Which bike for 18 year old daughter?

[lksseven]

My daughter (freshman college) has expressed an interest in getting a dirtbike and riding with me. She's 5'5", 115lb, extremely athletic (gymnastics, softball left fielder, etc). What would be the right sized bike for her to start with?
Trail riding, and some woods riding.  

I'm concerned with: bike weight, bike engine size, seat height.

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[thrownchain]

I'd start small. 100cc or 125cc, biggest thing is get something that she can comfortably touch the ground with her setting on it. Riders course would be a good idea also. good luck.[^]

[DKWRACER]

Larry, a Jackpiner "of course"  Proud "in the woods" would carry her "far"... taught by a "master"...  "I choose to ride"
wished I had a daughter, have none, give her the best..a Penton
Tom......

[cubfan1968]

Larry, I have just the bike for your little girl. A 1984 Honda XR500 I will gladly trade for one of those extra Pentons you have setting around.

Just kidding around, its a great feeling when one of your sons or daughters shares the same enthusiasm for a hobby you love. The first time my son went riding with me, I couldn't sleep the night before.

Go with a smaller bike, maybe that Honda CRF 125, there pretty inexpensive, light weight, shift nice and have good power. I know I'll get crap for not saying a Penton, but that 30 year window of technology makes alot of difference.

Rod Whitman
Omaha, Nebraska
1972 Six Day (Rider)
1972 Six Day (Project)

[lksseven]

I'm thinking about a KTM SX85 (143 lbs) or SX105 (149 lbs) and maybe get it worked on a little bit to remove the hit, and give it some more bottom end.  I want to err on the side of light weight.
 
Maybe I should have her ride the Penton Trials bike for a while - low seat, light, low gearing ... hmmm ... what do  you think?  I'd be worried about the delicate shifting though - it really takes some touch to make the Sachs shift solidly consistently, and newbies rarely seem to have that kind of touch.

Rod,
an XR500???   It's for my daughter, not my ex-wife !  

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[Merlin]

...........my wife(5'1" 100lb) is in love with the Jackpiner,by far the best all around great motorcycle for anyone...............

[wfopete]

The Honda CRF line up is hard to beat for a beginner. The CRF 150 will give room to grow.  Plus if she decides off roading is not the cup of tea she hoped for the CRF's will resale well.

Pete Petrick
175 Jackpiner

[OUCWBOY]

Larry,
If you want her on a vintage bike then a Jackpiner would be good. Not a pipey as the Sachs engine. But, if you want her on a newer bike, the one I found that is perfect for someone her size is the (sorry guys) Yamaha TT-R125 L/LE. It sits just about the same as the vintage bikes and has a 4 stroke engine. Just my thoughts. I don't know if KTM or any other brand has something like it or not, but it was perfect for my girlfriend who is 5'4" and weighs 115 lbs.

Donny Smith
Paragould, AR

[DKWRACER]

These messages go "far". A Penton "keyboard", would always carry the truth.
Bye, gone, on a Penton "now"
This is the best motorcycle!
Tom./////

[Ron]

Hi Larry
I'll go along with Rod, except I'd say get her a Hodaka. Very cool little bikes.
Either a Ace 100B or a 125 Wombat, both very easy to ride and lots of parts still available.
I stated my son on one about 13 years ago, when he was 10, the bike was a 100cc Dirt Suirt. (still got it LOL)
Check out //WWW.StrictlyHodaka.com, Paul's a great guy who loves the sport (and Hodaka's).
RonW

[454MRW]

My son started on a 2002 XR70 with an automatic clutch and now at 10 1/2 yrs. old, he has ridden a 2002 XR100 for about 7 months and is in all reality just now getting tall enough for it. Because of the experience he had on the XR70, the 100 was second nature to him from the start. I bought it within a couple of hours drive from home for just over $ 1000.00 in near new shape and it runs great with a top speed of 50mph. I would go for the Jackpiner for a novice, but the XR100 is a great starter bike for the money, and will resell for near the same price when she gets ready for the more powerful (and somewhat more costly) Jackpiner. Mike

Michael R. Winter
I enjoy rebuilding and appreciating Pentons!
1974 250 HS Pentons-1980 KTM 250'S

[lksseven]

RonW,

My first bike was a Suzuki 125 dual sport (1968 model approx). Too heavy for me at the time. Of course I loved riding it, but I didn't really get that heroin addiction until he brought home a Hodaka 90 - light, manueverable, tough ... that's the bike I really learned to ride on. Oh baby! Then a Hodaka 100 Ace B. Oh baby baby! Then a used Penton 125 6day Steeltanker, and I thought I had died and gone straight to Heaven.

Does no one think the Wassel (which I have) would be a good bike to learn on?  Low gearing, not pipey, hard to stall, compact, low seat, light weight ...  Although, Rod makes sense, too - 30 years of technology advances would be a big plus...

Larry Seale
I choose to ride

[Larry Perkins]

Larry,

Make it as easy as possible for her and dodge vintage as a first bike.  The TTR 125 Yamaha, CRF 100 and 150 Hondas, DRZ 125 Suzuki, and the KLX 125 Kawasaki are ALL Great Beginner trailbikes and will serve her well.  All of them also have quick and excellent resale should it not work out.  All are detuned fourstrokes with gobs of bottomend and an adequate grin factor.

Larry P

[Paul Danik]

Larry,

    First off, congradulations.  You have apparently shown your daughter what a great hobby it is to ride dirtbikes.

     When my son Chad was starting out I always made sure that his bikes were easy for him to master and that they were easy to start and ride. We found that used Hondas were easy to find, were quite reliable, and were also easy to sell when he outgrew them for about what we paid for them.

     Don't buy a machine that she can "grow into" as it will most likely spend it's life in the cornor of the garage, buy a machine that is if anything a bit mild for her in both power and height and as she progresses you can always update to a bigger machine.

     Good luck and please keep us informed on her progress, maybe even a Father - Daughter picture.

Paul

 

[lksseven]

Paul and Larry,

Great advice - thank you!  If it works out after the Spring semester, I'll keep you informed, and definitely post a picture.

I should add that I made a huge mistake 16 months ago, and bought a Honda CRF230 that I thought could do double duty as a bike for my daugher and a backup bike for friends, family, etc when someone came in town and wanted to go riding with me. Well, the CRF230 was waaaaay too heavy, and too tall, for my daughter, and she was turned off by it (although she did pass me going through a nasty 100yd set of whoops before she quit riding (1 riding session) - like I say, good athlete.  And I should mention the conflict I felt as she blew by me on those whoops - a father's pride versus a competitor's irritation )
     So I traded the 230 for a Suzuki DRZ-125L (L.Perkins!) which was an excellent size for her, easy to start, lowend, etc.  But by that time, she was fully involved in her senior year of high school varsity softball and social activities, so never actually rode it!  But I had recruited a close friend to start riding for the first time ever, and he learned how to ride on that Suzuki.  He got hooked and then bought a Honda CFR250X, so I passed the Suzuki on to my stepson for his wife to ride in Durango, CO.  He says she didn't ride it a single time all summer, though (they've got a 2-1/2 year old, and both work, so I guess she's burning energy elsewhere!).  We're supposed to go out to see them this summer, and I'm definitely hauling the KTM 200 up there to ride with Matt - if Taylor (his wife) is definitely "off" of the Suzuki, maybe I can bring the Suzuki back for the summer for Megan to ride (if she hasn't done a 180 by then .  I have to admit I have a HUGE bias against 4strokes - too much teenage history on 2strokes.  And to me, half the fun of a bike is getting and staying 'on the pipe' - the sound, the rush, the satisfaction of maintaining that balance.  Where's the satisfaction on a 4stroke when IT'S doing all the work, and it almost doesn't matter whether you know what you're doing or not?