What's a good make/model of beginner motorcycle for short woman?

Honda 250 Rebel

Its a cruiser with a low seat height.

http://powersports.honda.com/2013/rebel.aspx

Different year models

http://www.bikepics.com/honda/cmx250/

A KLX 250 SF is probably the right move for you. Even if you're not fond of the style and looks of the bike it's the right "first bike".

It isn't terribly short person friendly when you go to buy it, so don't be alarmed if you can't reach the ground. You can however buy lowering links (ask the dealer's parts department, they should know all about them) which will make it very doable for women around 5'5". And the dealer can easily install them for you. Parts plus install should be about $300 extra. If you're closer to an even 5" then it's not a good choice.

They are VERY economical, 70 MPG all the time.

Full coverage is very cheap, I pay $25 a month and I'm a 20 year old male. You might be looking at $100 a year unless you're record is quite bad.

Brand new you should be able to get the bike for $3500-$4000. Used it should be about $3000 even.

Because of the kind of bike it is you can drop it SEVERAL times and have almost no damage. Some scrapes here and there but nothing that really needs replacing. This is very important because even a low speed drop on say a Ninja 250 will cost you around $500 to repair. And drop the bike you will, somewhere down the road it will happen. It's just part of riding unfortunately, especially when you're learning.

The bike is very "easy" to ride, whereas other bikes might crash because of some dust, rock, or potholes this one usually doesn't. Something about it feels very natural.

The bike is light which is important to a petite woman. It's only around 300 lbs. A Ninja 250 or Rebel 250 as mentioned above weigh quite a bit more.

And these bikes are made to be ridden hard, which doesn't mean anything to you except this: On other bikes all of your mistakes shifting will cause some wear and tear on the bike and by the time you're good at it you'll need to replace some things. The KLX can take a ton of abuse so you can learn on it and never have to replace anything.

The only down side to this bike is the seat. It's not very comfortable, for short and medium rides it's not bad but if you want to ride for 100 miles straight or so it can start to hurt a bit. I find that wearing spandex bicycle shorts with a built in pad eliminates any discomfort.

People may say that 250s and this bike in specific aren't safe on the high way. Or that they aren't powerful enough to do freeway speeds (70 MPH). This is not the case at all. The bike will do 70 with no problem at all. And it won't hurt anything to go that fast. People may try to turn you away from 250s, but that's just a lack of knowledge on their part.

I know it's not exactly a cute bike but it's tough as nails, easy to learn on, cheap, and a blast to ride. Learn on it and if it's looks don't grow on you sell it and use the experience to ride a cuter bike without hurting it.

Honda REBEL 250 and Yamaha Vs tar 250 are lite weights with <27" seat height, The Honda Shadow 600 is also a low slung bike but weighs more. Go to a dealer and sit on one.

I assume you have a license. For no shifting ,I'd recommend a Motorcycle Safety Foundation class, or a friend with an old bike he doesn't care if it drops.

If you're in an discipline with bike safety groundwork starting riders' lessons try to take one. You've the expertise of looking a smaller bike and so they coach on these. You would find the exact mannequin you are watching for to try out and journey for the class. They use 250 Rebels and 250 V-Stars in my discipline. It will be a good "scan journey."

Kawasaki ninja 250..or 250 anything 250 is the smallest motorcycles made

I'd try a "street and trail" bike. Like a DR 125 (suzuki). They are lighter in weight and you can learn the basics. Plus having the "trail" option is fun too.

Coeur d'Alene, ID, 43 years of age, "short", experienced on the steets on (I assume motor) scooters, enjoys to hunt, fish, camp.....

Go check with your neighbor and see it this would fit you -- http://spokane.craigslist.org/mcy/3224658538.html