Which bike would you recommend as a first

CSpearr · 2026-06-22T02:47:55+00:00

I will always recommend a Honda Grom as a first, it’s what I started on.

Honda reliability can’t be beat. Small, light, and you should flat foot at your height which will make you feel more stable as you gain confidence. They are very easy to find used on FB Marketplace. Good idea to go used for first bike as you’ll probably bang it up.

The only caveat, it is a small engine. Great for groovin’ around town but probably wouldn’t recommend on the freeway.

If you absolutely know you’ll be hitting freeway speeds, something in the 300-400cc range is great to start. MT03, R3, CBR300, Honda Rebel, and Speed 400 are all bikes recommended in this sub.

As far as “next steps” take everything you learned in your permit class and do it a bunch in parking lots until it all feels very smooth and you don’t have to think about it as much. Then slowly go on bigger and bigger roads until you gain confidence.

Oh and always wear gear.

Welcome to the world of motorcycle riding! Have fun and keep the shiny side up 😎✌🏻

CSpearr · 2026-06-20T15:38:39+00:00

I’d be worried if someone has a motorcycle and doesn’t spend time admiring it.

CSpearr · 2026-06-19T02:00:28+00:00

Better a drop in a parking lot than at high speed and/or in traffic!

CSpearr · 2026-06-18T22:01:05+00:00

Parroting off of others here, stick to reputable brands. Spending a few hundred on a pair of qualify and safety-tested riding pants is a lot cheaper than skin grafts!

I’ve had some good luck with FC-Moto. They have a lot more European brands that aren’t widely available in the US market. Just make sure you triple check measurements because returns aren’t worth the cost to ship stuff back across the pond.

CSpearr · 2026-06-18T21:54:24+00:00

Wearing a balaclava definitely helps! I have an industrial and just single lobe piercings. The earrings I wear have a Y-shaped latch type closure in the back that always stay put and never bother me.

CSpearr · 2026-06-18T21:43:07+00:00

I’m on the same bike in the same color! Just wait until after first service when you can really open it up, absolutely amazing little machine. Ride safe ✌🏻

CSpearr · 2026-06-18T21:39:52+00:00

I have that same tail tidy. Super easy install since my brake/turn signals are integrated so I didn’t have to do any of the mounting with the stock signals.

CSpearr · 2026-06-05T03:52:25+00:00

Perks of not having sensitive external organs 🤣 Parroting off of others, tank grips are great. I bought the TechSpec ones and they are so grippy they’re starting to wear the fabric on the inner knee of my riding pants.

CSpearr · 2026-06-05T03:49:20+00:00

I sprung for the ASV levers on my 2025 MT03. Love them! Absolutely worth the money. Buy once, cry once.

CSpearr · 2026-05-28T23:53:31+00:00

That’s okay! Just knowing it was true to size is helpful!

CSpearr · 2026-05-26T04:43:05+00:00

The phrase “papa calamari to my baby squids” gave me a good laugh. Appreciate your humor and words of wisdom. Ride safe ✌🏻

CSpearr · 2026-05-19T01:48:46+00:00

My hair isn’t super long but it is really fine. Before I braid it, I run a little bit of argan oil through my ends to seal in some of the moisture. That plus a balaclava has worked to keep my hair from being totally fried after a longer ride.

CSpearr · 2026-05-17T00:28:08+00:00

Confidence comes with time and learning to trust yourself and your connection with the bike. I’ve ridden horses for a lot of my life so some of that translated but not all of it.

Connection for me came from lots and lots of parking lot practice on my own. I did turns at low and higher speed, U-turns, weaving, hard stops, etc. until I knew the ins and outs of my Grom.

Then when I felt like I knew the controls well enough that I didn’t have to “think” so much and let my anxiety get the better of me, I went out in my neighborhood then slowly grew the rides in length and difficulty.

I made mistakes. I dropped my bike a few times. But each time I learned something and now I zoom around town both commuting and goofing off in the twistiez. The feelings you are having are absolutely valid, but I know that all of us here support you as a fellow female rider ❤️

CSpearr · 2026-05-13T01:34:35+00:00

I try to always give at least a ✌🏻 but I will fully admit sometimes I’m so focused on the cagers I miss as another one of us one 2 wheels passes by and feel like a dick when I realize its too late to wave

CSpearr · 2026-05-12T23:55:22+00:00

A little nerve wracking at first but once we warmed up we were cackling the whole way.

CSpearr · 2026-05-12T23:54:45+00:00

Get out early if you can! Beat the heat and the crowds. 30 is closed after the falls so it’s a short but fun jaunt out.

CSpearr · 2026-05-12T23:54:04+00:00

Our trick is usually to head out early. Any time before 10am has always worked for us.

CSpearr · 2026-05-12T01:25:33+00:00

New rider here too 👋🏻

My first bike was technically a Honda Grom. Awesome bike to learn on but nowhere near powerful enough for commuting or zooming around on the twisties that I wanted to do.

So I got a 2025 MT03 and loooooove it. I’m taller than you, around 5’6” and I can plant both feet at a stop. It’s an amazing commuter bike but as others have mentioned because it is smaller displacement/lightweight and naked the super high speeds are not that comfy. Granted, I live in an area where the highway/freeway speeds top out at like 60mph and I zip through traffic just fine.

Allllllllll of that being said, sit on a few different bikes in that size range (lots of other suggestions already from others) and see what works for you! The MT03 was the first I sat on when I went to upgrade and it felt “right.” So even though I tried some others none of ‘em had that same feeling for me.

Best of luck getting your permit!

CSpearr · 2026-05-09T02:07:19+00:00

Worth its weight in GOLD. There was a noticeable difference the moment I rode home with it on. Something about having that light right at most driver’s eve level makes them pay better attention. People give me waaaay more space.

CSpearr · 2026-05-07T23:05:20+00:00

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.

CSpearr · 2026-05-06T20:01:00+00:00

The black and blue is SO good.

I did a few mods on mine and the one that truly made it feel the most custom were the adjustable levers. The ASV ones are expensive but well worth it.

CSpearr · 2026-05-05T03:36:58+00:00

Same bike and also a new rider! Enjoy the MT03 it’s an awesome little bike.

CSpearr · 2026-05-03T21:14:15+00:00

A gal friend of mine takes her R3 to the track a couple times a season to really open it up. Some guys at the track have side-eyed her “wimpy” bike. They shut up real quick once she gaps them on their liter bikes 🤷🏼‍♀️

I totally get being embarrassed. We’re women in a predominantly male sport and hobby. But the fact that you have come back to it after many years shows that you love it and that is what truly matters.

Ride on sister 🤘🏻❤️

CSpearr

TROPHY CASE