Shaft drive-Sport touring bike for a medium sized female??

[captmikejd]

I'll probably go with a medium sized interim street bike for a confidence builder while I continue the pursuit of the ultimate bike for the wife.
She really likes the VT1100 Shadow and it would be OK to keep up with her light weight but they no longer build the bike?
 I ride an ST-1300 and she wants to come along on her own ride. I have seen some Honda VFR suspesion height kits that bring those bikes into her reach, but I am wondering if anyone out there has some suggestions/ options for me to consider?
Cheers,
        Mike

[Fourstring]

Not shaft drive, but the Beemer ST800's belt drive would also be a good fit if you're looking for low maintenance.

Any reason it has to be a shaftie?

[Scubadvr]

Have you looked at the Honda NT700V yet?  Might be a good fit for her.

[Wockman]

+1 on the Honda NT700V   It has a 31.7 inch seat height which might be a stretch, but it should be easy to shave down or swap with a lower aftermaket one, if you need to.  I sat on one at the dealer. Its tiny compared to the ST1300...

[sammyseaman]

+1 on the Honda NT700V   It has a 31.7 inch seat height which might be a stretch, but it should be easy to shave down or swap with a lower aftermaket one, if you need to.  I sat on one at the dealer. Its tiny compared to the ST1300...

They're a bit tall and a bit pricey.

How tall is a medium sized woman? Here in west Michigan a medium sized girl is about 5'8", a medium sized girl on the east side of the state is about 5'5"  

[1KPerDay]

Have you considered any of the multitude of shaft-drive or belt-drive "cruisers" from Japan (or Harley)? Does it HAVE to be a "sport touring" bike? How often is she REALLY going to use that last 8 or 10 degrees of lean angle?

Low COG, low seat height, inexpensive, easy to ride.... low maintenance...


http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/Boulevard%20C50/2009/C50.aspx?category=cruiser

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Product%20Lines/Cycles/Products/Boulevard%20M50/2009/M50.aspx?category=cruiser

http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/21/0/home.aspx

http://www.starmotorcycles.com/star/products/modelhome/21/0/home.aspx

http://powersports.honda.com/2009/shadow-aero.aspx

http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Motorcycles/superlow.html

[FiremanBob]

The shaft-drive requirement is a huge limiting factor.  You might try a Honda V45 Sabre or Magna. The Sabre might be a little tall and the Magna looks slightly cruiser-like, but both handle extremely well and can fit serious luggage, unlike  the small cruisers. Being V4s, they have more power and are smoother than even the Japanese V-twin cruisers. The 3rd Gen Magna (1990s) is also a good performer but even more cruiser-like and may not have the luggage capacity you want.

If those seats are too high, then I recommend a used VFR with lowering kit. It's a chain, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a better all-around medium sized bike. And it wont break the bank.

[Kneescrubber]

Not shaft drive, but the Beemer ST800's belt drive would also be a good fit if you're looking for low maintenance.

Any reason it has to be a shaftie?

I was wondering the same thing.

Lots of missing information. Is she an experienced rider? What has she ridden before? When you say "on her own ride" are you talking about a Sunday afternoon ride or an overnighter or a cross-country haul? There are as many options as there are specifics.

[photomd]

K75S, C, RT, whatever. They have low seat kits if the standard height is too tall for her. They're reliable enough that you see them escorting the Tour de France. They come in lots of configurations: touring, sport, standard. There's tons of info on them as well...'n obviously, I'm a little bias...have fun shopping.  

[bluepoof]

.

Lots of missing information. Is she an experienced rider? What has she ridden before? When you say "on her own ride" are you talking about a Sunday afternoon ride or an overnighter or a cross-country haul? There are as many options as there are specifics.

This.

[JamesG]

For a learner bike any cheap GS500 or EX500 will do.

If she's ready for "her bike", look at the Moto Guzzi Breva 750ie.   Really good build quality, low seat height, and it handles very good, don't let the styling cues fool you.  My 5' 4" wife loves her 2004 and she refuses to even think about replacing it.

[Kneescrubber]

This.

Shirley this deserves a +1.  

[captmikejd]

Hi guys,
 Sorry I was not more specific, I am still just a newbie on this site!But thanks for the input to date.
Answers to some of your questions:
She has not ridden for quite a while, but was an accomplished street rider albeit on smaller bikes and on the wrong side of the road downunder.
Just finished her course in Florida and got the new license.
Does not HAVE to be a shaft, but as her mechanic they are pretty bullet proof. Belt was a good idea thanks!
Also, I have a personal Honda bias, sorry.
Weekend rides for the next year or so until she gets the confidence to ride farther afield with a heavier bike.
She did like the NT700V and I had not thought about lowering it, not sure why?
Cruisers should have been in my original post as one would work very well for her knowing she will probably never need that extra 8* to 10* lean angle.
Best idea forming so far is the medium sized 450 to 650ish used ride that she can drop and I won't cry about.
Also I need to get my personal bias out of the equation and your replies are helping me to do that. You see I will be left with the hand me down bike which if it was a VFR800 would keep me off of my ST around town, scratches and dents included! Thanks again!!

[FiremanBob]

I forgot about the Guzzi Breva. That's an excellent choice.

[spd2918]

Sounds like a fair trade, but we will need to see photos and a resume.

[Kneescrubber]

Honda Shadow; cheap, low seat height, shaft drive, Honda

[bluepoof]

Shirley this deserves a +1.  

Done!

[Baz]

Not shaft drive, but the Beemer ST800's belt drive would also be a good fit if you're looking for low maintenance.

Any reason it has to be a shaftie?

I am with Fourstring

[sammyseaman]

Hi guys,
 Sorry I was not more specific, I am still just a newbie on this site!But thanks for the input to date.
Answers to some of your questions:
She has not ridden for quite a while, but was an accomplished street rider albeit on smaller bikes and on the wrong side of the road downunder.
Just finished her course in Florida and got the new license.
Does not HAVE to be a shaft, but as her mechanic they are pretty bullet proof. Belt was a good idea thanks!
Also, I have a personal Honda bias, sorry.
Weekend rides for the next year or so until she gets the confidence to ride farther afield with a heavier bike.
She did like the NT700V and I had not thought about lowering it, not sure why?
Cruisers should have been in my original post as one would work very well for her knowing she will probably never need that extra 8* to 10* lean angle.
Best idea forming so far is the medium sized 450 to 650ish used ride that she can drop and I won't cry about.
Also I need to get my personal bias out of the equation and your replies are helping me to do that. You see I will be left with the hand me down bike which if it was a VFR800 would keep me off of my ST around town, scratches and dents included! Thanks again!!

I've got nothing then  

[FiremanBob]

There's a CX500 Honda Interstate advertised on advrider.com.  That might be perfect, and it fits in almost any budget.  Looks beautiful in the photos.

[Kneescrubber]

I've got nothing then  

Hater.  

[sammyseaman]

Hater.  

I've earned the right  

[Papa Lazarou]

Guzzi. Or Deauville.

[STJoe]

Honda DN-01

Low seat height

Automatic Transmission

Shaft Drive

Should be able to get one for a song.  

[JimNtexas]

Guzzi. Or Deauville.

Dullvillie has a very high seat height.

[STJoe]

Dullvillie has a very high seat height.

Sure, kick the dog and call his kid ugly.  

[HipGnosis]

Honda DN-01

Low seat height
Automatic Transmission
Shaft Drive

Should be able to get one for a song.  

Honda US never dropped the price on em, so they never sold, so there aren't any used ones...  I looked for one for a friend.

[Blue Bye You]

The old Honda Pacific Coast makes a great sport tourer for a smaller rider. Low seat hight, comfortable, good protection, tipover bars. low maintenance, good handling and decent power. And it's a Honda.

[STJoe]

Honda US never dropped the price on em, so they never sold, so there aren't any used ones...  I looked for one for a friend.

See quite a few collecting dust in various dealers.   Sooner of later, they have to do something to move them.

Quite frankly as inept as Honda has been the last few years, it's amazing more dealers have not bit the dust.

[brilder]

How much "sport" is there in her touring?  You mentioned that cruisers are fine.  I'd suggest a Kawasaki Vulcan 750.  With shaft drive, fuel guage, and self-adjusting valves, it will be super-easy to own.  Its a much more upright cruiser, like the Honda V4 Magna - practically a standard.  It's also relatively light for that kind of bike, and the powerband is super-smooth and fun at every rpm.

They made these from the mid 80s to the mid '00s, so there's plenty of bikes out there and parts are cheap.  You can probably snag a good late-model VN750 for $2500 or less with low miles.

[cruisin]

Like your bias toward Honda, I have a bias toward BMW.  That may be because I have owned 6 of them for a total of over 300K miles without a major mechanical problem.  The R1100RT, while possibly a bit on the heavy side for her; can be effectively lowered and still capable of a pretty sporty riding style.  I am 5'4" with a 27" inseam and have my RT at about a 30" seat height.  I can provide you with complete details on that much lowering in a PM or E-mail if you like (rather than taking up space here).

Another beemer she might want to consider is the R1200C (too ugly for some; a thing of beauty to others).  It came from the factory with a 29.5" seat height and despite what many nay-sayers think is surprsingly sporty as far as cruisers go.  Some (actually many) have said it is under-powered; but if you compare it's 71ft/lbs of mid range torque to the 72ft/lb of the RT while weighing ~60 less than the RT, you have to ask, "is it really under-powered?"  Afterall, mid range torque is what most of use most of the time, not top end HP. As for comfort, the C is more than capable of providing all day comfort for many days in a row.  I have taken mine on more than one multi day trip including 3300 miles in 9 days a couple of years ago.

To check out used beemers go to IBMWR; that's where I bought my "new" 2000 RT in October last year.

[vulcanbill]

How much "sport" is there in her touring?  You mentioned that cruisers are fine.  I'd suggest a Kawasaki Vulcan 750.  With shaft drive, fuel guage, and self-adjusting valves, it will be super-easy to own.  Its a much more upright cruiser, like the Honda V4 Magna - practically a standard.  It's also relatively light for that kind of bike, and the powerband is super-smooth and fun at every rpm.

They made these from the mid 80s to the mid '00s, so there's plenty of bikes out there and parts are cheap.  You can probably snag a good late-model VN750 for $2500 or less with low miles.

Good suggestion.  I owned that bike for quite a while.  Make sure you do some research because there was a reg/rec/stator issue with that bike and on earlier models, the motor had to come out of the frame to repair.  I believe later models did something to change this so that the motor didn't need to come out.  Don't know the specifics, but something to research if you consider this bike.  Or, some monkey wrencher could have been jerkin my chain.  Oh, and it's a shaftie.  

[Justin]

Another beemer she might want to consider is the R1200C (too ugly for some; a thing of beauty to others).  

OK, who is this one person that like's the way the R1200C looks?

[cruisin]

OK, who is this one person that like's the way the R1200C looks?

uhhhhhh, that'd be me and a several thousand others who own and love them for what they are -- a cruiser with the heart and soul of a beemer

[Justin]

 

uhhhhhh, that'd be me and a several thousand others who own and love them for what they are -- a cruiser with the heart and sould of a beemer

No need to hide behind the couch, I'ze just teasin'  

[BlueRidgeKat]

Have you looked at the Honda NT700V yet?  Might be a good fit for her.

Sorry, but I think this is the ugliest bike that has ever been made. My closest Honda dealer has two of these things and cant give them away. I believe this is another one of the Honda models that there will be no 2011's because they cant get rid of the 2010's along with the new VFR for 2010.

Back on topic..... I'll give another vote to the BMW 800ST. Its belt not shaft, but one sweet smooth  good looking sport tourer with low maintenance and low seat height.

[Hunter]

I'd be getting her on a CBR 600 Fi, arguably one of the best motorcycles Honda has ever made. Comfy for a sport bike, more so with risers and the pegs are low enough stock. Enough power to embarrass a VFR but docile enough for a newbie if they stay out of the big numbers on the tach. The seat isn't too tall as I've seen plenty of shorter riders on them and it's light weight would be a big help too a new rider. Best of all it would be something she could grow into and you would have a blast with it during the week.

The argument about chains and their maintenance only works for the chronically lazy. Even if occasionally lubing a chain is too much for some one, a Scott Oiler makes that argument moot.

Honorable mention would be a Kawasaki ZZR 600.

[ANZAC]

Women are funny about things    They are VERY emotional when it comes of decisions.  We all know that something we think is cool is probably just the opposite of what they like.

Take her out to the dealers and show her the bikes on-line.

Who knows - she may find the VN700 a beautiful bike and fall in love with it.  My wife has always loved the Moto Guzzi's.  She says they have the most comfortable seats and look like a real motorcycles  

On the other hand, she loves my 1986 700S Nighthawk too as it has a nice flat seat - not the highly perched versions on today's bikes.

[jsanford]

I forgot about the Guzzi Breva. That's an excellent choice.

Hear hear. I was just going to suggest the 750. They're cheap to insure, too!

[jsanford]

The argument about chains and their maintenance only works for the chronically lazy. Even if occasionally lubing a chain is too much for some one, a Scott Oiler makes that argument moot.

Well shoot, in that case get her a Monster.  She'll love it.

[UHOH]

She has not ridden for quite a while, but was an accomplished street rider albeit on smaller bikes and on the wrong side of the road downunder.
Just finished her course in Florida and got the new license.
. . .
Best idea forming so far is the medium sized 450 to 650ish used ride that she can drop and I won't cry about.

You'd do worse than look at a Suzuki Gladius which is the reliable SV650 twin mechanics in a slightly downsized frame.
a naked bike, so get a Givi windscreen and she/you should be pair of happy campers.

[shawn and gwyn]

if you can find one.. a suzuki VX 800 is a great choice.  mid range power.. about 60..  good low end torque..  it was gwyns first bike. easy to ride..  hers had the krouser suzuki badged bags, and a windshield..  great gas miles.. shaft drive.. 50 mpg.

see pic

shawn