My daughter just bought her first bike- an 883C. When buying, she looked at the S40 as well as the Kawasaki 500 Vulcan. The Suzuki didn't feel well balanced to her, so it came down to the 883 or the Vulcan. The Vulcan brand new was only $4900 and she still talks about how light and well balanced it seemed to be, as well as its good looks. (Kinda favors the Softail.) But in the end she chose the Sportster for its looks and balance, even though it was a little heavier.
Comfort with any bike is subjective. Any of these bikes would be a good starter for your daughter, so let her choose for herself as much as possible as it'll be her driving it.

As for your local MSF folks being hard on beginners to the point of several dropping out in the first hours, all I can say is that this MSF group has failed their primary mission for existence with a big fat glowing F. They have obviously lost their focus, as the course is supposed to be a learning environment- not Marine Corps boot camp.
In any learning environment, having a lot of students who fail or drop out is an indicator that your course and/or your instructors are a failure. You need better instructors, a better course, or both. Maybe a letter to the MSF informing them of the miserable staff and high attrition rate at this location, especially amongst beginners who need the course the most, is in order...

 

My wife's first bike was a S40 (Savage). She loved it (named it "Spunky")but after a year was ready to trade up.
Took her 6 months to decide, and she finally selected the suzi S50. She has been riding that for 2.5 years now and I can't talk her into trading up. She says the bike fits her and it sure does have enough power. Maintenance and insurance are low so who am I to complain?

I would recommend the S40 (used) over a Rebel . the size and weight are about the same but the Suzi has lots more power. The Rebel just will not keep up with bigger bikes.

But I would recommend the S50 over the S40 as a first time bike because it is just as easy to handle, and will be satisfying for a longer time. It is a real motorcycle in every respect, but the intimadation factor is low which can be important to beginning riders.

 

Here's a balanced review of the S40...

http://www.motorcyclecruiser.com/roa...boulevard_s40/

 

My suggestion:

Get a used 883. You can get a pre '04 with low miles for CHEAP on eBay...

put 10" rear shocks on the rear

lower the front to match

Joe

 

I have one. Just got it a few weeks ago, actually. I grew up around Harleys, so the sound is disappointing to me, but as far as i can tell, it's going to work out fine. I'm just learning to ride, and I'm pretty small, so the seat height is great, and it feels very comfortable to me. My husband took it out this weekend, and he was fairly impressed with both the power and handling. I hope this helps.

 

In my earlier days I had several different Zuki's- the Marauder, the 800 INtruder and the 1400 Intruder- They were all great bikes I put lots of miles on them and they never had any mechanical problems. Contrary to popular HD opinion they also retained their value very well, My 800 was a 93 with over 58,000 miles- I paid 2700 and got 3500 for it when I sold it.That smaller bike is very light, fairly quick and would be a great first bike. Check in to the ladies area ofwww.intruderalert.com and see what the gals there have to say.

 

For anyone considering an S40, here is one thing we did. A stock 883 muffler will basically bolt right on to it. It is no Harley sounding bike, but it looks better, and has a little volume. I think having that pipe on my wifes bike was the final straw...she had to have a Harley after that.

 

Check out a used Suzuki SV650 - great starter bike, and fun for an advanced rider as well. Once she gets the hang of riding for a bit, then get her the Nightster . .

 

we may do that to mine. Thanks for the tip!

 

My wife's Savage had a Supertrapp slip on--sounded real bad ***. Not loud but deep and throaty. Always turned heads when she fired it up.