Need some advice :)

[MixMasterMandy]

not to suggest another brand of bikes....ducking for cover..... a suzuki sv650 is a really good starter bike. it's not too big and is a lot of fun to ride. she can always ride it like a crazy girl after she gets comfortable with it.

and in all honesty you can start out with pretty much any bike as long as you have respect for it and take things easy. if you ride like a monkey right from the start - the worst is inevitable. unfortunately i know too many people who have done this....

and for myself - i would never ride a bike that i couldn't pick up myself. girls have to think about other stuff like that besides having a mirrored sheild on our helmets to apply lip gloss as needed - so that might be another consideration for her.

that's great she wants to ride too!

[photomike666]

If she's interested in storage space, them get her a tailpack for either a GPX or ZZR250 (like Jess has). That way she has a better bike and even more storage space. You should be able to pick something reasonable from a swap meet or ebay.

[JamesLaugesen]

Tell her to stick with the Across

You can always put more bags on it for more storage, the boot locks, 180 (or so) K's between fuel stops is plenty for new riders, esspecially on a 250.

Most new Across owners worry about the fuel at first, but after some real rides noone ever complains. They're easy and cheap to maintain (don't even need to disconnect the fuel lines haha), go for a bargain nowdays and age really really well.

My '93 has 77,000km's and been through 3 crashes -2 low-sides and 1 "sideways flippy-over tumble"- and still runs great, apart from a bit of lack of care from me lately (battery dying and carbs need a good clean & balance).
There's only 1 inherent problem we've noticed, which is the throttle slide needle holders (which clips the diaphram slide to the diaphram lifter thingy) wear quite fast, average around 7000km of life. They're readily available for $5 and take a few minutes to replace though, so it's no biggy. Usually you'll only drop one at a time, which effectively blocks it's cylinder, can be fixed on the road with teflon tape or anything else to 'jam' it in.

The ZZR and GPX have more kick off the line, but the Across has more top end.
From stock the forks are too soft and get some exciting head-wobble breaking hard into corners, so most of us have added a few 20 cent coins to add preload and/or changed to 15w oil. Then jack the rear preload up to max and it handles really well.

Oh, and the NRMA screwed me on insurance for the Across, so I couldn't make it for Sunday's ride... buut, all things going well, I'll be at Pie In The Sky next Sunday around 9am. Would prefer to be on ZXR (:() but at least it's a chance to displace all these mean Across rumours, hahaha

[aardvark]

The only non-Kwakka I've ever had was my Across. I still reccommend them as a great learner bike. The boot is great for holding a helmet, a feed of KFC or a few dozen donuts.

On the downside, they'll only do about 190 clicks flat out.

[MickLC]

filling up every 200kms is just plain annoying

He'll be doing that on his 10 anyway

[Shifty]

GPX250 or ZZR250, can't go past them.

You expected a different answer on a Kawasaki forum? Not likely... slay the blasphemers!

[ty]

I think I've just managed to talk my missus out of getting a postie
She's going for her L's again in a couple of weeks so I'm trying to get her on a GPX instead
Across is always an option too - only bad thing I've heard about the across is the fuel range - on the GPX I got 320kms before needing to switch to reserve most of the time.
ty

[Shifty]

I learned on a GPX and you can't beat them for a learner bike.

The twin gives good response for a "scared to change gears" beginner, provides awesome fuel economy, is all but unburstable, has a comfy riding position with a confidence-inspiring low seat and is nice and light for getting used to parking, u-turns and the like

A ZZR is essentially the same but looks nicer/sportier, will be more expensive to fix in a drop, and despite only being 5'8" the fairing gets the the way of my legs. Most of that depends on your personal circumstances and likes/dislikes.

[mrmina]

mate like madkaw said, the gpx is the best and cheapest option

[gigksrc]

I'm on a ZZR. No problem about storage. I'm the queen of carrying make-up & other useless stuff in a backpack or bigger bags on the Ventura rack. I manage to shop at the Vic Market & carry home a mountain of food shopping on the back. She should have a bit of a zip around on a couple of different bikes or even just sit on them to see how they feel.

[seraph]

Don't bother with the across... your lass can wear a backpack and she's better off with a bigger tank. Every one I have ever known to ride an across hates the limited range of the tank, and the inevitable "run out of fuel and hike to a servo" situations. Though I have to admit, I do sometimes regret the fact that I can't carry around twelve shades of lipgloss, and a couple spare pairs of heels...

[Glen]

Shifty makes a good point. The GPX250 is a very tractable little donk and is very user friendly. Steers easy, nice turning circle etc

The across is a good bike but probably a little less novice friendly due to it's high revving nature.

[Benno]

Thanks guys!

I learnt on a ZX2C, and that was a lot of fun. Megacycle pipe plus having it derestricted, I used to get it up over 200kms When we're in Melb, I was actually planning on taking her to Sumoto.. not that I intend to buy with them, but so she has a variety of bikes to sit on, and get a feel of before deciding which one she liked.

I'd rather the ZZR, but she likes the boot idea

[diesel]

12L fuel tank? filling up every 200kms is just plain annoying.

yes, yes it is.
but that's what happens when you ring the neck of a zx2.
sorry, continue with the thread.

[the kid]

Best advice I can give and the rest of the blokes here have missed the point entirely is that chicks shouldn't be riding motorcycles . At a pinch the more butch types could perhaps be given the keys to a CT110 but only so they could do something usefull for aussie post and bring home a few more bucks so we blokes could get some carbon fibre for our real bikes . Come on guys , we Know it takes balls to ride a motorbike ! Chicks should be doing stuff like that Ebay bird (Colette on Ebay) Recommended reading for all you clowns offering advice on this post . We dont need more sheilas sitting on 75 in a 60 zone giving us a bad rap . If they aren't gonna do at least 95 in said zone , get back into the car . Anyone who has studied the guru , need I mention who , Fred Gassit , will know what Im talking about . Bloody sad that so many blokes have been suckerd into offering girlie stuff on this post . Thats it fellas its up to you , send those softer gendered ones back to the fridge to grab ya another stubbie before you let em smoke ya bat while listening to ya tell em what you want for dinner . And never let em watch Blokes World .









If Moira reads this Im dead