Ducati Monster Forum

Any input on this bike as a first for my daughter, she is 16. Honda XR125 (she don't want a sportmodel),
Never seen one in real life but i can make a real good deal on a 2007 with 0 miles on it.

(http://blogs.gnome.org/rodrigo/files/2006/03/honda_xr_125_l.jpg)

My Triumph riding buddy has one he uses for daily commuting. He really like the ease of parking especially when he gets surrounded by scooters who all park withing scratch distance of his bike add to that the double fuel mileage he claims it to be the perfect in-town machine with light trail capability. What he doesn't like is the 50 mph max. On the 45 mph stretches of road in town he has to pin the throttle to keep from being ran over by cages. Kind of tough on the machine to have to roll at 80-100% power all the time. He has mentioned more than once he wished he got a 250.

is she tall? on off road bikes are usally pretty tall. How about a used suzuki gs500 ot sv 650, not really sport sort of sporty.

I would recommend you and she look at the Kawasaki Ninja 250 (new or used). The 250 Ninja is a great bike for beginners. Low enough for sure footed stops, powerful enough not to get run over in traffic. I think the Honda XR125 is a bit of a light weight for practical street use.

Hell, I like the off-road bike idea.  Make her cut her teeth out on the trails.  Unless she's already good out there?

may also want to look at the CRF230L

we had a KLR250 for awhile.
if it had been electric start we would prob still have it.

I race an SV650... enough power to get in trouble and bring that front wheel up... but still easy enough to ride... but not my first choice for a daughter to ride at 16.... I would still aim at the ninja 250... or a 200 dirt bike....

Here in Sweden you're not allowed to drive anything more than 125cc before your 18.
When it comes to choosing bike i tried to persued here to buy a Aprilia 125 RS.

But if anyone here got a 16 year old daughter you know that when they made up their mind theres nothing in the world that can change them  >:( so now I'm trying to find her a descent offroad/supermotard instead.

Next problem is her height 160cm/5,30 feet so a sportbike would definitely be the best choice.

Ohh and naturally it has to be black preferably with some pink in it  [roll]

Her driving skills is limited to the family´s Piaggio 70cc.

You might have a little trouble with the pink part, unless you get her a new 696.

You don't say  [laugh] I'm telling you sons are a lot easier, my son got a Yamaha PW 50 when he was 5 that was purple. Never mentioned a single word about the colour.

I have a 125 Zuma scooter for running around campgrounds while camping. Constant velocity tranny...no shifting, electric start and goes 55 easy. Plenty of pick up for merging into city traffic safely. and has room under the seat for her school backpack.

Bill

If she's not an experienced rider I would be apprehensive to put her on the street. Having to learn and dodge traffic ???

too bad you can't get a VTR250 in the states.

Good luck with that. My 16 yo has been on a 230 Yamaha dirt bike for four years now and her Mom (I still can't believe it) bought her the first bike, a 50cc Yamaha when she was 6 yo.

I've been hiding the key to my RS lately.  She's 5'10" with the longest legs you ever saw and has a bad Jones for a 1100 Monster. I don't want her on the street.

She drives a 2800 lb SRT4 Dodge Neon that makes 250 lbft at 2200 rpm and has the mind of a racer. I don't know what I'm gonna do with her. Favorite show on TV is Top Gear, wants to be a mechanical engineer and knows more about cars than anybody I know.

Good luck with yours.

Oh yea, the 125 looks good.

LA

Know what you're talking about, meet the daughter a few times on the Piaggio and im telling you a piaggio with a 70 cc malossi and a 19mm carb and some more tweaks is anything but slow.

Favourite for her is going out on the winterroads with her brother who drives a Audi coupé Quattro, they are an absolute lethal combination. Always can tell when they been out driving like idiots, cause both of them are all smiles coming home.

Absolute freak when it comes to snowmobiles to :)

Actually she's been driving her piaggio for a year now, another scooter is not an option for her its an offroad or nothing :)

A friend of mine is in the same situation with a similarly aged son.

Dad has said he can pretty much have any bike he wants...as long as it's a 250...and he rides for 2 years on the track before he gets his license.

Seems like a logical solution to me.

I'm pretty happy with the 125cc rule in Europe, keeps the speed down for young beginners and lets them get used to driving on light and more forgiving motorcycles.

That should save her from mistakes with her right wrist.

At least in Europe drivers are more aware of motos. I think that helps.

Has to be Honda Rebel 250 , my wife is only 4'10  and my 11 years old daughter also rides it they are really great learner bikes.

Have you seen the Suzuki TU250?  I read a few good reviews about it as a beginings bike.  I think it is a good looking machine.
(http://www.suzukicycles.com/~/media/Product/Cycles/TU250X/2009/TU250X/Gallery/TU250XBA.ashx?w=1024&h=768)
http://www.suzukicycles.com/en/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/TU250.aspx (http://www.suzukicycles.com/en/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/TU250.aspx)

That Suzuki 250 is the first nice 250 standard we've seen in the US in a long time.

Motard  [thumbsup]