinion. Good luck girls with what ever you choose.
I don't think that an R6 would be a good choice for some new riders. I got a dirt bike when I turned twelve years old. Although, I didn't own a street bike or have ridden since I was seventeen years old, I had enough natural skill to make it through fairly easily. Good luck girls with what ever bike you choose, always remember to ride safely.

Brenda

Great post Crash. I agree with all of that. My first bike was suzuki gs 500 f. I rode that for 6 months then got the R6. I really got screwed on the suzuki. Bought it from a bike dealership, should have bought it from a private seller. I taught myself how to ride it, shift, and turn around the neighborhood just to get my feet wet so to speak then I took the MSC. I highly recommend that class.

If you do tip your bike over:

If you can, point the handlebars all the way to the side on the ground. (If it's laying on the left side if you were sitting on it, pull the left handlebar close to the left side of the tank.) This will give you a lifting point that's solid. Your other hand will go under the tail section of the bike. With a smooth motion, try to lift the bike, being careful not to overlift and flip it to it's other side. You will want to be standing next to the bike, not try to be on it...

Once back on its tires, let it sit for a minute. If your bike is carburated, let it sit a few more minutes. If fuel injected, you don't have to wait very long. If the bike leaks any fluid on the ground, DO NOT START IT!! If no fluids are leaking, and all seems okay, try to start it. It may have flooded, so if it doesn't start, go ahead and give it a little gas. If it doesn't start, wait 5 minutes. Try again. Still doesn't start? Call someone to come help you.If you can't get the bike up this way you can also try facing away from the bike and walking backwards. Basically, do everything else the same, face away from the bike, squat down and grab the handlebar with your right hand and the tail section with your left. Then raise up from your squat as you walk backwards. You can lift more weight with this method than if you are facing towards the bike. As Crash said, be careful not to overlift and flip it to it's other side.

Personally, I think if your going for a sport bike anything less than a 600cc is a waste of time and money. Like Crissy said she bought a 500 and in 6 months got rid of it. And she got screwed. I looked at a 500 for my 1st. bike and decided I would go with the R6 and take my sweet ass time learning to ride it instead of wasting my money knowing that the 500 wouldn't be enough later. I'm 5'1 and my bike is lowered 3in. It took me about a month in the neiborhood before I hit the streets. Been riding for 2 1/2yrs. and love it.