Ninjette Equivalent

[Kscreations08]

Some of you know the story of the BabyMoms being worried about my safety. She was always interested in riding the bikes but scared herself a few years ago when she tried on the ninja. She says she would be more comfortable if she didn't have other cars and such to worry about while she is learning. So here's the question:

What dirt bike do I get her lol. There are woods a plenty to teach her. I'm thinking something equivalent to why we love our ninjettes. Reliable, light weight, got the power to entertain without getting stupid.

Bad thing is, I only know quads lol and that defeats the purpose here. What should we be looking for? Favorite brands, CC's, any information is appreciated.

Side Note: We figure out if its a boy or girl today

[Sirref]

I vote a 4stroke 125cc dirtbike, make/manufacturer doesn't matter so long as it's japanese. I don't know about your locations but where I am these can be found for $500-1000. Good cheap dirty fun and you have an extra lying around should you decide you want a faster dirtbike. I personally am going to get two of these down the line to teach friends how to ride and get my inner hooligan out without flying down public roads.

if you're one of the crazies that HAS to buy new then go for a yamaha wr250x and once she's learned it well on dirt do a street conversion and she'll have a kick-ass supermoto

[Kscreations08]

4stroke 125 is exactly what ive been thinking. She hates the 2stroke sound and I know nothing about them lol

[Sirref]

but 2strokes sound beautiful!
buying off of the state of the bike rather than manufacturer is key, hondas may be more reliable but a suzuki that's been taken care of will be in better shape.

[Ducati999]

2 stroke motors are way simpler to rebuild and cheaper than a 4 stroke but they wear out faster. 4 strokes require valve adjustments and are much more costly to rebuild. 2 stroke is cheaper to modify to your liking (pipes and reeds) while 4 strokes have more that can be modified (exhaust, ECM and cams) but those parts generally cost more. Since she is a new rider 4 stroke is most likely the best choice since they have nice low range torque. 4 stokes are usually easier to ride in the beginning especially when you want/need to go slow. Great fun and learn how to balance and shift. Have fun getting dirty!

[adouglas]

Not a dirt rider myself, but consider this:

The skills you need on the dirt are not entirely the same as those needed on the street. Best example I can think of right now is that on the dirt you push the bike underneath you vs. putting your weight on the inside of the bike on the street.

AFAIK dirt skills such as learning what the bike feels like when it's breaking free can be very useful on the street (after all, Colin Edwards runs a dirt school that a lot of road racers attend). The question is whether it'd confuse a beginner.

[csmith12]

I am on the same hunt for a yz 125 for the exact same reasons for my son. He will not be seeing any seat time on the 2fiddy until I feel he has a good feel for the controls and riding in the dirt.

Although somewhat different... clutch, brake and throttle control skills crossover from trail to street pretty good. Obviously traction is also different but the pro's outweigh the cons here.

Good luck to her and have patience and smile at the little mistakes along the way.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by adouglas

The question is whether it'd confuse a beginner.

The biggest difference imho is the use of the rear brake vs front brake. Major differences between when and why. So one could say... the new rider might build the habit of using the rear brake at a bad time come the time when put on the street.

[subxero]

Lots of good input here but ill chime in to just point out some important things just to be clear.

4stroke 125 ~15hp 180lbs, often available with smaller wheels to be more kid friendly. Maybe has 4 gears, might go 30mph? Good torque curve, putting around in 3rd gear is do able. These bikes are seemingly indestructible, I am convinced you could ride one everyday and never do any maintenance other than occasional oil change and chain replacement and you would probably never see a problem, and even if you manage to break one, just buy another used one for less than $1k wash rinse repeat.

2stroke 125, >30hp 190lbs, MX "ready to race" (this is not a beginners bike!!) 6 gears, and once that power band kicks in it goes 0-60 in a heartbeat. No low end grunt, crazy torque curve, if you are not WOT you are not riding this bike correctly. Bikes require yearly up keep of the engine, new piston and ring every season if ridden fairly often. Oil changes every few rides (no oil filter, oil in crank case lubes gears, clutch and bottom end)
Bike requires pre-mix (mixing 2stroke oil in with the fuel) this lubes the cylinder) some people don't like the smell and it can be messy. I love the smell

That being said, Yes dirt skill does not transition directly on to the street but it is a very safe way (when done correctly) to learn the mechanics of a bike and where they are. Clutch release, shifting, braking all those things can be at least learned to the point of knowing where they are, and how much of each is needed ect... which is very important.

My wife has 03KLX 125 with the medium sized wheels, it is great fun, see here

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=165131

I also showed one of my friends the ropes on this bike before he went to MSF, I feel like it helped him immensely.

So yes a dirtbike can be a good medium ground for learning controls, but it is still dangerous broken arms and ankles can happen easily, it is still very important to use gear and teach things is a proper way. Don't just throw someone on a bike and say this is clutch, this is throttle, you let clutch out and give gas.... GO

Some bikes to look at in the 4stroke scene

KLX 125
XR100 (older)
KLX 140 (newer) <-- I really like these
TTR 125
CRF150r (middle ground between above bikes and larger bikes) Better suspension, more aggressive gearing, a really nice bike fun for anyone, also more expensive. <--- I like these as well

Can not go wrong with any of those, they are all great
You might find yourself riding it more than your wife

[Aodrn]

Every new rider ive ever seen uses the back brake anyway. They wont get off of it until a rear lock up proves the front is not as scary as they thought. Locking up the rear on dirt is fun though
If your wife is small, I am teaching mine to ride a 110 Chinese dirtbike. Not a lot of power, but I ride it all the time. Cost $150 at a garage sale and a battery. I would also give a vote for a 125. They are everywhere, cheap, and light. I would definitely go used. My wife bent the handlebars on her first run.
Congrats on the kid!

[rojoracing53]

Any of the 100-125-150 "trail" bike would compare to a ninja 250 fine. They are lighter then all full sized bikes. Like the N250 they all have crappy brakes and throttle response when still completly stock that leaves you getting on the gas on Friday to make that corner on Saturday. Also like the N250 they are bullet proof, well at least the Yamaha and Hondas are, you simply can't kill these little motors. Then you have the suspension, also like the N250 it is way to soft to ride it any place other then a parking lot.

Now for the positive stuff. They are cheap, sure rebuilding the top end of a 85 2stk is a little cheaper but common your talking about $40-50 for something you'll probably never get the chance to do. If you spend the little bit of money and time of the flow of the motor then you can get the throttle responce to be quite good for a gut less little POS. The soft suspension isn't that bad because let's face it, your going to be stuck riding around it parking lots and flat fire roads a long time with this bike anyways. Like the N250 all its performance points are set so low you have to really **** up to make any of them a hazard. Wisky-throttle is damn near impossible, an accidental stab of the brakes won't feel like much with their weak power and overly soft suspension. If its a newer bike then itll have electric start which is key because it's going to need to be restarted after countless times of ending up on its side. If it's an older model without electric start then fear not because when jetted right they normaly start up first kick and if they don't the compression is so low you can literally kick let all day long.

So after you graduate this bike from the parking lot I highly suggest an exhaust +jet kit and a race style front tire. Like the N250 it doesn't really matter what's on the rear but please get something that corner well in the front. Contrary to popular belief not all knobby tires are the same and a "trail" front tire has about as much fell and performance points as many of the bias-ply tires we all shudder a the thought of mounting on the N250.

[rojoracing53]

Another thing I fail to mention is like the buying you wife a bowling ball sterol type if she gets tired of the little dirt bike it becomes your gateway to mini flattrack, supermoto and roadracing with out that horrible awkwardness of telling your wife you want another motocycle. Don't missunderstand my bashing of both the N250 and mini dirt bikes, I love both of them because when you get 20 riders together all on the same POS bikes you can have one hell of a good time.

[Kscreations08]

I know the transition from dirt to street isn't exact. However, there are fundamentals that can be learned, such as throttle, clutch, and brake control, Looking through your turns, and proper turn entrance and exit speeds. Not to mention it'll be hell on wheels fun and the idea of the woman wrenching on a dirt bike is kinda hot

Originally Posted by subxero

Don't just throw someone on a bike and say this is clutch, this is throttle, you let clutch out and give gas.... GO

This is exactly how her ex-husband showed her how to ride the ninja lol hence why she won't go within 50 feet of the bike

Originally Posted by rojoracing53

Another thing I fail to mention is like the buying you wife a bowling ball sterol type if she gets tired of the little dirt bike it becomes your gateway to mini flattrack, supermoto and roadracing with out that horrible awkwardness of telling your wife you want another motocycle. Don't missunderstand my bashing of both the N250 and mini dirt bikes, I love both of them because when you get 20 riders together all on the same POS bikes you can have one hell of a good time.

She has a bowling ball lol I couldn't get away with that one. This whole scenario of shenangans is in hopes of creating a family that rides together