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Old July 26th, 2013, 05:20 AM   #1
ChaoSS
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Beginner dirt bike?

So, I want to teach my wife to ride, but she's scared of dropping my bike ad messing it up. I've been thinking about getting another bike, a piece of crap cheap thing, that she can learn on, and maybe a track bike, but I was thinking a dirt bike would be fun. I probably won't be able to really use a dedicated track bike for a while, so why not get something I can have fun on,


So, now the problem is that she is pretty short, she is tall enough for the ninja, but barely. Is there any dirt bike that she should be able to get both feet on the ground on, but isn't a complete kids bike, that won't have the power to move my oversized fat self?

Or should I just buy a pregen and after she learns on it, put some knobbies on it and go crazy?
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Old July 26th, 2013, 06:03 AM   #2
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Teaching my wife on XR100 - best little dirty bike ever
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Old July 26th, 2013, 11:20 AM   #3
ChaoSS
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sharky nrk View Post
Teaching my wife on XR100 - best little dirty bike ever
Seat height seems about right...

And it's not a kid's bike, it could handle my fat self? I mean, suspension wise and stuff?
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Old July 26th, 2013, 11:26 AM   #4
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Old July 26th, 2013, 11:28 AM   #5
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tw200 super low first gear and tires that never give up grip. plus street legal so you can tool around on it when she decides its not for her.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 11:50 AM   #6
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XR100 is a great option and could be found for cheap. other options are the KLX125, that's what my wife rides, and its Yamaha counterpart TTR125. I think the XR100 and KLX125 are like tanks, they are indistructable... less the front suspension when a large man tries to jump them But I love riding the KLX125, tons of low end grunt for a little 125 4stroke. They r so small they feel so nimble and you can muscle them around. I love drifting it through fields and seeing how far I can get it laid over before the rear starts to really give way.

Both XR100 and KLX125 I think only comes with the smaller wheels so it would be a good height. The TTR125 comes in a few different options, one with the small wheels and one with larger wheels which might be a bit high for her.

Just a heads up, be careful about the 2 feet on the ground thing with dirtbikes. There is no seat cowl to keep your *** in place should the bike get out from underneath her which leaves a person hanging on to the controls for dear life while feet dangle out the back which results in applying more throttle. Have seen it 100 times.

For dirt bike I always teach new people to never start off with out having at least 1 foot on a peg. (right foot on right peg, left foot on ground) If you don't have at least 1 foot on a peg then you are not on the bike. When people start with 2 feet down they tend not to sit down enough and get nervous and they don't want to go with the bike as it starts to move which is recipe for disaster. Best case scenario is as the bike comes out from under them that they just let go of bars and bike ghost rides and lays over somewhere safe with out hitting wall/car/person ect... worst case is like I said before, they hang onto bars, inputting more throttle and since no feet on pegs they can not get off the throttle and they ride WOT into something and get hurt.

Do dry runs going over scenarios before you send her off. Ex. (if she shifts into neutral by accident what should she do or expect, if she does panic and both feet come off pegs, what should she do ect...)

both feet down should not be a necessity and can be a crutch that leads to bigger issues for new riders. I can barely touch one toe to ground on my bike and that is with barely half a cheek on the seat.
Just be careful and always gear up no exceptions and pick a super safe place, a wide open field preferably. Even big parking lots can be issues if they panic.

Sorry for preaching but I have been through this and have taught several people how to ride dirtbikes and unfortunately my one friend did wreck and got hurt despite going through everything, good thing I made him wear all the gear. But despite my wife having been riding for a while now and she is good, I still get nervous when she rides and would feel beyond terrible if she got hurt and figure most husbands would feel the same. Plus she is terrible at falling, hits like a ton of bricks every time in the same position none the less. lol whens she wrecks she somehow manages to get both feet trapped under the left side of the bike...? no clue but so far so good no injuries.

good luck, keep us posted.

edit: if she can touch both on the ninja250 she might be able to touch good on the newer KLX140 which would have a little more power but no more power that would cause problems. The CRF150 might be to much for her as a beginner but it comes with better components, brakes, suspension ect... That is what I would like my wife to move up to but she is to attached to the KLX to get rid of it.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 12:03 PM   #7
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Working on this for my wife as well. We were thinking Honda's CRF-125L "Big Wheel", which she felt that she fit quite well on at the Honda display last weekend. But - it doesn't hurt to remember that there are other options. I had forgotten about that TW200. I followed somebody ripping on Mines on one of those a year or two back, and they were having a great time. (until they ran out of gas in the middle, but that should have been expected!) Maybe a dual-sport would make sense for her as well.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 12:18 PM   #8
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The tw200 looks like a fun little bike especially for decent dirtroad/ old mine road type riding and short trips into town but is a little heavy IMO for trail riding especially for a small framed female rider. Dry weight ~ 280lbs

KLX140 clocks in at around 210lbs dry but with no street capabilities however it would be far more nimble offroad and cheaper to fix if laid over (less stuff to break)

the XR100 and KLX125 would come in a little lighter at ~180lbs

I guess it all depends on what you want your wife to be doing in the end. If you want her to transition into street then maybe the dual sport would be a good idea. IF you want her to say off the pavement then I think a pure offroad bike is a better choice.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 01:43 PM   #9
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Why not get a 50cc tiny bike for $100 on CL and beat on it around the yard? fast enough to teach countersteering, but no one gives two sh!ts if you run it into the ground.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 02:15 PM   #10
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The new crf125 will be cool and decent like the ttr 125. Any of the 125 four stroke play bikes will be good. If you want a bike for yourself consider the crf150f or the crf230f. The crf230f comes with full size wheels, electric start, is still a small bike but with regular adult ergonomics. Problems with all the 125s is that they have ergos designed for kids and teens. So while an experienced dirt rider can throw them around like toys, it isn't stable or confidence inspiring like the crf150 and 230 twins. The ttr230 is a super heavy sucky pig.

All the bikes being mentioned require virtually no maintenance. We raced an xr100 for a 24 hour race and it didnt miss a beat. And this was a motard set up which is much harder on drivetrains than riding in the dirt.

Look used and any year is fine. O xr200 are golden too.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 04:57 PM   #11
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Lot's of responses, everyone, thank you.

Yeah, I want something that is not too tiny, because I'd like for her to be able to transition to my ninja. Riding a clown bike isn't going to be the same, IMO. I want her to be able to get both feet down, simply because if you can do that, and you drop the bike when you are moving too slowly to keep it up, it's easier to catch it. I guess the lighter weight helps with that too, but being able to catch it before it gets leaned over to far sure helps.

I have a big field right outside my house that I can use. So, I don't need to be able to go on road. Most dual sports that I've seen that I would feel comfortable on the road are too tall to be comfortable as a teaching bike.

It will probably be a little bit anyway, but we'll see.

@Alex, I thought your wife rode already. Isn't the 300 hers?
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Old July 26th, 2013, 05:06 PM   #12
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Yes - she's been riding as long as I have. But none of us have spent much time on dirtbikes, so she wants a small and light one that she can easily manage on that surface.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 05:41 PM   #13
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^ If the price is right i would suggest the crf150 for anyone that has motorcycle experience and can fit nicely onto one. For what it is, it is a great small bike and anyone can ride it and have a blast. It comes with upgraded shocks and rear brakes among other things over the lower tier bikes.... obviously for a cost so again, if the price is right i think it is the best small cc 4stroke out there. The KLX140 could be had for a little less money, i believe it still has disc rear brake which is nice but it does not have the upgraded front forks.
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Old July 26th, 2013, 07:11 PM   #14
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My wife and I have 2009 Honda CRF230L dual sports the seat height is lower than strictly dirt models. Honda replaced the CRF230L with a CRF250L for 2012 about 50 lbs heavier. in They top out at about 65 mph. fun to ride not afraid to dump them. We can't wait to get our Ninja's as soon as our house is built hopefully October. We've been riding over 20 years had a Harley and Honda Shadow.
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