your opinions please

[jch364]

my girlfriend has decided that she wants to share my love for riding and wants to buy a bike. I have for a long time now told her how much I love riding and because she loves me she wants to learn so she can share in the experience. I call that some serious love rite there. I mean she never had any desire what so ever in riding before we met and now because she loves me so much, she wants to learn..I must have done something right in my life somewhere to deserve this.

Anyway, we went to the dealership today and she spent the better part of 2 hrs just sitting on different bikes trying to decide which one she wanted based on comfort, style etc. We decided right away that a cruiser was the way to go for her and have narrowed the search to 2 bikes. one is the honda shadow spirit 750. the other is the yamaha 650 v-star. Now I know all the differences between the two bikes but what I was wondering was if there was anyone out there that has had any experience with either of these bikes who could offer any pros and cons of ownership. Or if you have friends that ride them and what they have said. I am looking for good and bad for both bikes. I figure that you guys would all have some good input on this and could help us make the decision. I will ultimately leave it up to her since she is gonna be the one riding it she has to be happy and comfortable with it. Right now over all we are both 50/50 on them so its hard to decide...So lets here what ya got and what ya think about both.............Thanks in advance.

 

[Leo]

How is the fit ? I know that a lot of females chose the shadow due to the lower seat position, they get a solid foot plant when stopped...

 

[turbobusa2000]

My mother in law has been riding the Honda shadow for years. She really likes the bike. She added a custom windshield and custom seat to aid in the comfort on long rides. Based on the massive following and great track record that Honda has with reliability I'd go with the Honda. Also there is a forum called hondashadow.net that you could checkout.

 

[twotonevert]

I dont know the v-star that well, but like already said, the shadow has a huge following. I have ridden one on occasion, nice bikes. Congrats. Make her take the course.

 

[lazy boy]

Check out the zuki S50. Nice bike and will smoke anything in the class.

 

[DocDrop]

Check out the zuki S50. Nice bike and will smoke anything in the class.

A friend of mine she rides a M50, good looking bike. She likes it

 

[Purple1300]

The Shadow. I learned how to ride street on a Shadow 1100 and the they are smooth, good looking bikes and the ground clearance is perfect! My mom got a Shadow 750 ACE a couple of years ago and she's 5'2" and didn't even have to lower it though she did have to get some boots with a heel but it worked out perfect. I think she did have to get another set of handlebars though because of the reach.

That shadow is a pretty durable bike though. When my mom was learning how to ride she ran into a couple of mailboxes and hardly even scratched it and they're relatively light compared to the busa if I can remember.

 

[BusaBret]

How is the fit ? I know that a lot of females chose the shadow due to the lower seat position, they get a solid foot plant when stopped...

+1 Get the one that fits her the best. Both are good bikes and will be easy to turn over when she is ready for a new ride. Good luck and happy motoring!!!

 

[Rayabusa0818]

My VSTAR 650 will blow my brother's Shadow 750 off the road

I bought it new in July 2004 and have over 31K miles on it and no problems. It gets regular service every 4,000 miles. I have changed front brake pads once (will be doing that again really soon) and gone through about three sets of tires.

 

[Oncebitten]

I also ride an 1100 Honda Sabre (Shadow) and I love the bike. Runs flawlessly, good balance, well engineered and looks nice. You can't go wrong with a Shadow.

My 2 cents...

 

[Dan]

My wife has a V-Star 650 and it's been a great bike for her.  I've never been on the Honda's but can tell you the couple of times I've taken her bike out, it's been fun.

 

[99'busa]

my mom loved her shadow. she is tiny.

 

[dreamwalker]

My brother in laws first bike was the shadow 750 classic. His girl friend is riding it now as her first bike. Very forgiving clutch / throttle. Like riding a lazy boy and almost as fast. Great first bike and very nice lines. Not one issue and there is over 30k on it. Sorry no exp. with stars. but they do have a pretty large following. Probably a ton of after market parts to make it really hers. Good luck and lets see some picks after she get it!

 

[Supergank1]

both are nice bikes, honda has a good rep for being reliable. i`d say whichever one she`s feels more comfy on. good luck

 

[mymaster]

...

 

[criomega]

I'm just wondering (because shes a first time rider) Did you guys look at the NEW ninja 250? I'm in the same boat as you kind of. My wife has never thought about riding till out of the blue last month she says "I want to go look at bikes so we can ride togeather" I got that first child born/wedding day feeling when she said that. Anyway she looked at all those bikes but ended up falling in love with the new ninja 250 even though she wanted a cruiser type bike because the new ninga was so sexy looking and had a very upright/cruiser type feeling to it. They seem to be selling out fast so I just wanted to make sure you got a chance to look at one at least.

 

[CanadienMike]

Honda Shadow VLX600 Wife loves it.

 

[Professor]

Of the two, my preference would be the Shadow. We bought my wife a 2001 Shadow Ace that was pretty loaded with accessories in May of 2004. We added a windshield and bags. It was her first bike and it served the purpose very well. Its only shortfall was the previous owner had lowered it, really too much and it limited the lean angle. It was a great looking bike and only had one problem in the 3.5 years 13,000+ miles she road it. I had to swap the starter(headlight cutout) switch on it. We bought it right and I got within a few hundred of what we gave for when we sold it. She is now riding a new V-Rod.

Either bike is a good choice for a starter bike if she is comfortable handling the weight of it. Buy the one that smiles back at her. On longer trips the 650-750 class can be a bit more tiring to ride. If you think she is getting tired too quick try riding one for 50-100 miles.

You might also look at the Shadow Aero version. It is more of a retro classic style like the Ace it replaced. If she likes the look, it is shaft drive and a bit smother than the spirit.

Get her enrolled in a MSF class before riding.

 

[EarlyBird]

Hey, I have taught both my X's how to ride and working on the current girlfriend!!! Here is what you could do!! First get her to take the MSF course, along with that get a ex250 or a small 250 crusier like the one used inthe MSF course. This will keep the out right cost down and give her a chance to grow into a bigger bike. Plus if she wrecks it, it isn't that much money lost compared to the other 2 crusiers you are looking at. She will drop the bike.....both of my x-girls did!!! Just remember to be cool, calm, and get them to back on it when it does!!! I found a yamaha maxima 400 for the first girl. She picked it up quickly and then 6 months latte got a sv650s. The last girl got the up right sv650, but was more skilled then the first and picked up riding right away!!! So, I hope this helps....also remember once she knows how to ride, she will not be a good passenger anymore!!!

Good Luck!

 

[Busatized]

Hey, I have taught both my X's how to ride and working on the current girlfriend!!! Here is what you could do!! First get her to take the MSF course, along with that get a ex250 or a small 250 crusier like the one used inthe MSF course. This will keep the out right cost down and give her a chance to grow into a bigger bike. Plus if she wrecks it, it isn't that much money lost compared to the other 2 crusiers you are looking at. She will drop the bike.....both of my x-girls did!!! Just remember to be cool, calm, and get them to back on it when it does!!! I found a yamaha maxima 400 for the first girl. She picked it up quickly and then 6 months latte got a sv650s. The last girl got the up right sv650, but was more skilled then the first and picked up riding right away!!! So, I hope this helps....also remember once she knows how to ride, she will not be a good passenger anymore!!!

 Good Luck!

+1 on the MSF course!! This is a must

My wife started on the Ninja 650r (tipped twice) and after one year moved onto the GSXR600. This was the expensive route, should have went with a pre-owned 250/500 and then moved on but.....

Good luck! one more tip, get a pair of Chatterbox communicators, it will put you at ease when riding with her.