Choosing your first motorcycle somehow it turns into everyone you’ve ever met having an opinion about what you should buy.
“You need a 300.”
“You’ll grow out of that.”
“Get a 650.”
“That’s too tall for you.”
“That’s too heavy for you.”
“You need to be able to put both feet flat.”
And if you’re a woman, particularly a shorter woman, there’s a pretty good chance someone will point you towards the smallest, lowest bike in the shop before they’ve even asked what sort of riding you want to do.
I sell motorcycles for a living, and I’m also a female rider.
So let me save you some of the confusion.
There is no single best motorcycle for beginner female riders.
There just isn’t.
The best first motorcycle is one that suits your current ability, fits your body reasonably well, works for the riding you actually want to do and — this part gets forgotten — makes you want to ride it.
Here’s how I’d actually choose one.
First, What Do You Actually Want to Do on a Motorcycle?
Before you look at engine sizes, seat heights or endless lists of the “10 Best Beginner Motorcycles”, work this out.
When you picture yourself riding, what are you doing?
- Commuting to work?
- Riding through the twisties on a Sunday morning?
- Going on adventures?
- Exploring dirt roads?
- Riding with your partner or friends?
- Doing longer trips?
- Mostly riding around town?
Because this immediately narrows down what you should be looking at.
If you dream about exploring dirt roads, buying a cruiser purely because it's low enough for you to flat-foot probably doesn't make much sense.
And if you just want relaxed weekend rides around town, you probably don't need to convince yourself you want an adventure bike because someone told you they're more practical.
Buy for the riding you actually want to do. Not the riding somebody else thinks you should do.
Please Don't Buy a “Women's Motorcycle”
There isn't one.
Women aren't one standard height, weight, strength or skill level.
I've seen tiny women ride enormous motorcycles beautifully and much bigger people struggle with smaller bikes because they're inexperienced.
Being physically smaller can absolutely affect which motorcycles feel comfortable.
But that's not the same thing as saying women need small motorcycles.
What matters much more is:
- Your experience
- Your confidence
- Your inseam
- Your strength
- What type of riding you want to do
Sometimes the bike that looks intimidating on paper actually feels completely natural when you sit on it.
Which brings me to something I wish more new riders understood.
Stop Obsessing Over Seat Height
Okay, don't completely ignore it.
But don't eliminate a motorcycle because you Googled it and saw an 830 mm seat height.
Seat height is only one measurement.
Seat width makes a huge difference.
So does the width of the motorcycle itself.
Then there's your inseam, your boots and how much the suspension settles when you're actually sitting on the bike.
I've sat on bikes with very similar seat heights that felt completely different underneath me.
So if you're a shorter rider, use seat height as a guide.
Not a verdict.
Go sit on the bloody thing.
And No, You Don't Have to Flat-Foot Your Motorcycle
This is probably one of the biggest things I see women worry about.
You do not need both feet completely flat on the ground to ride a motorcycle.
Would it make your first few weeks easier?
Potentially, yes.
Is it a requirement?
No.
As you become a better rider, you'll get much more comfortable stopping with one foot firmly planted while keeping the other on the rear brake.
But there's another side to this.
Your first motorcycle shouldn't make you shit yourself every time you pull up at a set of lights.
There's a difference between:
“I can't quite get both heels down.”
and:
“Dear God, if this bike leans another two degrees we're both going down.”
Your first motorcycle needs to give you somewhere to build confidence.
You can challenge yourself later.
I'd Actually Pay a Lot of Attention to Weight
Everyone talks about CCs.
I'd also be looking at kilograms.
Because when you're learning, a lot of the difficult stuff happens at about 3 km/h.
Things like:
- Moving the bike around the garage
- Backing out of a parking spot
- Doing U-turns
- Stopping on a cambered road
- Manoeuvring on gravel
- Accidentally stopping with the handlebars turned
That's when weight suddenly becomes very noticeable.
Once you're riding, it's a completely different story.
So when you sit on a bike at the dealership, don't just put your feet down and decide whether it's too tall.
Pick it up off the side stand.
Move it backwards.
Turn the handlebars.
Feel where the weight sits.
Ask yourself:
Could I deal with this when I'm tired, nervous and trying to get out of a dodgy parking spot?
That's much more useful information than the number printed on the spec sheet.
What About Engine Size?
This is where the internet starts fighting.
“You HAVE to start on a 300.”
Then someone else says:
“No! You'll be bored in six months!”
Both arguments miss the point.
You want enough motorcycle to do the riding you want to do without giving yourself something so unforgiving that every little beginner mistake becomes a big one.
A brand-new rider is still learning:
- Throttle control
- Clutch control
- Braking
- Cornering
- Low-speed control
- How to react when something unexpected happens
Giving yourself some margin for error is a good thing.
But engine capacity alone doesn't tell you how intimidating a motorcycle will be.
A smooth, predictable larger-capacity motorcycle can sometimes feel easier to ride than a smaller bike with abrupt controls or aggressive power delivery.
If you're learning in Australia, you'll obviously also need to check whether the motorcycle is LAMS approved for your licence.
But don't get hung up on finding the biggest LAMS bike possible because you're scared of “outgrowing” it.
Which brings me to...
You're Allowed to Outgrow Your First Bike
Seriously.
Your first motorcycle does not need to be your forever motorcycle.
I think people put way too much pressure on this decision.
You don't even know what kind of rider you're going to be yet.
You might think you're going to love sports bikes and discover adventure riding.
You might buy something for commuting and become obsessed with weekend twisties.
You might think you'll never ride on dirt and then suddenly you're Googling adventure tyres at 10pm.
That's part of it.
Your first bike teaches you what you want from your second bike.
So don't make yourself miserable buying something inappropriate because you're worried you'll want something different in a year.
You probably will.
That's okay.
Used Bikes Make Excellent First Motorcycles
There's another reason I like used motorcycles for beginners.
You may drop it.
I don't mean you're definitely going to crash.
I mean the deeply embarrassing beginner drops.
The side stand wasn't quite down.
You stopped awkwardly.
You lost balance doing a U-turn.
The driveway betrayed you.
You forgot you were approximately five feet tall when you stopped next to a pothole.
It happens.
A decent used motorcycle can take some of the pressure off while you're learning.
Plus, after six or twelve months of riding, you'll know so much more about what you actually like.
If You're Short, Don't Immediately Lower It
This gets suggested to women constantly.
Sometimes lowering a motorcycle is absolutely the right solution.
I've got nothing against lowering bikes.
But I wouldn't make it your first move.
Lowering changes the geometry of the motorcycle and, depending on how it's done, can affect things like handling, suspension behaviour and ground clearance.
Before you do it, look at the whole picture.
Could you:
- Use a lower factory seat?
- Have the existing seat reshaped?
- Set the suspension correctly for your weight?
- Wear a different riding boot?
- Practise a proper one-foot stopping technique?
If you still need it lowered, absolutely explore it.
Just do it properly.
Sit on Everything
This is probably my favourite piece of advice.
Go into a dealership and sit on bikes you don't think you want.
Sit on:
- The naked bike
- The cruiser
- The adventure bike you think is too tall
- The little sports bike
- The retro bike you walked straight past
- The bike your friend insists you'd hate
You'll start learning what feels good to you.
Ask yourself:
- Can I reach the clutch comfortably?
- How do my knees feel?
- Am I reaching for the handlebars?
- Can I turn the bars fully without feeling stretched?
- Can I lift it off the side stand easily?
- Can I comfortably reach the controls?
- Does the riding position make me feel confident?
And honestly...
Do I look at this bike and think, “God, I want to ride that”?
Because that matters too.
Don't Let the Most Experienced Rider in Your Life Choose It for You
Listen to them.
Absolutely.
Experienced riders can save you from making expensive mistakes.
But they aren't you.
Your partner might have been riding for 20 years.
Your dad might know everything there is to know about motorcycles.
Your friend might swear you'll get bored with anything under 600cc.
The salesperson will probably have their favourite too.
Take the advice.
Then make your own decision.
You're the one who has to ride it home.
So What Actually Makes a Good First Motorcycle?
For me, it's pretty simple.
It's something you can reasonably manage at your current skill level.
Something suitable for the riding you want to do.
Something that doesn't make you dread stopping or manoeuvring.
Something you can afford to own, not just afford to buy.
And something you genuinely want to ride.
That's it.
For one woman, that's a 300cc naked bike.
For another, it's a 650cc LAMS bike.
For another, it's an adventure bike.
For another, it's a cruiser.
There isn't one magical beginner motorcycle we're all supposed to buy.
And there definitely isn't one because we're women.
Your First Motorcycle Isn't an Exam
You'll stall it.
You'll have horrible hill starts.
You'll occasionally wonder why the hell you decided motorcycles were a good idea.
Then one day you'll realise you didn't think about your clutch once during the entire ride.
Then you'll nail the U-turn that used to terrify you.
Then the bike that once felt enormous underneath you will suddenly feel familiar.
That's what you're actually looking for.
Not the perfect motorcycle.
The motorcycle you can learn to trust.
And eventually, the one that helps you learn to trust yourself.
Because the best bike isn't the smallest one.
It isn't the lowest one.
And it isn't the one somebody else tells you that you should ride.
It's the one that makes you want to keep riding.
Before You Buy Your First Motorcycle
Here's the quick checklist I'd use:
- What kind of riding do I actually want to do?
- Is the motorcycle legal for me to ride on my current licence?
- Can I comfortably operate the controls?
- Can I lift it off the side stand confidently?
- Can I manoeuvre it at walking pace?
- Does the power delivery feel manageable?
- Can I afford insurance, registration, servicing, tyres and riding gear?
- Am I choosing it because I want it?
- Does looking at it make me excited to ride?
If most of those answers are yes, you're probably getting pretty close.
More Beginner Motorcycle Advice
MotoMuse is about making motorcycle shopping a little less overwhelming — especially when you're new and everyone seems to have a different opinion about what you should be riding.
Have a look through the other MotoMuse beginner rider guides and real-world motorcycle reviews before choosing your first bike.
No gatekeeping. No pretending everyone needs the same motorcycle.
Just information to help you make your own decision.
Because the best bike is the one that makes you want to keep riding.