WIfe's First, Reconsidered. FUEL INJECTED STARTER BIKE?

[Chuck 500]

As a relatively new rider, I would say that fit to the rider is far more important than FI or not.   A new rider needs to be able to put both feet down.  Only other consideration is avoid too much horsepower.

The Suzuki GS500F you mentioned in the first post would be ideal.  Of course, I prejudiced .  It more than enough power to do any thing you can do on a bike legally.

The main difference from FI bikes, as I see it, is you can't just start and ride.  GS500 has to be warm to run right.  Give it warm up time and it never misses a beat.

Keep the shiny side up,

Chuck

[Kootenanny]

As a relatively new rider, I would say that fit to the rider is far more important than FI or not.   A new rider needs to be able to put both feet down.  

I agree that there are much more important considerations than FI, but I don't agree that "a new rider needs to be able to put both feet down."  If that were true, how would truly short riders (like Bluepoof) ever learn to ride at all?  This kind of thinking is what relegates so many new riders (especially women) to cruisers, since they place too much importance on seat height.

When I taught riding a bazillion years ago, we taught every rider (no matter how tall) to put only one foot down--right from day one.  It is good technique, and therefore something that should be done right from the beginning.  Yes, I know that most new riders feel more stable with both feed on the ground, but that is a crutch which should be tossed right away--and a new rider who learns the "one-foot method" right away won't feel nearly as intimidated by bikes with taller seats (and for short riders, this can be almost all bikes).

[bluepoof]

I agree that there are much more important considerations than FI, but I don't agree that "a new rider needs to be able to put both feet down."  If that were true, how would truly short riders (like Bluepoof) ever learn to ride at all?  This kind of thinking is what relegates so many new riders (especially women) to cruisers, since they place too much importance on seat height.

I was going to say something similar but decided y'all are probably sick of me whining about being a hobbit.

Seriously, though, it's definitely true that new riders don't need to flatfoot (not sure if Chuck meant "flatfooting" or "just able to touch both feet down").  However, while I've never flatfoot a bike in my life, I would agree that it would be less intimidating for a new rider to at least be able to touch toes down on both sides, especially if the bike is top heavy.

[Chuck 500]

Thanks for the comments bluepoof and Kootenanny.  The conversation here can be interesting and informative.  It why I like STN.  I am relatively new (2 yrs., 11K miles) and relatively short (5'6").  I can generally touch toes down on both sides.  Bike is a Suzuki GS500F, seat height 30.5 of so.  I have tried to sit on some taller bikes (V-Strom and the like) but they just feel too tall.  I felt like if the Strom ever started to get away from me I'd have no chance to recover.  Possibly this won't be such a big deal once I have more experience?

Keep the shiny side up,

Chuck

[Kootenanny]

I am relatively new (2 yrs., 11K miles) and relatively short (5'6").  I can generally touch toes down on both sides.  Bike is a Suzuki GS500F, seat height 30.5 of so.  I have tried to sit on some taller bikes (V-Strom and the like) but they just feel too tall.  I felt like if the Strom ever started to get away from me I'd have no chance to recover.  Possibly this won't be such a big deal once I have more experience?

I'm shorter than you are, but I've ridden both the Wee Strom and the V-Strom, and some taller bikes as well...and you're right, when they start feeling really tall, they feel like they might get away from you at a stop.  But...that said, with some experience on taller bikes, that feeling will definitely diminish.  The trick is to get comfortable only having one foot down; if you have to scootch your butt over to one side to do so, then do that (it's surprising how much extra reach you can generate doing that).

[CMS_Sprint]

When my SO decided to make the move away from the Ninja 250 we ended up with a Yamaha FZ6R for her.

You know what she loves most about it? It starts every single time in 2 secs! It seemed that if the Ninja sat for 2 weeks it would protest starting right away. It always got there, but sometimes it took a while. The idle jets in it must have a hole in them the size of a human hair is my guess.

We went trolling around bike week 2 years ago and she sat on all the mid size bikes that weren't super sports (FZ6R, GS650F, Ninja 650) and that's the one she liked the best and felt like she could be comfortable on. She's fairly petit at 5-7 and 115 lbs.

[bluepoof]

She's fairly petit at 5-7

Ha!  Ha haahahahahahahahahahahahhaahahhahah!

Ahem.  Sorry.

I wish I were a "petite" 5'7"!  

[cultureslayer]

You know what she loves most about it? It starts every single time in 2 secs! It seemed that if the Ninja sat for 2 weeks it would protest starting right away. It always got there, but sometimes it took a while. The idle jets in it must have a hole in them the size of a human hair is my guess.

The problem is her not riding it for 2 weeks.  

[CMS_Sprint]

OK I've been corrected, she's 5'6"....Still I guess not that short, but she's pretty small (runner's build?). Still once we lowered the bike a bit she's pretty comfortable on it.

[clempot911]

I would not be too worried about carbs & chokes if the rest of the bike is a good ‘fit’. In fact I have owned several carb’d bikes, and now several fuelies, and to be perfectly honest, most of the carb’d bikes I owned had way better fueling (smoother/progressive) than some of the FI bikes. You would think it would be the other way around, but that hasn’t been my experience. Maybe the manufacturers are fiddling with the maps a little harder because: a) they can, and B) emissions regulations...don’t know, but some have been really screwed up.

None of my bikes that had chokes ever messed up for me (flooding, etc.), I think they are a little better thought out than something on a Briggs&Stratton so comparing them to a lawn mower is probably not the best comparison to make. You just pull the choke out, fire it up, you start pushing it back in slowly until it’s off – that’s it.

The Ninja 250 was one of the best, I’d recommend it to anyone starting out without hesitation. Heck, I’d recommend it to anyone period except if you are heavily into 2-up riding. Even though I now own a 1000, the bike that put the biggest grin on my face time and time again was a lowly 125 2-stroke. It was a Cagiva Mito, and if it was available in the US I’d sell what I have and buy one in a heartbeat.