Bought my wife a 2011 883 Sportster Low Profile and she has no problems with it.

 

Skip all the metric stuff if shes going to end up on a harley. It will just cost you money in the long run. Get her a 883 superlow or a lowered dyna and be done with it.

 

I am dealing with the same decision right now. She loves the little bikes from the class but I am trying to talk her info something a little larger. I don't have the height issue as my fiance is 5'11" but still want to start her on something she is comfortable with. I am working on an arrangement to borrow/lease/rent a friend's vulcan 800 that is sitting right now anyway. Bonus is it has already been laid down so she can scratch it all she wants.

The question is where from there? What is next year? 1200 custom? street bob?

T

 

In my op don't think because the 1200l or for that matter any sportster that because they are the babies of the HD line that they are easier to ride. They are top heavy for their size which makes them hardier in the slow stuff. A lot of lady riders here in Az and you see some pretty small ladies on Softtail's and they do a very good job handling them. The seat is low and the COG is also. Just something to think about.

 

Also the Aero is shaft drive which is a plus. Only thing against it is that it is big enough to be intimidating for a small person. Kawasaki has a 900cc bike that also falls in this category.

With her size I'd look for a 600-650cc metric cruiser. Have her take the MSF where she can/will learn on the 250.

 

My wife recently started riding and she feels very comfortable on a 2004 Virago 250. For me it was worth it because of a few reasons. First of all, I was not sure that she was going to like to ride by herself. Second, the Virago 250 may be a small bike, but I think it handles excellent for such size, including accelaration. Obviously, you cannot compare it to bigger bikes, but still excellent for its size. Third, I found one really cheap with a bit over 1k miles. Cheap to the point that it would be worth it to trade it in a dealership.

just my .02 cents

Hek

 

Another option would be a Suzuki S40. It's very light bike with good balance It could go highway speeds in a pinch. It kinda looks like baby Sportster if you squint your eyes.

 

My hen is the same size as yours. I got her a Rebel 250.

 

My wife started riding last year. She skipped the 250s after taking the MSF course and went straight to a VStar 650. Within 6 months she moved up to a Nightster. I think she would agree that a 250 is great for the course but, out on the road, it just can't keep up. BTW, my wife is just 5' nothin and a little over a 100lbs.

I would recommend a 650/750 metric cruiser to start. Get it used and cheap so she isn't heartbroken when she drops it. It's bad enough for a new rider when they drop thier bike without it also being a brand new harley.

You might want to ask this in the QOTR forum. I think they occasional let a male ask a question in there.

 

I started on a V-star 650 Custom and kept it for three years. As soon as I got my bagger and got rid of the V-star my wife decided she wanted to ride. A good friend had a XL1200C for sale, and I picked it up. I would have rather she had the XVS as a first bike, just because it is less powerful and less expensive, and she has already dropped the Harley once, luckily only on the lawn. Luckily only a brake lever broke off.

My observation is that the 1200 Sportster is probably a bit powerful for a first bike with an inexperienced rider, but the size and ride height is correct with the shocks set low for her; she's 5'4". The weight of both bikes are around the 500# mark, but the XL 'feels' lighter and more nimble than the XVS650. In fact, the XVS feels, to me, anyway, more like a Fat Boy.

If you buy a V-star, she learns on it, keeps it for a year, rides it, maybe drops it, maybe doesn't, it's a $3k bike, and you won't have lost much to depreciation.