Bike for a short beginner!

Sparky85

Theory test done and have the IBT planned, already have decent gear from being a pillion for so long.... question I have now is what bike for a short (5’2”) female?
It’s for commuting as I’m sick of the 1 hour 45 min it takes to get what would be 35minutes max on a bike, so needs to be something comfortable that I can sit up on and put a top box on to store Work clothes in. I’ve tried a bandit but the weight of it puts me off. Whatever I get will have to be lowered due to midget legs. Looking at minimum 600cc

11wingnut

Deauville 700. Gaurds have them , not sporty but comfortable and some weather protection.

TeaBagMania

Harley Street Glide

If you can wrastle that monster off the side stand you wont need to go to the gym anymore

Max Headroom

Big scooter...twist and go.....see:stewiegriffin....:)

ayux4rj6zql2ph

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Zascar

Ducati Monster - very popular with shorter riders - very low and comfortable, I used to have one and loved it!

zubair

I would suggest a cbf600 based on your points.

Prisoner 6753 wrote: »

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Oh no! Even an r6 46 replica is better than that.

11wingnut

Where will she put her tools on a r6? Top box on nt700 takes a sparks tool bag.

Sparky85

11wingnut wrote: »

Where will she put her tools on a r6? Top box on nt700 takes a sparks tool bag.

I like your thinking!!

I am however off the tools a couple of years now so only need to carry the bare minimum, change of clothes & shoes etc.

ayux4rj6zql2ph

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micknail

Yamaha Fazer / XJ6,
Detuned R6!

Zascar

You need to look here: http://cycle-ergo.com/ has full details on seat heights etc, and give you an indication of how flat you can get your feet.

Sparky85

Zascar wrote: »

You need to look here: http://cycle-ergo.com/ has full details on seat heights etc, and give you an indication of how flat you can get your feet.

Thanks, I saw that link posted on another thread yesterday and found it really useful. My other half, an experienced biker, is trying to convince me on a Fazer 600. But I love love love the look of the ER-6N It’ll come down to what I like during the IBT, no harm in looking though!

mopi

I bought a deauville 700 a week ago and it's my first bike, I'm a very late starter. 169cm (5'7") with iffy right knee. I've been told the DV is big and heavy for 680cc bike and I'm on my toes (both feet) at the lights.
A lower seat is an option gets you 2cm or so of a drop. Good news is the design means if you drop it a very low speeds the bike suffers very little damage (or so someone said ;-) you will need two good knees to right it though.
There is a nice one on adverts in the navan area, meet the guy and he seems decent if that's worth anything.
If anyone out there is in the Limerick area and knows how to get the thing on the centre stand please PM me.
I do really like the DV and it's great for longer runs.

Gorgeousgeorge

Er5

CBRLizzie

I'm only 5'2 myself, started on a CBR250, moved up to a 600, now have an SV650, love it, way lighter than the CBR (which was an older one, which could be the reason). I sat on a Monster at the bike show, couldn't believe how heavy it was. I also wear New Rocks on the bike, which gives me the extra lift I need to reach the ground, and I've had it lowered.

Good luck with the search, I'd be interested to see how you get on.

Sparky85

CBRLizzie wrote: »

I'm only 5'2 myself, started on a CBR250, moved up to a 600, now have an SV650, love it, way lighter than the CBR (which was an older one, which could be the reason). I sat on a Monster at the bike show, couldn't believe how heavy it was. I also wear New Rocks on the bike, which gives me the extra lift I need to reach the ground, and I've had it lowered.

Good luck with the search, I'd be interested to see how you get on.

Thanks for the info I’ve sat on an SV650 but the riding position feels like I’ve to lean too far forward, lovely bike though. Thanks for the tip on the boots, I’ll have a look cos every little helps!

Can I ask how long you were on the 250 before moving up to the 600?

CBRLizzie

I had it 2 or 3 years, just to get my confidence up before I got a bigger bike. Feeling old now, that was 19 years ago!

Sparky85

I’m considering getting an ER-6n as my first bike but getting it restricted. As I’m over 24 I’m ok for the A license and love the look and riding position of the ER-6n.

What do you make of this idea? Everyone is telling me I’ll be bored on a 250 after a couple of months and as I’m using it for commuting the ER-6n is an ideal commuter.

Am I mad to consider getting a 650cc restricted? Should I just go for a 250cc? Does the restricting make a real difference to the power?

zubair

Sparky85 wrote: »

I’m considering getting an ER-6n as my first bike but getting it restricted. As I’m over 24 I’m ok for the A license and love the look and riding position of the ER-6n.

What do you make of this idea? Everyone is telling me I’ll be bored on a 250 after a couple of months and as I’m using it for commuting the ER-6n is an ideal commuter.

Am I mad to consider getting a 650cc restricted? Should I just go for a 250cc? Does the restricting make a real difference to the power?

Why are you restricting it if you qualify for an A license?

Sparky85 wrote: »

Thanks for the info I’ve sat on an SV650 but the riding position feels like I’ve to lean too far forward, lovely bike though.

That was probably because it was the faired S model, the naked version has handle bars and not clip ons so you won't be leaning forward, much more comfortable and better for learning.

Sparky85

zubair wrote: »

Why are you restricting it if you qualify for an A license?

I’m considering restricting it because it’ll be my first bike

I’ve some of my biker friends telling me a 650cc is too powerful to start on & that I need maximum a 250 to build up my confidence.

So my solution to avoid buying two bikes in a short space of time and to get the bike I really want for commuting is to restrict it until I build up confidence...... opinions on this idea?

zubair

Sparky85 wrote: »

I’m considering restricting it because it’ll be my first bike

I’ve some of my biker friends telling me a 650cc is too powerful to start on & that I need maximum a 250 to build up my confidence.

So my solution to avoid buying two bikes in a short space of time and to get the bike I really want for commuting is to restrict it until I build up confidence...... opinions on this idea?

Well I would restrict before buying a 250 for that reason but do your IBT for the A license on a school bike and you'll quickly discover that with the proper training a full powered 600 isn't as intimidating as you first thought. When you start you won't use all the power but as you gain confidence, which will happen very quickly, you'll start to tap into the full potential of the bike.

Refreshing to have someone being sensible about their first purchase but don't worry too much about the power, do the IBT on a school bike first and you'll be fine.

CBRLizzie

I don't think there was restrictions when I did my test, I wanted something little to get comfortable on and get the hang of it before moving up. I have feck all upper body strength, and knew I would be dropping it a few times while getting the hang of it. You'll probably have someone to help you with that though. My friend has an ER-6, its a lovely bike, although I've never ridden it. She's tall so doesn't have the same issues as me. Go with your gut, its usally right

zubair

CBRLizzie wrote: »

I have feck all upper body strength, and knew I would be dropping it a few times while getting the hang of it.

You shouldn't be dropping it though, should be easy enough to learn and not drop it. Confidence is key to riding, even if you're a beginner you shouldn't be assuming you'll drop the bike.

CBRLizzie

zubair wrote: »

You shouldn't be dropping it though, should be easy enough to learn and not drop it. Confidence is key to riding, even if you're a beginner you shouldn't be assuming you'll drop the bike.

Thanks for the very useful input! Like I said - it was 19 years ago. When you can't reach the ground from your bike, its natural, if the camber is steep, that you can't hold it. I rode a Road King over 1,000 miles in the States, some of the camber there is really steep, when you're my size you have to learn when to just let it go, I don't have the strength to hold it up and can hurt myself trying. I only dropped that one 3 times, it was a feckin huge thing, I could only reach the top of the side stand on it.

Anyway, I'm delighted for you that you managed to learn and never drop your bike. Well done you!

Sonics2k

CBRLizzie wrote: »

Thanks for the very useful input! Like I said - it was 19 years ago. When you can't reach the ground from your bike, its natural, if the camber is steep, that you can't hold it. I rode a Road King over 1,000 miles in the States, some of the camber there is really steep, when you're my size you have to learn when to just let it go, I don't have the strength to hold it up and can hurt myself trying. I only dropped that one 3 times, it was a feckin huge thing, I could only reach the top of the side stand on it.

Anyway, I'm delighted for you that you managed to learn and never drop your bike. Well done you!

I think the point is more that you, ideally, shouldn't ride a bike that's too much to handle when idle. Riding a Road King is piss easy, it's just moving the damn thing slowly (like a Goldwing or even a damn GS1200) when slow moving is when you're most likely to drop it.

Hell, weight isn't even always the biggest problem, height of the machine often makes it harder to handle.

Sparky85

CBRLizzie wrote: »

I don't think there was restrictions when I did my test, I wanted something little to get comfortable on and get the hang of it before moving up. I have feck all upper body strength, and knew I would be dropping it a few times while getting the hang of it. You'll probably have someone to help you with that though. My friend has an ER-6, its a lovely bike, although I've never ridden it. She's tall so doesn't have the same issues as me. Go with your gut, its usally right

The ER-6n has a seat height of 31.6 inch.... so I reckon shave the seat, get dog bones and lower it another inch, some help from the boots with lifts and I might just be able to flatfoot it

zubair

Sparky85 wrote: »

The ER-6n has a seat height of 31.6 inch.... so I reckon shave the seat, get dog bones and lower it another inch, some help from the boots with lifts and I might just be able to flatfoot it

What's your inside leg?

CBRLizzie wrote: »

Anyway, I'm delighted for you that you managed to learn and never drop your bike. Well done you!

I wasn't looking to offend but I don't think we should be telling beginners that they'll be dropping bikes all over the place and that's ok. As I said, confidence is key, also suitable learning conditions such as the ibt is also key, which unfortunately was a luxury you didn't have 19 years ago.

Sparky85

zubair wrote: »

What's your inside leg?



29” inside leg. I know the seat width will have an effect also.

UrbanFret

Sparky85 wrote: »

zubair wrote: »

What's your inside leg?



29” inside leg. I know the seat width will have an effect also.

Same as mine. I can flatfoot on an sv650 no problem with ordinary footwear. Probably helps that I'm around 15 stone though.:eek:

zubair

Sparky85 wrote: »

zubair wrote: »

What's your inside leg?



29” inside leg. I know the seat width will have an effect also.

Well there are 600cc bikes with a lower seat height than the er6, the Cbf600 has an adjustable seat and the lowest setting is 30 inches.To be honest, you probably wouldn't need to adjust the er6 much, a lower seat would do it, you'd be surprised how easily you can support the bike without flat footing it, bear in mind you need to lean it to one side when stopped anyway.

Sparky85

Sparky85 wrote: »

I’m considering restricting it because it’ll be my first bike

I’ve some of my biker friends telling me a 650cc is too powerful to start on & that I need maximum a 250 to build up my confidence.

So my solution to avoid buying two bikes in a short space of time and to get the bike I really want for commuting is to restrict it until I build up confidence...... opinions on this idea?

It's a detuned 650 twin, it's not remotely fast. You could get a 250 that would be faster than it.

Greater cc doesn't always mean more power.

That's a fine starter bike for you or anyone else.

If you restrict the bike you won't get any insurance discount because it won't be factory restricted, it will make the bike basically un rideable and it's not necessary