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Interesting Beginner Bikes


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I had my wife sit on a few bikes at the Honda booth at COTA, something she was more afraid of than I realized. I think one was the Rebel 500, another was a Grom. Anyways, she told me a few days later it felt really cool and she might want to try it. I know it's not a great idea to get a brand new first bike, but I was showing her the Scrambler Sixty2 and 390 Duke because I want to tear ass on it myself. Of course, I'm going to get what she wants and feels comfortable on, but the old school/classic bike pages I follow on Facebook got me thinking. She really likes all older vehicles, including 70s-80s Japanese bikes. What are some easily attainable bikes that have about 30-45 HP, less than 450 pounds, and 5'2"-friendly with decent parts availability? Also going to try to get her and our daughter to start wrenching with me once in a while, but I work overtime more often than not, so can't take on a big project.

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Two 80's Hondas immediately come to mind....the Hawk GT, a 650 V-twin, and the CB-1, 400cc I4.  They're maybe a bit rare, but parts are still around and they meet my criteria as "interesting".  The motor lived on for decades in various versions of the Bros and Deauville.  J.D. Hord in Bucyrus OH is a Hawk specialist.

 

The Hawk was my first real bike and I still have it. Love it.

Ghh8ZAZQrgSgnaVrMk2sJkf3lSyFfs-armYneLft

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I got my daughter a new Grom because the used ones were nearly the same price. She was never very happy with it because it was too small. I sold it a year later for nearly what I paid for it. I got her a new leftover 14 CB500X and she loves it. If they are not into wrenching, newer fuel injected is the way to go. Used CB500's are about as cheap as the Hawk just not as cool.


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Two 80's Hondas immediately come to mind....the Hawk GT, a 650 V-twin, and the CB-1, 400cc I4.  They're maybe a bit rare, but parts are still around and they meet my criteria as "interesting".  The motor lived on for decades in various versions of the Bros and Deauville.  J.D. Hord in Bucyrus OH is a Hawk specialist.

 

The Hawk was my first real bike and I still have it. Love it.

Ghh8ZAZQrgSgnaVrMk2sJkf3lSyFfs-armYneLft7HrXvwRDAxoe967sRvz392onx3vSRiKbCJNUiLxhKlPdzxSQCyGUbLLHt-b8SfHEjL4G6H_gTUfuWJIRtNrIYzQ54v-qvQxfBbqJ7CXCSx7llH6xW-0BY6r_VWa2LwhnUeqDO1ue1r9G4kbVdl1U2ohCZVNq7A_uBqNXwo_jG_XU8zJa_k4pgVuqONrOyGcF6I3mT0FLDjkVJXXrCjteUwCP_xjyB19WZXerZIMwee8DcBuFpnndoDrxc1u6G0S4yM9OGlOpFe7n8GP7VF1KddjsrE4d_YhdpjzcZkfit6AwA0KI_D0Sk3pMkRmhAmVYg12CDkIkrLgqSN1P5uMoQvrQ3EvaexcsQc6yhJoJmzmWtSlKRwblAhtqDVUQxWFigzIgyhbh1mhN5HV9jtD2Ig_24X6HN_dfjGuPY6s8YkqAw_MqFIzX_K0glzyh3Zkdjt-eOWg8-hYNOCYZYHHAbKt4I386uKWptwNQdCVmaePIJC-4ejB7NVc0h4DazuyiApKK0FNDf-n7TuF72pB3W6g-OeO6a9jgcZeDnXJw3XNg-sljdf311p9htZy1XSL-iRZvhrX4UP3i=w902-h676-no

 

That is cool. She might like that. She really liked my 599 and said she'd like a naked bike, so that might be something. It might be a little powerful, though. I like the CB-1s as well. I haven't seen one in years, forgot about them.

 

I got my daughter a new Grom because the used ones were nearly the same price. She was never very happy with it because it was too small. I sold it a year later for nearly what I paid for it. I got her a new leftover 14 CB500X and she loves it. If they are not into wrenching, newer fuel injected is the way to go. Used CB500's are about as cheap as the Hawk just not as cool.

 

 

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Yeah, the Grom seemed like a good place to start, but a 125 just sounds dangerous for the roads we live around. I'm not sure that I'd want to start her on the CB500. Just from an aural standpoint, I'm not a big fan of parallel twins, either.

 

Honda VTR250s are cool...

 

honda_vtr250_interceptor.jpg

 

Awesome! Never seen one of those.

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VTRs are cool, but just as prone of issues as the VF500. You will be doing some wrenching on those. Not that it wouldn't be an enjoyable bike. When I get mine running I'll let you know. A few people on the VTR250 forum race them (local groups) and hold their own against the newer 250s.

 

The new 250s and 300s are all fairly cheap and are going to hold their value. At the right time, you can probably get a CBR500 for $4k OTD with ABS. Might drop $1k in value over a couple years?

 

Another suggestion. SV650. Low, light, not all that powerful, will do fine on most roads, FI, plentiful and CHEAP! I'd go this route if starting on a 300cc was not a choice.

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If I work the next six weeks without missing a lot of work, I'm getting an SV650, so I may let her try it. I showed her some pictures of some of these bikes, though, and she thinks the size is going to be intimidating. A skinny, new 300 might be what she wants after all.

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On ‎08‎/‎05‎/‎2017 at 5:57 AM, jhenley17 said:

If I work the next six weeks without missing a lot of work, I'm getting an SV650, so I may let her try it. I showed her some pictures of some of these bikes, though, and she thinks the size is going to be intimidating. A skinny, new 300 might be what she wants after all.

 

I bought SWiMBO an SFV650, I don't know if the US got them as a "Gladius". There were the bikes she learnt on and she loves it. I did have to lower the suspension and fit bar backs but it's quite small and light and VERY much less sporty than the SV650 although it shares the same engine.

 

IMG_20150906_154246.jpg

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I'll second the Hawk GT. Huge community support and parts should still be available today. The motor lives on in the NTV650 over in Europe I believe. The NTV650 is very docile and sometimes called "underpowered". The NT650V is named Deauville, but is often mockingly called Dullville because of it's placid nature. While they are tame, with a little research there are modifications to make it more sporty. Heck, if I am not mistaken, that was the first Two Brothers exhaust and they just released an updated version for the bike. Front end replacements/swaps and I think even a VFR swingarm will fit. 

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If we get a Hawk, suspension and brakes will be my only real concerns as far as improvements. I'm honestly a little scared for her, but she usually surpasses me pretty quickly in anything I teach her to do, so she'll probably be fine. If I pick up the SV next month, I'll probably bring her to a parking lot and gauge her interest then. I just don't want to scare her off with a big bike.

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Started my wife on a Ninja 250 and its been great for both learning and keeping. The newer body styles are basically guaranteed to get your money back if she chooses to move up!

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If she's 5' 2", I'd stick with the Ninja 250.

They're not as nice as the newer 300, but they've been around for over 30 years, so there are plenty of clean examples and plenty of parts available.

On the down side, they're a handful at highway speeds, the brakes are not the best, and you really have to keep them revved to get out of your own way.

The last 4 years of production, the seat height went from 29.3 to 30.5 inches.

The Ninja 300 seat height went to 30.9.

 

If she leans towards the UJM style, there's also the Honda 250 Nighthawk, made from 1986-2008.

The seat height is 29.3 inches.

 

I like the Hawk and the SV650, but the seats on both are a bit higher.

The CB-1 was interesting, but buzzy at highway speeds and was only made for 2 years (1989-1990), so availability is low.

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Yeah, if we go super cheap, I'll definitely look at the 250, but I like that I'll get most of my money back on a brand new bike with the 300. I'm really digging the styling, though, and I'm sure it's ridiculously light and nimble, so I might not want to let it go if she doesn't take to it.

Didn't know about the CB-1 availability. She liked that one.

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Another vote for the SV650.

Not exactly a starter bike but close. I've had one since 2003 and love it. It feels like it's made out of styrofoam when I transition to it from my FJR or VFR. By that I mean very light controls and handling.

They are multi use as well. I've used mine for week long trips through the mountains of the east for years. Not the best bike for that but it worked just fine. Especially when you get to the twisties. :cheerleader:

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