Suggestion for a female friend

[TCGS]

Hello people.

I have a friend who is quite short (5'5 I believe)


She is brand spanking new to biking and hasn't even done a CBT or anything yet, but is thinking about doing something and getting a bike.

But first! She has a big problem

She's too small!

She wants to start of with a geared 125, something like the CBR would be good she said, and it should look like a bike, but the problem is everything she's tried she, well she can reach the floor on her tip-toes and is not very comfortable or stable.


So, does anyone have any suggestions of a geared 125 (I would say any geared 125 looks like a bike rather than a scooter) that is small lol


Maybe a monkey bike? :p


Thanks on her behalf

[Benson_JV]

I believe you can lower seats on some bikes. Don't take my word for it though. Someone will be along shortly to tell you I'm sure!

[Itchy]

You can swap the dog bones out in the suspension which makes the bike sit lower.

However we have one of Yun's friends called four ten for obvious reasons and she rides a tall bike I forget which one though.
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[pinkyfloyd]

at 5'5 and a half i can sympathise being just a tiny bit taller myself. but being too short at her height is bollocks. sorry but it is.

i've ridden a few bikes in my life and the only bikes i would say i am too short for are the enduro style things or the motocross things. i done my cbt on a cg125 and passed my DAS course on a gs500, i have also ridden the new kwak en6 and the old er5. my current bike is a 91gsxr750 and although i am on tiptoes when i have both feet down i can ride the thing fine.

when on the cbt course the instructors tell you about the safe method to be sitting on the bike which is left foot flat on the floor and right foot on the rear brake. if she can do that then she can ride a bike.
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[Kickstart]

Hi

5'5" is not that short. My better half is shorter than that (and has a dodgy leg) and can ride my 1200 Bandit when she need to (her 600 is lowered a bit to be more convenient).

CBR125 is pretty low and narrow so I would be surprised if she can't easily ride that.

Failing that there are boots available designed to make riders taller (Bendy can probably tell you more on these).

All the best

Keith
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[MonkeyKnuckle]

It's not so much height as leg length. She should be able to get on a CB125/YBR125 without any troubles.
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[bikertomm]

The CBR 125 and the YBR 125 are about as low as your gonna get
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[Villers]

It wont help thay she will have no confidence since she cant even ride anythng yet. Maybe she will have to take the hit and ride around on something very small like a ped, that way she can get some riding confidence and work her way up. Im about 3" taller than her at about 5'8" and a bit, but my legs are quite short, I have loads of problems getting jeans to fit properly!! When I bought my RS125 it was sat next to a GSXR600 and I remarked to the guy how big it looked and I couldnt imagine me riding something like that. Now that I know how to ride bikes and have some experience its not really a problem, my RSVR is the tallest bike Ive ever ridden and I'm tippy toes on that - I wouldnt like to have tried it as a first bike. I remember they had the RSV's at the scottish bike show just on their sidestands (not the normal mounted sat up straight like at some shows) and you could get on it and stand it up. I had been riding for a couple of years and the RSV was pretty much my dream bike, I pulled it off the stand and shook my head at my mate thinking there was no way I could manage it

Maybe once she gets through her CBT and has a bit more confidence it will seem a bit easier. If she's on her tip toes theres nothing wrong with sliding her arse off the seat a little bit so she can flatfoot on one side at junctions!
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[Frost]

I've ridden dirt bikes where i could only get 2 toe on the floor, so it's not an issue once your experienced. for a beginner though it's mostly just a mental thing that you think you'll fall over when you stop, like a new swimmer panicking when they can't reach the bottom.

As a general rule anything sporty will be a bit taller. Cruisers and commuters will be a bit shorter. Wearing boots with a thicker sole can give you a bit more leg reach.

[steppen22]

Suggestions for a female friend?

https://www.thai-professional.com/
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[waffles]

Some learner bikes are very short already, lots can be lowered anway. The school im doing my DAS with actually have a 125 that sits lower specifically for shorter riders so its worth checking around.
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Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[nathandenniso...]

Honda CG 125 or Yamaha SR 125

[Dipsy2]

deleted

[ulster exile]

5'5" myself with a 29" leg - I had a YBR125 with no bother. Also tell her to look at Ladystar boots which I hear are good for lifting her up.

[panrider_uk]

My ex was 5'6" and had no problems on a Yamaha SR-125.

Mark
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Current bikes: Honda ST1100 Pan European. Moto Guzzi V85 TT Travel

[hedgehugger]

I'm 5''4 and rode an Sr125 and an EN125, then an er5 and an er6 amongst others. Her height should be no problem whatsoever.

[Adamantis]

You could always try for something like an older cg125? Mine was a '91, and so low I found it disconcerting (I'm a 6 foot lass, so tall bikes have never really caused me an issue).
I find the older models have that soft cushion seat rather than the new style, which gives you a little more sink as well.
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Rides: '91 CG125 (Sold), '00 CB500S (Sold), '97 Thundercat (Sold), '99 KTM EXC 300 (SOLD), '99 RSV Mille (stolen. Thieving SCUM!!!), '94 DR350 (sold), '10 Vstrom 650 (hated it so much I gave up riding), now on the OH's CBF1000 until I can afford another Mille...

[Capt Castle]

My other half if 5 foot nowt. She used to have a CBR125 and admittedly it was a stretch but she did manage (only dropped it twice ). Now though she has a GN125 and can get both feet flat on the floor.

Tell your friend not to worry, the CBT should show her that she'll be able to handle most bikes, just need a little confidence
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Bikes: GZ125>CBR125>Yamaha MT03>Triumph Sprint ST 955i
CBT: 06/06/08 DAS:14/07/09

[Katie162]

Hey, ive only been riding about a month and im also 5'5. Ive got a sr125 wjich i find is the perfect hight for me and i fond it teli comfortable aswell!

[L4Isoside]

[Tonka]

I'm 5'2" and did my CBT quite happily on a CG125 and then did my full test on a GS500. When it came to buying my first bike I played it safe and went for the SV650. I had the lowering link fitted and about an inch sculpted out of the seat to ensure that I could comfortably get my feet down. 2 years on I would say that from a confidence point of view I no longer need to have the bike as low but there are occasions when I'm glad that I do - usually unfavourable cambers at junctions or roadside parking up.

There are quite a few female riders on the site who are shorter than 5'5" and I'm not sure they have any major issues either. There have been a few threads on the subject if you do a search and I think it comes down to confidence as much as anything.

She certainly isn't too small to learn to ride a geared bike - tell her to just get the CBT booked and get going!! If she wishes to be fussy about it, make sure she gets the right Instructor and School with bikes that she can ride, but other than that - NO EXCUSES!!


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[Notj7]

The CBR is a great geared first bike, and if she can't touch the floor on that then she must be tiny! You can get it lowered anyway I'd definiately go for that one.
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Left the forum.

[lofty]

5'5 is not short, I am 4ft 11 and started off on a 50cc monkey bike, then got a cheapy chinese bike which was basically a honda cg125 copy, where I had to have a bit of the seat scooped out to make it shorter, but I was still only tiptoes.

She will get used to not being flat footed, its only when you are stationary that your feet are on the floor after all, and as long as you plan ahead so you know you aren't going to overbalance it is totally fine.

It is mainly a confidence thing, as lots of other people above have said, there are lots of bikes she can easily manage without flatfooting, she just has to get used to it, lots of practise!

[mivster]

just go for some kind of cruiser type bike

marauder, xvs, eliminator along those lines
all low riders and nice and easy to ride
but generally quite expensive
but i had a jinlun texan which is a decent chinese bike
never had any problems with it and it was alot cheaper to buy
and parts were easy to find
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[sweetleaf]

I'm 5'1 and cope fine on the YBR custom (slightly taller and wider than the standard YBR).