Size DOES matter...(longish)

Ok, so I'm looking to the future.... to a time when I can get a bigger bike
that mightn't give me a sore arse, ha ha, on those long rides... cruisers
are out of the question for me because of some, um, lower back issues
(bloody middle-age and arthritis!) so I was checking out some Triumphs,
right - and apparently the seat height on the 2006 Daytona 955i is 815mm,
but the 675 is 825mm..... why would they do that??????? I'm little and I'm
sure I won't ever need an enormously powerful bike like that... I've been
thinking a 600 or thereabouts is probably as powerful a bike as I will ever
really need, even when I get to be a mad girl racer (yeah, right!)

For a short-arse like me, the seat height is actually quite important. It's
the first thing I look at, seriously! I know the width of the
seat also makes a difference, and I understand that, but I'm only 63 inches
tall, and not long-legged, so I don't have a lot of inches to play around
with... Anything over 805mm is going to be a stretch for me.

Dale, I know you said Cat, although short, was really comfortable on a big
bike. I've had a go sitting on a CBR600, and while the seat height was
great, the riding position was just a little too far forward for comfort. I
suppose it's all a matter of getting used to it.... and I guess just getting
out and trying out bikes for size and comfort is the way to go - but I
suppose I'd like to have a bit of a "shopping list" in my head before I head
to the dealers (this is a LONG way in the future, seeing as I haven't even
got my P's yet, but I like to plan ahead, ha ha ha).

I remember insulting Theo AND his Dad by talking about short-arses <giggle>
sorry Theo and Dad... but I'm a shorter-arse than both of you, I think...
Anybody else around my height, 5'3" (and not burly OR long-legged) - any
tips?

I've heard of a woman in Canberra who's shorter than I am, who needs to be
held up at traffic lights coz her bike will fall over if she puts her foot
on the ground - that's all very well if you always ride with somebody else
(although I still think it's stupid) - but I quite like riding by myself,
antisocial bugger that I am, so I need something I'm going to be able to
hold up by myself! Want something faired...

betty

 

Ask JL, hes a dwarf.

5'3" is fairly standard. The shortest I knew was 4'11"
Although she did fall off her GPZ900 a lot at low speeds.

paulh

 

Well I kind of want to avoid the falling-off thing if possible..... I've
already done enough of that and I'm SO over it!!!

I must say though, I used to think I was the only person who ever fell
off... It makes me feel sooooo good to hear about other (especially more
experienced) riders who occasionally come off in driveways or whatever.

betty

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 8 Aug 2006 17:27:41 +1000

Well I'm 5'2" and short legged (but I'm not exactly small...)

I can ride bikes with tall seat heights it is a matter of practice.
Doesn't mean I like doing it though!

Check the Guzzi 750 Breva. You can get a low seat height kit for
that. You can also get one for the BMW 650.

Neither of those bikes are particularly sporty in the riding position.

I love my big old Guzzi, I can flat foot on that! But elderly
roundfins are a bit of an acquired taste.

Clare does fine on her V50 and they are a lot cheaper than Brevas but
they are a lot older too. John at MotoCiclo in Sydney might have a
line on a good one. They are small and light and plenty nippy. Tour
very well - ask Hendrik who regularly took his from Adelaide to
Brisbane, sometimes two up. Clare took hers from Perth to Sydney and
back as well.



Zebee

 

Between the mid-90's, when the 955i's chassis package was designed, and
now, seat heights have gone up as manufacturers chase the moving target
of weight distribution. Being a current design, the 675 has a taller
seat than bikes from 10 years ago.

Keep in mind the 675 is some 35kg lighter than the 955i (easier to
womanhandle) and about half as wide (legs have straighter shot from the
seat to the ground). Conversely, though, the 675 is about as
hard-as-nails a sportsbike as they come.

Of the major manufacturers, Suzuki have recently started lowering their
seat heights; all the current GSX-R's quote a sub-800mm seat height.

The ZX14 is bang on 800mm, too.

What flavour of CBR600? Honda sell the CBR600RR, which is their all-out
sports pretzel, and the CBR600F5, which is a softer alternative.

Try the ER-6f. That's fairly small and manageable.

 

Oooh, don't know..... bugger, what a newbie.... I suspect the one I sat on
was the RR, though - my hands were so low I was almost laying down on the
tank....

Mmmmm, the ER-6f has been my dream bike for quite a while now, although I
had a little sit on one a while back and found it upright enough to be a
weeny bit disconcerting..... I believe the fairing has a nasty buzz in it as
well...although I suppose you would get used to that.

I guess the reasons I was thinking the Daytona 675 might be preferable
(apart from the bloody seat height!) were - the dry weight is only 165, as
opposed to the ER-6f's 178.... when you only weigh 60kgs I think that
perhaps 15kgs means quite a lot! and also the fuel tank on the Triumph is
17.4 litres as opposed top the ER-6f's 15 litres... I suppose once it's all
fuelled up etc, the weight might be almost comparable (not sure, I was
never good with numbers!)

Thanks IK - I still love the ER-6f..... guess I'm just covering all options
before I hit the shops ;-)

betty

 

snip

If you get a chance check out a Kawasaki ER5. Recently discontinued,
but a damned good bike nevertheless. You might find the odd new one in
dealers shops and a second hand one in good nick can be had for around
$5000.

Or if you want to spend a little more have a look at the new ER6n or
f. ...Naked or Faired

Good luck.

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

We were originally looking at a 2003 CBR600F4i, but the way the seat is on those Cat was struggling on tip-toes. Then we tried the
CBR954 and she was able to get the balls of her feet down (dependant on the shoes she was wearing). Overall she felt more
comfortable on the 954 than the 600.

Come the VTR1000 and Cat could reach the ground better again, but the reach to the bars was a little much for her, but still
rideable.

All a matter of getting out there and sitting on lotsa different bikes and seeinbg which suits you best.

 

Hit the forums too. There are online forums specializing in just about
every bike model/make nowadays, and all the lowering modifications will
already have been done by others, so you can see what is possible before
you decide which to buy, and you won't have to reinvent the wheel.
Regardless what modifications you make, the greatest hurdle to comfort
is confidence.

Nev..
'04 CBR1100XX

 

Oh gawd, ain't that the truth!

Thanks heaps
betty the timid

 

Yeah, see, that's part of the whole thing. I want to be absolutely in love
with what i ride. I want to be comfortable and not have my heart miss a beat
every time I know I have to stop. I had enough of that when I first got my
L's and I'm sorry, the anxiety factor was too horrible. I don't want to have
to go there again...

I know I will have to allow for a little "GETTING TO KNOW YOU" time, but I
don't want to go back to the full-blown "holy shit I am so bloody terrified
what the **** am I doing on this machine?" anxiety... not a nice feeling,
and thank god I am over it now....

I so want to do big big rides.... thanks Zebee, will look at Guzzis as well

betty

 

In aus.motorcycles on Tue, 8 Aug 2006 19:30:18 +1000

Oh, and try a Monster too.

OK, no fairing, but you can get a screen and that's really all you
need.

Zebee

 

Hi Betty

I'm 5'4" used to ride a blade at seat height of 820. Tips - you can learn to
ride tall bikes, but there was definitely plenty of anxiety on my part when
stopping on uneven dirt surfaces etc. A light bike helps.
Better to have a bike that is not too top heavy either, cause when it does
start to tip over (and it will) you have at least a miniscule chance of
saving it before it gets beyond to the point of no return, or being able to
pick it up if it falls.
Can't give ideas on exact bike models now, too far out of the loop to know
what's around these days, but if you really what a particular model of bike
you will learn to overcome some of the seat height issues with
practice/experience.

Good luck

Bronnie

 

http://ninemsn.bikepoint.com.au/DesktopDefault.aspx?UsedBikeID=1908503&TabID=3424&Alias=bikepointau

Monster 600 looks like a great alternative for a shortarse.

Boxer

 

Hang on a tic, you haven't even got your Ps yet have you?!!?
There's absolutely nothing wrong with the GPX250 but if you really MUST
have a bigger bike the Suzuki GS500 or SV650 or the Hooflungdung 650 look
like good light bikes for reasonable money.

 

thought it would be a Trek or cannondale

 

Who told you my nickname?

 

Yup..and seat height is a real issue on those too!

 

LOL, no, but I DID preface my original comments with something like "looking
to the future"..... I'm getting twitchy.....I have a mate who keeps stirring
me up about the bloody P-test thing (I've been on my L's for almost a year
now *sigh*)

Mate, I can wait for something I'm legal to ride, whenever that
happens...... I suppose my "thing" is that I don't want to fork out heaps
for an "interim" bike (single income single woman blah blah all that shit)
that I will want to get rid of a year down the track. I suppose I think of
my GPX as the "training wheels" bike.... and there's a part of me, at my
age, that thinks my next bike will be "IT" - the bike that takes me from
here to forever... so I want it to be Just Right....

Of course, I may be off-beam with that idea <grin> and always happy to take
on board any comments or suggestions

betty
godDAMN I wish I'd learned
to ride 20 years or so ago
when I first wanted to!!!!!

 

[runs outside to heave]