There are 3 types of persons and they are all perfectly acceptable.
There is us, the readers of this forum....we love the dunes, and riding....it is fun
There are those that will ride, and they can be OK doing it (sorta fun). They can be excellent duners. BUT, if they didnt do it again, they wouldnt miss anything.
There are those that dont like riding...it is not fun.
Where does your significant other fit those? Good possibility that is the type that he is...you can't change their type, no.way, no.how.
Buy a 125-250 w.an CVT that is simple and easy to ride.....Yamaha Breeze style