I'm very happy...my girl took MC class and wants to ride. He wants a bike that is street legal but can also do some dirt. I recommended Kawasaki KLX 250s since you can get new for $4300 in CA. She is tall so she is flat on this bike. I know that it is Husky forum but I respect you guys and I want your opinion. What do you think?
It certainly is a proven motor and there are tanks, exhausts, suspension mods and other things that can make it a custom ride. It's a little heavier than I like for this sort of machine, but I guess that the Japanese Street legals are all on the heavy side. I have the dirt cousin of this bike (the KLX300) that I have had for nine years, is fairly bulletproof.
just cause its so much lighter i gotta think a '06-'09 used TE250 would be the way to go. cost is gonna be similar. your a lucky man to have a daughter who wants to ride. The 250 Yamaha seems to get rav reviews, but i havent ridden one.
I think the basic Kwaka is ok but old tech, heavy and does not carry much cache. There are a lot of darn good 250's from 2006 to 2010 that would fit the bill. The TE 250, EXC 250 and the WRF 250 (probably avoid the CRF-X) are all top class bikes that have top quality components, are well made, reliable and easy to handle.
It is my girlfriend that wants to ride Don't forget that I'm in CA and many of those bikes are not street legal here. This Kawasaki is a new model and costs less than even old Honda 230.
I think the Kawasaki KLX 250s is a good choice for a first bike for your Girl friend. At 135 kg. it's not the lightest out there but still no bad considering it does come with a magic button. My friends wife has one she loves it. They were looking at all the other choices Suzuki, Honda, Yam, But in the end Cindy ( Corey's wife) feel in love with the green one.
I just have a few random thoughts... Have you talked to her about it? What does she want? Even if she doesn't know a KLX from a KDX, I guarantee that if you take her around and show her a CRF230L, an XT225 (better than the 250 IMO) a KLX, etc., one of those bikes is going to strike her fancy. She is, for sure, going to like one of them much better than the other. We might know for a fact that the red bike is waaay better than the blue one because it's 2.6 pounds lighter and has better footpegs and more top end, but she might like the yellow one better because it's more comfortable and much better looking. You want her to be happy, and you want to cultivate her love for the sport. This is most easily done when there is a bike in the garage that she is genuinely excited about. Of course, her choice has to be somewhat reasonable (I like that orange one that says 950 SE on the side, honey!) but if it's within an acceptable range, go for it. I speak from a ton of "my girfriend wants a bike" experience and I've seen the same thing over and over and over. Another thing to think about is the fact that this will be her first bike and her tastes will probably change once she gets some saddle time. She might decide she likes the street side of things better, or she might want a more dirt-oriented bike for trails, or she might accidentally stumble onto a motocross track and from then on nothing but a 125 2-stroke will do. Just as most kids bikes (PW50's for instance) go through many owners, there are lots of beginner-type bikes out there that are being sold with very little use on them. Consider a used bike until she figures out what she really digs about riding. It's much easier to bail on a bike that was bought used than one that has been heavily invested in. I knew a gal that kept riding a bike she hated (albeit not very often) because she felt bad about her boyfriend spending so much money on it and she didn't want to disappoint him. Don't let this happen to you. You're already ahead of the game by finding a tall girlfriend and by choosing to not be the one to teach her how to ride Take her around to as many shops as you can and have her sit on everything that fits the criteria. Oh, and don't forget about the DRZ200. It's $1100 less than the KLX and weighs 20lbs less, too. 20lbs is huge if she really wants to ride it off-road. Good luck! WoodsChick
^^^^ LISTEN TO ADVISECHICK!!!^^^^ errrr woodschick. Very good advise. I hate it when my girlfriend picks clothes for me that she likes, but I don't. You don't want to pull the same thing with her, except with a $3000 dollar bike.
Thanks WoodsChick! She rode DRZ200 in her class for 10 hours. She also sat on 230L. She liked the looks of KLX. She thinks that 225 is kids bike and 230 looks like it is from the 70s LOL. She is also planning to get Aprilia Mana or Dorsoduo for the street after she gets more confident. He has been riding with me as a pillion on my C14 and she loved it. She loves my off road trips that I take her on (in a car) and she wants to participate in our riding/camping trips in the desert. She also asked me to print a pic of KLX in green for her office. Now she has a Viper, Aprilia and KLX hanging in the office. As any true motorcyclist there is no way to just have one bike I understand that but I don't get why a woman needs 50 pairs of shoes? LOL
