From Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes
Sport Bikes
Zip. Zam. Zoom.
When you sit on a sport bike you’ll be tilted forward with your feet back behind your seat and some of your weight resting on your wrists. You’ll have to lift your head up to look around, because the sitting position forces you to curl into the shape of the bike.
That said, they’re made to be light and maneuverable and they can corner better than other models. But when (*when!*) you drop it, there’s a lot of expensive plastic that’ll scraped and broken. And it is for that reason you may be able to buy one quite cheaply. (You may consider removing damaged plastic altogether for a more “naked” look.)
A good alternative to a sport bike is a “scrambler” or a street-focused dual-sport, like an old Honda CL series or the Derbi Mulhacen Cafe described in the Dual-Sport section.
Examples of sport bikes you might consider:
Kawasaki Ninja 250R: Ninja is practically synonymous with sport bike. This zippy little 250 has a liquid-cooled parallel-twin engine with 6-speed transmission and 36 horsepower.
Hyosung GT250R: This Korean company makes a slightly lower-cost competitor to the 250cc Ninja. With its 27 horsepower, 5-speed transmission, it was built with beginners in mind.
Download the free ebook: Motorcycling for Women: Beginner Bikes to learn more about great beginner bikes in cruiser, sport, dual-sport, scooter, and dirt-bike categories.
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Far too many people feel the 250c class machines are toys, or that one should learn on a bike with an engine displacement of more that 500cc.
Personally I learned on a 250cc Honda Rebel and put nearly 17,000 miles on her the first year.
Thank you for recommending the smaller bikes for new riders.