little people bike??

[LittleOne]

I have been thinking lots about the bike i will get when i do my DAS but i am not sure about what would be best for me being a short female I once had an aprilia rs125 which was quite big for me and am now on a cbr 125 which is just the right size. any ideas for my first big bike?

[Teflon-Mike]

how little is little?

Snowie is 5'5" ands hankering after a Moto-Guzzi
Janie, the liliputian landy lady, insists she IS 5'... at least in the morning..... used to ride a Triumph Bonaville (Ancient Meriden one), fitted her fine, but with high compression pistons, starting it with the kick-start was a bit of a game.... at top dead centre against the compression of the engine, she could stand on the kicker and her weight wouldn't budge it! She had to aquire 'the knack'... quickly... but used to shame lads struggling with big bike kickers demonstrating it!

Its not about the 'size' its about the fit, and the maneagability, by way of erganomics and balence.

Theres only a very slight correlation between engine size and bike weight, and bike dimensions, and even more variance between differnt styles of bike.

RS is only a 125 like the CBR, but its fairly wide and a bit bulky where the CBR is very slim and more neutrally balenced.

Girls often get poinjted at cruisers, becouse of the low seat height, so they can 'flat foot' holding the bike up, and told to avoid trailies becouse of the tall seat making them tip toe.....

BUT you only put your fett down when you stop, and you buy a bike to ride, not paddle around on like a hobby horse!

Erganomics of a cruiser, with foreward set foot-pegs and high wide ape hanger handlebars, for all the low seat, RIDING controls can be too much of a stretch for a shorter person!

Conversely, trail bike, with monster seat height, may have to tip toe ayt a stand still, but with three feet of ground clerance, foot pegs can be very close to the seat, and with a short tank, sat right up near the headstoick, wide bars not a stretch to get hands on the grips....

We could make loads and loads of suggestions, but ultimately, you just have to find what 'fits' you and feels comfy.

Remember, capacity means little; weight means little; seat height means little... its the overall fit and balence that counts... go look see what takes your fancy, try it for size.

BUT, from RS vs CG comparison, I think you'll find slimmer bikes a better fit, and most likely commuter style twins.

Remember, also, one of the big joys of bike ownership is adapting them to suit you.... and that means your fit as well as taste..... suspension can be lowered to drop seat height; narrower bars can be fitted, dog-leg or adjustable reach leavers can be added; bars can be twisted to a better and
le, and brake and gear levers adjusted to put them where you prefer them........
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Rogerborg]

Ignore the giant freaks telling you that size doesn't matter (for other people). Of course it does. If you can't get your feet down comfortably, you'll feel precarious every time you stop, and forget about backing the bike up while you're on it.

It's about inside leg, seat height and seat width, so I do agree with Mike that you really are going to have to try out a lot of bikes to see which ones fit you - and don't go for a cruiser just because it's low. Then look into lowering options, either suspension mods (search eBay for "BikeXYZ dogbones") or lowered seats.

Sorry, there's no one right answer to this question.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Pete.]

Before you decide on a bike do some research on local DAS centers to see if there are any that can accommodate you with a cut-down seat etc. If you're as short as you make out you won't be able to do the DAS on a standard bike.
____________________
a.k.a 'Geri'

132.9mph off and walked away. Gear is good, gear is good, gear is very very good

[Bendy]

[gooner84]

Im 5' 6 and i went for a honda nc30, i feel comfortable on it, its light and i can move it around while seated.
____________________
88 Yam TZR125, 90 Yam Tzr125 , 2004 Cagiva Mito, 93 Yam TZR'R 125 Import, 2002 Yam DT125R, Honda VFR400 NC30, 99 Yam R6, 06 Yam R6

[Bendy]

[Angel Girl]

I'm 5ft 6 and I have a Honda Cb500S and it fits me perfectly, I can get both feet on the floor comfortably and manouvre it just fine

[Bendy]

I don't think 5ft 6 constitutes 'short'. I'm about that and only the big 'adventure' bikes and offroad / smoto stuff represents any significant problem.

[chris-red]

[philoldsmobil...]

my dad is 5'4" and bought a brand new (pre reg) Suzuki bandit for his 60th in 2005. he had no end of problems until he took the seat to a local upholsterer who shaved a couple f inches out of it. it the guy did an amazing job, and it really didn't affect either the look or comfort of the bike but made a world of difference.

If this is still too tall, you can usually buy different dogbones for the rear shock linkage to lower the bike a little - drop the yolks down the forks the same amount if possible to keep the handling the same.

for dad, just the low seat was more than enough.