My wife's birthday is coming up, and she has been expressing her wish to have her own bike for about a year. She has come to rest with the fact that it is impossible to do, but I am going to do it.

I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to do it as a surprise, i.e. not give her any hint such as a test ride or even asking about it. She doesn't want anything big yet, she just wants something to scoot around with. I am wondering what you guys would suggest would be a good local ride around/fairly beginner bike?

I was thinking either an 883 if I can get on used for a good price or an older Honda Shadow 500 or 700. She is 5'4" and 105 pounds, any body have any ideas to help me out on something that would work for a decent price?

 

Get her a Super Glide... Great all around bike. Not too big, not too small. Nice and nimble. Great bike to start on. She'll love it.

 

How about a Vulcan 500? Small, nimble, looks good, can hold highway speeds, & even if you buy a new one it's cheap.

 

I went up from a 883 to a Dyna Street Bob. Very good bike. Not hard to handle at all.

 

I wife started last year riding, I started her out with a Buell Blast, easy bike to handle and the weight did not scare her death, I then traded for a 883 lo and she rode that for 3 months and now she is riding a Heritage and she is doing great but the Blast helped her get her confidence in the shifting, stopping, curves etc. Good luck she will enjoy the ride.

 

I would strongly suggest a riding course as part of the gift. I am sure you could teach her, but if she is like my wife, she may listen more critically to a professional instructor, and in turn they teach this all the time so have a polished approach.

Mine started on a Honda shadow ACE 750. Not to tall, enough power to ride with me, not very pricey as a used bike.

Withing 4 months, she picked up a clean used Heritage Softail, and we sold the Honda for what we had paid for it.

 

She is actually enrolled in an MSF course this next weekend. We are about to move to North Carolina and I told her to just get her license while she was still in CO and she could, so thats good. She's been puttin around on some old Yamaha 250s or the like (not sure exactly) since before I deployed last July.

The ACE sounds like a good starter, gonna keep some tabs on craigs list and cycle trader for the like. I have a FXDC myself, and she is intimidated by it, so I'd like to start out small and work her up to super glide or low rider.

 

I agree with jamesw. Get her a course.

My wife is 5'5" and 120lb and rode a Suzuki 250 for ~2yrs, then a Honda Aero Shadow 750 for ~2yrs, then a Softail Deluxe for ~2yrs. She now rides an '09 FLHX and would NEVER have imagined riding such a bike in her Suzuki days. There's NOTHING more important than her riding something she can handle and build confidence on. Putting your wife on a bike that's too big, too tall, too heavy or too anything will almost guarantee she'll not enjoy it and may quit....or worse!

I tried my wife on an 883 (including lowering it and trying to make it fit her to the extent possible) and it was a disaster!! This was after the Suzuki. She dropped the 883 twice, as it was too heavy (mostly top heavy) and too powerful for her - where she was in her physical, mental and skill level at the time.

It's all about RIGHT bike for HER - start small and allow HER to build her skills & confidence.

 

OOh found one of these for a steal. $800 and it looks good. Hopefully it'll still be on the market when I get back from this godforsaken country!

 

I know that you guys mean well with the surprise thing. Here is my opinion from a lady rider. Buying a bike for a woman is some what like trying to buy her a purse. She needs to pick it out for herself. Half of the excitement is picking it out. Color size and style etc etc.

If you really want to surprise her, then take her to the Dealership or look through the papers together and let her pick one out.

Here is a thought, if you pick it out then you may be saying to her that she is not capable of picking out her own bike. It is a control thing.