Im about to turn 50 and am just 5 feet 4 inches tall. I would love to take my motorcycle test but am well aware that Sydney traffic takes no prisoners. I would love a Honda Grom and have ridden scooters many years ago. My husband has a Suzuki Boulevard, which is awesome. I’d like a weekend bike to go riding with him occasionally but am wondering about our routes being limited by the motorcycle I choose. I want to have fun. Any recommendations?
Roz
Sydney, Australia
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You need a bike that you can handle comfortably while you are a new rider. I started on a Honda 50 mini bike as a tot (literally 3 years old). As a teen I rode and got my license on a 1972 Suzuki 380GT which was a might big for a teen girl at 5 feet 2 and 90 pounds. But I learned that that bike worked great for my city commute in heavy traffic to university.My next bike was a 1981 Honda 400CM custom which I rode until I became a mom and had kids. This was also another great bike in city traffic; easy to maneuver and handle, something I was comfortable with.I recently moved on to a 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Hugger upgraded to a 1200. It is a different ball game. It has taken about a year to get used to the larger bike. I took an old timers (returning riders) course to polish up my skills. I also took my time learning my new larger bike.So based on my personal experience, and keeping up with my Dad on his tricked out Honda Gold Wing, I would say, no, your bike will not affect your ability to travel with your spouse as long as you pick a bike you are comfortable with and move up when you are ready. You don’t need a huge bike to keep up with him. You want maneuverability, knowledge, skills, and comfort.Good luck and enjoy the ride!
When I turned 50, I decided it was “now or never” in regards to becoming a rider rather than pillion, so I booked and passed my CBT a couple of years ago. I wanted a bike that I could gain experience and build my confidence on. I’m only 5 feet, so most of the bikes I looked at felt huge!When I sat on the Grom, I immediately fell in love with it. I had 18 months out with my husband, (he on his Ducati Multistrada—talk about opposite ends of the biking spectrum!) Being a smaller bike and my still being a learner meant that my husband traveled a bit slower than he would normally, but we had some great rides out together. Distance wasn’t a problem for the Grom at all.The Grom is a fabulous bike for a novice and I’ve had hours of fun on it. Now that I’ve passed my full test and have a Kawasaki Z650, we’re going to apply a few mods to the Grom to beef her up a bit. After adding a little more power, different tires and exhaust, I fancy taking it off-road.I know I’ll change my bigger bikes over the years to come, but my Grom is part of the family!
I think Honda Grom 125cc is a great motorcycle to start with and awesome for city use. I’ve had mine for more than a year and it’s easy to handle. I have ridden with friends that have bigger bikes with no issues. The only place it will feel “funny” is on the highways, as it’s not as powerful and fast as your hubby’s bike. He will have to wait for you at turns. Hope this helps. See you on the road.
I would have to say that the most important thing is for you to find a bike that you are comfortable on. It also depends on how far you are riding, and whether you can carry what you need for the trip comfortably. A Boulevard is a rather big cruiser. I have some friends who have them. The Grom is a little sporty bike. If you are doing short trips together (under an hour) and you are comfortable on the bike, then it may work out. But if you want to do weekend trips where you have to ride for hours to get to your destination, you may want to consider a more cruiser-like bike.I am also 5 feet 4 inches so I understand the needs of a smaller rider. Ride the Grom. Ride and Indian Scout. (That’s what I ended up with!) Ride a Kawasaki Vulcan 900. Think about how you would take along what you need on those bikes. Buy bags? Get a backpack? Strap everything to hubby’s bike (a reasonable choice!)I wish you all the best in finding the bike that fits for you because that’s what matters!