G/F wants a bike

[dmax1]

I have found a 87 fazer for sale with 25000 on the odometer. Looks taken care of by the pics i have seen. I was wondering what to look for or any specific problems associated with this bike. The asking is 2200. She really likes the bike! And it would fit her well. I do not have any pics to show right now. Any help would be appreciated. :ummm:

 

[KJShover]

I'm pretty sure Sean (Morley) and Shawn (Klocker) had/has fazers and could help you out.

 

[Fire-medic]

IMHO getting her able to ride off road on a 125-200 cc bike for awhile is the best way to get bike handling skills. If she is already experienced & just has ridden others' bikes for 10K+ mi. then the Fazer is OK. I like the middleweights. She will not have a tough time keeping up w/the flow of traffic & will not outgrow it quickly. Sean has info on his site about the Fazers.

Of course the MSF beginning course is a good intro, she may already have that one done.

The off road riding allows her to experience marginal traction f & r, acceleration/braking, body position & how it affects vehicle dynamics, etc. You may be a serious off road guy already, in which case I am preaching to the choir!

People who learn off road 1st have a much easier time transitioning to the streets. Being involved in the aftermath of what happens when inexperienced or complacent riders come-afoul of the others on the road, or of their own errant behavior, anything such as off road riding which can quickly allow development of the necessary skill-set to survive on the streets is a 'must-have.'

 

[one2dmax]

The Fazers are excellent starting bikes. Light weight and very controllable power. Plus they can be upgraded as her skills improve (beware it's far easier to make her bike fast compared to the Vmax). Plus, you can get radials on that bike for cheap (we even have a few of the needed parts). $2200 is fair if the bike is clean.


Sean

 

[COP RUNNER]

i I WISH MY WIFE WANTED A MOTORCYCLE ! .. I'D BUY HER A " NITRO HARLEY " WITH NO BRAKES ! .. :biglaugh: . :rofl_200: . :confused2:

 

[1967vmax]

Been down that road my wife went got her mc licence ,safety school the works, found her a nice 535 virago we rode a few times and found she is better off being a passenger than a driver, so i just sold the virago, if you were to take a poll and see how many woman keep a bike and ride on there own to justify keeping it i dont think the #s are in the womans favor.

 

[alorio1]

Only you could come up with somthing like that COP RUNNER...LOL< LOL>LOL side hurting:rofl_200::rofl_200::rofl_200:

i I WISH MY WIFE WANTED A MOTORCYCLE ! .. I'D BUY HER A " NITRO HARLEY " WITH NO BRAKES ! .. :biglaugh: . :rofl_200: . :confused2:

 

[tmosel]

i I WISH MY WIFE WANTED A MOTORCYCLE ! .. I'D BUY HER A " NITRO HARLEY " WITH NO BRAKES ! .. :biglaugh: . :rofl_200: . :confused2:

I'd buy one for my ex-wife!

 

[Blurr]

I was feeling sorry for you having to cut into your funds for a bike for your GF. 1967vmax makes a good point. Then I got hit with it. This morning at about 10 mine called me up and told me she was coming over to have me look at a bike. Don't get me wrong, I have been on bikes for quite a long time but with the exception of the vmax my involvement as been more along the lines of your standard rider; ie take it to the shop when the odometer says so.

Having me around to 'proof' your purchase? I guess I can look for the obvious, but asking me to tell if it is internally in good shape by the way it sounds at idle, not so much. Anyway she drags me out of bed and hauls me across town to look at a honda rebel 250. 250?!? Really?

The kicker is that she tells me that if i get it for her, I don't have to buy the couch i've been putting off buying for the living room. Oh what joy, I can buy a 300 dollar couch or 1500 dollar wanta-be starter harley? que the jepordy music.

 

[Blurr]

Oh wait, if i get her then I can take the rear pass. sissy bar off and clean up the lines a bit.

 

[acammer]

Oh wait, if i get her then I can take the rear pass. sissy bar off and clean up the lines a bit.

Winner, right there.


Fire-medic - I am with you 100%, I spent years in the dirt before I hit the pavement, and continue to play on both to this day, the dirt riding on 2 wheels pays BIG dividends on the street when the traction runs out. If you've spent any length of time on a dirt bike you know what to expect with the bike dynamics, and if you've spent significant time in the dirt, you'll likely have built a healthy supply of automatic reaction's to a dirt riders everyday occurrences, such as washing the front wheel, locking up the rear brakes, drifting the back end out, getting off balance, etc. Once you're on the street and you need to focus your attention on watching out for the other idiots trying to kill you, those auto-pilot functionaries are something you'll take right to bank the first time you employ one in a split second situation and it saves your butt.

 

[Rollie]

Winner, right there.


Fire-medic - I am with you 100%, I spent years in the dirt before I hit the pavement, and continue to play on both to this day, the dirt riding on 2 wheels pays BIG dividends on the street when the traction runs out. If you've spent any length of time on a dirt bike you know what to expect with the bike dynamics, and if you've spent significant time in the dirt, you'll likely have built a healthy supply of automatic reaction's to a dirt riders everyday occurrences, such as washing the front wheel, locking up the rear brakes, drifting the back end out, getting off balance, etc. Once you're on the street and you need to focus your attention on watching out for the other idiots trying to kill you, those auto-pilot functionaries are something you'll take right to bank the first time you employ one in a split second situation and it saves your butt.

+ 1 , motorcross , dirt flat track racing and general utility line unknown , blind jump racing will teach you quick how , when and what to do to save your buttocks from a nasty encounter with barb wire, boulders and trees of all sizes . I followed a buddy on what I thought was a blind 10-20 ft. jump until I looked down on my landing area and saw a 20 ft. pine tree ! He took a slightly different path and found the correct landing area of built up dirt mound about 15 ft. off my path of the tree. I never followed his ass blind again.

 

[Redbone]

I spent many years riding a DT250 and YZ250 on the dirt and you can learn things on the dirt that would/ could quite literally cost you a arm or leg on the street. I would love to get another DT250 someday to play around with in the dirt.

 

[mjsonar]

My Wife rides an 87 Fazer and loves it. Like Sean said - light - easy to handle - and controllable power. And + 1 for learning on the dirt first. My Wife grew up on bikes so getting her the fazer was a no brain'er.

 

[85 MAX-fan]

Years back I bought my soon to be EX a CR500 with no oil in the forks or shock, a stuck throttle cable (WOT), no brake levers, frozen steering head bearings, and tires that were about to fail catastrophically. She had never so much as tried to sit on a bike at that point.
Odd, no matter how many times I got a few drinks into her she never really seemed comfortable with my suggestions that she should start learning to ride it. Either that or it was me..........

 

[Dr.n2o]

+1 on the dirt bike. For a girl just starting out I would suggest a mild 4 stroke.

 

[gamorg02]

+1 on the dirt bike. For a girl just starting out I would suggest a mild 4 stroke.

xr100 or xr200 might be perfect.

my girl learned on a xr100 but shes 5'1" and 110lbs

 

[Fire-medic]

+ 1 , motorcross , dirt flat track racing and general utility line unknown , blind jump racing will teach you quick how , when and what to do to save your buttocks from a nasty encounter with barb wire, boulders and trees of all sizes . I followed a buddy on what I thought was a blind 10-20 ft. jump until I looked down on my landing area and saw a 20 ft. pine tree ! He took a slightly different path and found the correct landing area of built up dirt mound about 15 ft. off my path of the tree. I never followed his ass blind again.

"acammer" & "Rollie" ("Hi Mr. Free, you gotta fast bathing suit!") had great comments. Dirt riding is 'The Ticket" and usually you can get a good deal on a small bike for the dirt. As was mentioned by others, something 100-200cc is just right, smaller size for the size 2-6 gals & bigger motor for the 'plus-sizes.'

Once I was riding an expressway under construction in Kendall FL (west of Miami) & was rippin' it up on my 360 Yamaha. I went screaming up a newly-done ramp & decided to slow-down, as I couldn't really see that far ahead. The roadway ended w/a 40+ ft. drop-off...& lots of re-bar below-shish kabob avoidance. Even Evel would have passed on this one!

 

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Years back I bought my soon to be EX a CR500 with no oil in the forks or shock, a stuck throttle cable (WOT), no brake levers, frozen steering head bearings, and tires that were about to fail catastrophically. She had never so much as tried to sit on a bike at that point.
Odd, no matter how many times I got a few drinks into her she never really seemed comfortable with my suggestions that she should start learning to ride it. Either that or it was me..........

That is a great idea. I have been trying to teach my wife to ride her sisters ttr225 but now realize I've been going about this all wrong. I need to get her on my CR5 after I do some "mods" :rofl_200:

 

[acammer]

I taught my wife, briefly on a TTR-125L, the big wheeled version, perfectly tame motor, absolutely perfect bike to learn on. She was doing pretty good with the gears, shifting, clutch, little nervous turning, but getting it. Then she was turning one way, and reversed her turn, taking a big handful of throttle with it. Somehow this women, without releasing the throttle, managed to grab hold of the front brake and was trying to slow the bike that way. I watched in horror as she locked the front wheel, kept the bike on 2 wheels somehow, and went over the edge of an embankment and into a wooded section. I rode over immediately, set my YZ125 down on its side, and went to check on them. Both the bike and wife survived, she had some bumps and bruises. Hasn't been on one since, still working on it. She was getting close, and then this fall some moron took out her car head on, totaling both vehicles and sending people to the hospital, which has set her back some exploring 2 wheeled fun.

But, on the flip side, she does love turning wrenches. She did her own brakes on her Grand Prix 2wks ago, and this weekend she did 95% of my Vmax's oil change and Dyna3000 install. She wouldn't take it out for the test ride through. So no throttle locked CR500 rides for her, yet.