Best beginner bike for a woman?

".....My friend (who's 22 years old, 5' 1", 100 lbs) recently got a 2007 Ninja 250 and after having it for 2 months she told me she wishes she got a bigger bike.  Basically, I want a bike that I will be happy with for at least a year and will be able to comfortably ride with a passenger without having the performance of the bike being thrown off (as I've heard can happen with a 250). I'm also looking for performance and speed. I'm not trying to do any street racing by any means, but I do want to have a bit of fun with my new toy when it's appropriate....."

I found this question posted on Yahoo Answers regarding the best beginner bike for a woman.  Does it matter if you're a female vs. male beginner? Should the recommendations be any different? Personally, I Loathe the term "woman's bike". It implies that you need something special and you can't possibly ride any of the other bikes out on the market, which is simply not true. But that's a different blog post....

Each rider is different. Based on this person's question, I suspect that her motives for riding are a little bit misplaced. If she is worried about 'keeping up' with friends on group rides and 'getting bored' with a Ninja 250, I have to question her friend's experience with that bike. You should NEVER try to keep up with your friends, or any group ride for that matter. That can get really dangerous, very quickly. My guess is that the friend who's bored has less than stellar cornering skills. I guess it could be that she's a very quick learner and she's mastered her entry speed and cornering abilities in a short period of time. However, that's pretty atypical from what I've seen.  

I don't know, is that jumping to conclusions? I always wonder if people who say they're 'bored' haven't really explored the capabilities of the Ninja 250, or the bike they've become disillusioned with. When I upgraded, I wasn't bored. I just felt ready for something a little bigger for freeway riding and trips.  I don't know how anyone can, considering how f'ng awesome that bike is in corners! 

What advice would you give to a woman asking this question? 

Brad Pitt Loves Women Who Ride!

Check out this great story from the CurvyGirls, a women's riding group based in the UK.

Hey Brad, make your way through San Francisco and take a ride down 35 to Alice's. You'll LOVE It!

New Women's Sportbike Group - Meetup.com

If you're not familiar with meetup.com, it's a great site to find people with similar interests, whether it's crafting, motorcycling or camping.

I'm a member of several meetup groups, mostly motorcycle related. Okay ALL motorcycle related! I typically ride with one meetup group, a co-ed intermediate/advanced riding group made up of mostly sportbike/dual sport riders.

Sometimes, we wish more female riders would come with us on rides.

So my friend (the cofounder of that group) and I decided to start a new riding group for women only.  You don't have to be on a sportbike to join as long as you love riding twisties!

This meetup is San Mateo based, so we'll be riding mostly along the coast, through Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties.

All experience levels are welcome so Join Us!

The Streets of San Francisco

If there's one thing that makes our beautiful city stand out, it's definitely the real estate.  Not only is this the 2nd hilliest city in the world, but it certainly makes for a challenging ride on a scooter and a motorcycle, for that matter. If you ride either one, try navigating some of these streets, challenging in more ways than one!

Lombard Street. Of course, being the most crooked street in America, this is probably the only one that most tourists know about. With eight (8) switchbacks and a red brick road, it not only tests your skills but your nerves as well.

Vermont Street heading South. Between 20th and 22nd Streets, for a smaller, less glamorous version of Lombard Street. It'll force you to turn your head and use your counterweight technique like nobody's business.

Gough Street. Start at Bay Street and go all the way down to Market Street. You'll go through some of the steepest hills in San Francisco, along with the flats. It may push your throttle control skills to a whole new level. If you don't like roller coaster rides, you may want to avoid this one.

Twin Peaks Boulevard. Look at the map and you'll see a lovely Figure 8 right at the top of the hill. Not only are the views amazing, but so are these curves. Don't forget to layer up, it can get pretty foggy and cold at the top.

Arguello Boulevard at Washington Boulevard. (heading South from the Main Post). As you head south (going uphill), look for a sharp right turn onto Washington Boulevard (before you exit the park). You’re forced to slow to a speed of no more than ~10-15mph (more than 15mph is doable, but may take more practice) for one of the steepest right turns you’ve ever done on 2 wheels. Remember not to tailgate any cars too closely, because if you do and they stop unexpectedly in the middle, you probably won’t make it in a fully upright position. Stopping in a corner on a flat hill is one thing, but stopping in an uphilll corner is another.

Those are just a few for now, more challenging aspects of riding in the City to come!

This article was published on the ExaminerSF on 8/20/2010.