ok guys, first bike for my sister

its between

any year sv650
kawi 250--newer
gs500--04 and up for the GS's
gs650

any experience with any of these bikes? both my sister and my gf are taking a motorcycle safety/training course together in two weeks and my sister wants a bike right after that.

She has driven my kz before and did quite well, she is relatively tall at 5'7 or 8"

i have only ever ridden one parallel twin and that was the kawi 650r
didnt like it too much but thats because i ride my honda vtr daily... and im a big guy it seemed like a toy

any input would help alot

i keep pushing for an sv then i can buy it from her and make it into a track bike

What style bike is she looking for? Modern ninja type or something vintage. I've got a nice 81 305 CSR with 1500 original miles on it. I bought it with the idea that my wife might like to ride it. She didn't want to and I ended up shipping her.:laugh: But I still have the bike.

I'd agree with Gringo, it's about the style she wants to ride, street bike, sport bike, cruiser, bobber... What will she use the bike for? How often will she realistically ride? These play in. My very first bike was an old Honda CME 450. I used it to learn on and put around on. I never got it licenced or anything, just learned on it. The first legal bike I had was an 883 sportster which I put 90.000 miles on in about 3 and a half years. Now I have my KZ.
If you're trying to get her to share your passion for vintage, then my all means, a 250 ltd, or a 440 would probably be ideal.
Have you tried showing her a bunch of pics and asking her what she's looking for?

ya thanks for the replies guys, she DOES enjoy the vintage style...however she NEEDS reliablity she knows next to nothing about maintenance...(for now) and she would get scared away from riding if the bike she rode wouldnt start for any reason. she does also like sport bikes, shes not into going fast or track riding she just likes the looks, for that reason i was thinking a parallel twin with the full fairing would be good for her. torque to get her around, sporty look, and on most a pretty comfortable riding stance so she doesnt get sick of it, she still has 2 years left of college and im sure would use it a ton while here and to commute to home (beautiful 2 hr ride through the mississippi river valley)

my gf is also getting a bike, her dad has had a MINT cb400t in his shop for about 10 years, i convinced him to get it out and work on it and he got it running like a top and now he decided he would give it to her and he is getting a harley. so she is very excited

my sister wants to get a bike as SOON as she has her license, she already bought riding shoes, jacket and helmet/gloves so she is set there

Can't hardly go wrong with one of those 250cc Honda Nighthawks for a learner bike. Cheap, good on gas, tough enough to be used in 90% of MSF beginner rider courses, upright seating position, and super reliable. My wife had one for her first bike, and she always got complimented on the bike by folks at the gas station etc. Only knock on the little Honda would be that it's all wrung out to do highway speed, but it's a good learner for around town.

Especially, for a woman who is a beginning rider, you want a bike that is light enough and low enough to the ground so that she feels confident maneuvering the bike in parking lot situations. Once she gains confidence then she'll be prepared for a bigger or heavier bike. My wife is 5'3" , but a seasoned rider, and she has no trouble handling my KZ1000 or the light but tall ZX-10r.

If she were leaning toward a sport bike then that GS500 or a 500 ninja seems like a good bet. It will have better power than a 250 so she won't outgrow it so fast. I have always heard that the 500 ninja is a good bike, but I find the GS 500 to be much more modern in appearance. Kawasaki never really re-styled the 500.

I think a KZ400 or 550 would be a killer girl bike, but the maintenance issue would probably be an issue for your sister. Unless you are going to be a good brother and turn wrenches for her every time she hears a funny noise.

Selfishly, I would want her to pick the SV650 too. I have always thought that would be a fun bike to have.

Clear as mud, right?

ah yes very clear i think she is leaning towards a gs500 but i showed her one damn sexy sv the other day in blue (her favorite color) and she was all googly eyed so maybe i have her hooked, im a fan of the naked sport bike myself, my other everyday rider is a vtr1000 and i love it. so hopefully she picks something soon, they are both signed up for the BRC first week of september, i let her ride my 650 a bit and she is plenty tall for that, she actually has longer legs than i do i believe, and im only 5'9" or so.

i keep finding really cheap kz's for her but shes just not as interested, o well maybe a different time, maybe if i showed her your bike josh

You're welcome to show her my bike, but it's gonna take a hell of a big offer to get me to part ways with my baby. We're talking mint Z1 money now. I have waaayyy too much work in that thing.

Sounds like you are definitely going the right way. Not about Josh's bike, but about her riding yours and seeing what she likes. (I think it might be easier for you to get a mother bear to part with her cub then to get that bike away from him.) But "showing" her Josh's bike, and seeing what a wonderfully restored KZ can look like, that may definitely sway her opinion.
Have you showed her this site? Let her browse through the gallery? See all the people you talk to on here? She might feel more inclined this way if she knew how many of us are here to help with anything and why you like your KZ so much. Even with all the other bikes out there. (Just a thought)

Don't forget to look at the GSX650F. I've been riding mine for the last almost three yrs and I realy like it. It's very comfortable and has power to spare. Since she likes the sports bikes, but not necessarily track tuned, she might like this one. The problem with going with the GS500 is that she might outgrow it pretty soon and then you may get stuck with a bike that's not sought after very much.
Good luck on finding the perfect bike for her.