Bike for Girlfriend - Motorcycle-Journal Forums

Kaikias · 04-06-2006, 09:07 AM

Me and my girlfriend went by the local Motorcycle dealer to pick up some chain lube for my bike. When we were there she asked me if there was any bike that she could ride. She is 4' 11" and 100lb soking wet. The dealer mentioned they they had just got in a used Ninja 250. I am going to go by and look at it but, anyone know of any short people who have rode them. Trying to firgure out if she will be able to reach the ground or not.

tlwisner · 04-06-2006, 09:16 AM

A friend's wife is selling the Ninja 250 she got as a first bike, because the bike was just too tall for her, she's probably 5'0". I'm a fan of the Ninja 250, but if you're a newbie - it's helpful to be able to touch the ground with both feet while seated on your bike.

Your best bet would be to take your GF to an MSF Beginning Rider Class. They provide the motorcycles and the requirement to be a student is to be able to ride and balance a bicycle.

I am waiting for somebody to quote your post's title and say "Good Trade!"

Kaikias · 04-06-2006, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tlwisner

A friend's wife is selling the Ninja 250 she got as a first bike, because the bike was just too tall for her, she's probably 5'0". I'm a fan of the Ninja 250, but if you're a newbie - it's helpful to be able to touch the ground with both feet while seated on your bike.

Your best bet would be to take your GF to an MSF Beginning Rider Class. They provide the motorcycles and the requirement to be a student is to be able to ride and balance a bicycle.

We both agreed that she was going to take the MSF corse first, but I was thinking ahead on if there was something she could ride of not.

**drgibson** · 04-06-2006, 09:22 AM

Being that short you probably going to have to get her cruiser style bike. They tend to have the lowest seat height. If she takes the MSF then she will probably be on a 250cc cruiser style bike. That should giver her a feel for the size and weight of bike she will be comfortable on.

stp1971 · 04-06-2006, 09:33 AM

The S40 is a low sitting bike and is actually pretty light as well. She will not be able to blaze down the superslab but she should be able to keep up until around 70 to 75 mph. "J" sat on the S40 and really likes the feel of it,,but she also wants to be able to ride on the freeways with me and the LC when she starts riding.

Kehau D. · 04-06-2006, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaikias

Me and my girlfriend went by the local Motorcycle dealer to pick up some chain lube for my bike. When we were there she asked me if there was any bike that she could ride. She is 4' 11" and 100lb soking wet. The dealer mentioned they they had just got in a used Ninja 250. I am going to go by and look at it but, anyone know of any short people who have rode them. Trying to firgure out if she will be able to reach the ground or not.

I'm 4'10" and I sat on an '06 Ninja 250. Although the front half of the bottom of my feet did touch the ground, I did not find it comfortable enough for safety and control reasons. She's an inch taller than me so she might be able to find more comfort in it than I did.

Aloha,
Kehau

Atlas68 · 04-06-2006, 09:58 AM

My MSF course had a few 250 cc Viragos in the selection. These bikes have a comfortable foot forward seating position with a low seat height. I found them to be great bikes to learn on.

Kehau D. · 04-06-2006, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Atlas68

My MSF course had a few 250 cc Viragos in the selection. These bikes have a comfortable foot forward seating position with a low seat height. I found them to be great bikes to learn on.

That's exactly the bike they placed me on when I took the MSF Beginner course. Seat height was great except when it came to the lesson on driving over obstacles...the pegs were too far forward for me to be able to get any leverage and get my butt off the seat. It gave the entire class a good laugh watching me try. The instructor actually let me just skip that lesson after 3 tries because it was obvious the bike and I were not a good fit for that exercise.

texrider · 04-06-2006, 05:03 PM

"Bike for girlfriend" Hmmmm, sounds like you got a good trade......

NRTHNR · 04-07-2006, 02:02 AM

Order and install a lowering kit. My friends wife had one put on for her 600RR. Then again, maybe she was not as vertically challenged. It's worth asking about though. They don't cost that much, considering...

Kaikias · 04-07-2006, 09:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by texrider

"Bike for girlfriend" Hmmmm, sounds like you got a good trade......

Well I am kind of partial to both

Kaikias · 04-07-2006, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NRTHNR

Order and install a lowering kit. My friends wife had one put on for her 600RR. Then again, maybe she was not as vertically challenged. It's worth asking about though. They don't cost that much, considering...

This is her first bike so I don't think the idea of a 600RR would be a good I idea but I will look into a lowing kit, and clue on the going rate.

Scott58 · 04-07-2006, 11:37 AM

I'm a big fan of the Honda Rebel. Great bike for learning or shorter people in general even with tons of experience. Not intimidateing at all and inspires confidence. Good quality for the money also. Seat hieght is about 26.5". If not the lowest, pretty close.

RampageRider · 04-07-2006, 11:43 AM

I'm a big fan also of the Rebel for a beginner!

Jonger · 04-07-2006, 12:17 PM

4' 10" !!! Jeez... I don't know how you ride at all. I'm 6' 7" and I ride a low riding cruiser haha...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kehau D.

I'm 4'10" and I sat on an '06 Ninja 250. Although the front half of the bottom of my feet did touch the ground, I did not find it comfortable enough for safety and control reasons. She's an inch taller than me so she might be able to find more comfort in it than I did.

Aloha,
Kehau

Kehau D. · 04-07-2006, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jonger

4' 10" !!! Jeez... I don't know how you ride at all. I'm 6' 7" and I ride a low riding cruiser haha...

LoL, the S50 with the coils set down low, a customized seat, and 1¾" HD shoes. My choices of bikes may be limited but I can still ride.

ion54 · 04-07-2006, 03:00 PM

A motorcycle worth checking is the Hyosung GV250. It is a cruiser with a very low seat hight and decent highway performance.

Kaikias · 04-07-2006, 03:00 PM

There is always a way to ride

Nanuk · 04-09-2006, 01:07 PM

The S 40 will do 75-80 all day. My wife had an S-40 and had no trouble keeping up on the "I".

DrBob · 04-09-2006, 04:53 PM

My GF is 5 foot even, 95 pounds. She rides an Intruder 1400, with a low ride seat and some 1.5-inch shorter shocks in the back. She does just fine on it, because she can put both feet flat footed on the ground.
She previously had an 800 Volusia as her first bike. She could NOT flat foot both feet, because the bike was too wide for her, so she had al kinds of problems and dropped it several times.

Just have your GF sit on a bunch of bikes until she finds one that fits her.

04-06-2006, 09:07 AM	#1 (permalink)
Kaikias Ditch Magnet Joined: Feb 2006 Bike: 97 GSF1200 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 152	Bike for Girlfriend Me and my girlfriend went by the local Motorcycle dealer to pick up some chain lube for my bike. When we were there she asked me if there was any bike that she could ride. She is 4' 11" and 100lb soking wet. The dealer mentioned they they had just got in a used Ninja 250. I am going to go by and look at it but, anyone know of any short people who have rode them. Trying to firgure out if she will be able to reach the ground or not.

04-06-2006, 09:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
tlwisner Throttle Jockey Joined: Apr 2004 Bike: '05 Boulevard C50 Location: Central Kentucky Posts: 3,208	A friend's wife is selling the Ninja 250 she got as a first bike, because the bike was just too tall for her, she's probably 5'0". I'm a fan of the Ninja 250, but if you're a newbie - it's helpful to be able to touch the ground with both feet while seated on your bike. Your best bet would be to take your GF to an MSF Beginning Rider Class. They provide the motorcycles and the requirement to be a student is to be able to ride and balance a bicycle. I am waiting for somebody to quote your post's title and say "Good Trade!" __________________ Tim Wisner AMA, SCRC Happiness is something we create Last edited by tlwisner; 04-06-2006 at 11:22 AM.

04-06-2006, 09:22 AM	#4 (permalink)
drgibson Antebellum Mod Joined: Jul 2005 Bike: 2008 Kawasaki KLR 650 Location: Dallas, Texas Directly above the center of the earth. Posts: 10,742	Being that short you probably going to have to get her cruiser style bike. They tend to have the lowest seat height. If she takes the MSF then she will probably be on a 250cc cruiser style bike. That should giver her a feel for the size and weight of bike she will be comfortable on. __________________ “Please Remember to Kazoo Responsibly.”

04-06-2006, 09:33 AM	#5 (permalink)
stp1971 May 2007 Member of the month Joined: Mar 2005 Bike: 2004 Suzuki Intruder 1500LC / 2005 Suzuki DL650 V-Strom Location: Douglasville, Georgia Posts: 7,833	The S40 is a low sitting bike and is actually pretty light as well. She will not be able to blaze down the superslab but she should be able to keep up until around 70 to 75 mph. "J" sat on the S40 and really likes the feel of it,,but she also wants to be able to ride on the freeways with me and the LC when she starts riding. __________________ Biketoberfest 2006 flashback courtesy of Intimid8er: "Like you knew damn well you shouldn't eat something like that, but all be damned to hell, you were gonna eat it!" __________________

04-06-2006, 09:58 AM	#7 (permalink)
Atlas68 Sit speling cheker Joined: Jan 2006 Bike: 2006 Blue M50 SOLD '05 Anniversary Edition VMax #1878 Location: Vancouver B.C. Canada Posts: 1,728	My MSF course had a few 250 cc Viragos in the selection. These bikes have a comfortable foot forward seating position with a low seat height. I found them to be great bikes to learn on. __________________ Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of strength. SuperTrapp Exhaust

04-06-2006, 05:03 PM	#9 (permalink)
texrider Sprocket Pilot Joined: Mar 2006 Bike: '04 Vulcan 2000, '05 VTX1800 Location: Arlington, Texas Posts: 866	"Bike for girlfriend" Hmmmm, sounds like you got a good trade...... __________________ "Sprocket to me, baby!"

04-07-2006, 02:02 AM	#10 (permalink)
NRTHNR Newbie Joined: Apr 2006 Bike: 2004 Suzuki SV1000s; 2004 Honda RC51 Location: Chesapeake, VA Posts: 1	Order and install a lowering kit. My friends wife had one put on for her 600RR. Then again, maybe she was not as vertically challenged. It's worth asking about though. They don't cost that much, considering...

04-07-2006, 11:37 AM	#13 (permalink)
Scott58 Puddle Runner Joined: Jun 2005 Bike: 05 Honda Rebel and 05 Suzuki S50 Location: Northwest Indiana Posts: 394	I'm a big fan of the Honda Rebel. Great bike for learning or shorter people in general even with tons of experience. Not intimidateing at all and inspires confidence. Good quality for the money also. Seat hieght is about 26.5". If not the lowest, pretty close.

04-07-2006, 11:43 AM	#14 (permalink)
RampageRider Fourth gear and illegal Joined: Oct 2005 Bike: 05 Red M50 Location: Iowa, riding in the Rain! Posts: 782	I'm a big fan also of the Rebel for a beginner! __________________ . "Grow up, what a waste of a good time, if Peter Pan can do it so can we............... " 05 Red M50 (mine) 97 Yellow Honda Rebel (her's)

04-07-2006, 03:00 PM	#17 (permalink)
ion54 Seat Tester Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Toronto, Canada Posts: 77	A motorcycle worth checking is the Hyosung GV250. It is a cruiser with a very low seat hight and decent highway performance.

04-07-2006, 03:00 PM	#18 (permalink)
Kaikias Ditch Magnet Joined: Feb 2006 Bike: 97 GSF1200 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 152	There is always a way to ride

04-09-2006, 01:07 PM	#19 (permalink)
Nanuk Seat Tester Joined: Mar 2006 Bike: 2005 Suzuki M-95 Location: North Dakota, USA Posts: 59	The S 40 will do 75-80 all day. My wife had an S-40 and had no trouble keeping up on the "I". __________________ I am not fat.... I am big boned....

04-09-2006, 04:53 PM	#20 (permalink)
DrBob In The Zone Joined: May 2004 Bike: several Location: Decatur, GA Posts: 2,764	My GF is 5 foot even, 95 pounds. She rides an Intruder 1400, with a low ride seat and some 1.5-inch shorter shocks in the back. She does just fine on it, because she can put both feet flat footed on the ground. She previously had an 800 Volusia as her first bike. She could NOT flat foot both feet, because the bike was too wide for her, so she had al kinds of problems and dropped it several times. Just have your GF sit on a bunch of bikes until she finds one that fits her. __________________ Dream like you'll live forever, live like you'll die tomorrow. You MUST obey the pug dog!

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