Short-legged female new rider needs help

[foggy rider]

Apologies if this is a stupid question, but I'm a 42 year old female new to riding with no motorcycle friends to ask questions of My 30 mile commute takes too long in the car/bus so have decided to get a motorcycle if I felt comfortable on a bike after a few lessons.........

I took my CBT last Saturday and was pleased with how well I coped with gears/riding generally. I have booked a second lesson with an instructor in 10 days time to get some more experience and am now looking for a commuter 125 to get some miles on before thinking about my DAS in the spring.

On Sunday, flushed with success after the CBT I went to look at jackets and trousers ( I already have boots and gloves). Having lost an older brother in a motorcycle accident as a teenager, and very aware of how vulnerable I feel on a bike after 23+ years in a car, I am keen to get decent all-weather gear with armour etc. BUT, when I tried on some textile waterproof trousers, I found I couldn't move my right leg very high, as the trousers restricted my movement considerably?!! They weren't that tight (I tried larger/looser ones too) so am concerned that I won't be able to get on a bike with them on, and will have to buy Kevlar type jeans as they're less restrictive (and offer less protection), but would need to add a waterproof layer which would also have the same effect then of restricting my leg movement...... If I stand on the peg to give me extra height to get my leg over this would be (a) dangerous, and (b) damage the side stand..... Am I missing something?!!!

Any help/advice welcome.... I feel like an alien on a new planet, with no idea what to do about anything to do with motorcycling .... (Don't even get me started on which bike to get, that's a whole other confusing issue!!)
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Cautious newbie...... (CBT Oct-15) riding a Honda CB125F to get some experience. Theory test done in March). Now looking to do DAS, just gotta find the right training centre.....

[c_dug]

Well done on choosing to become awesome Congrats on the cbt 'pass' and good luck the DAS blah blah etc...

Anyway.

Two things come to mind. First off, 30 miles (each way?) is quite the commute, you'll either be wanting Goretex which is pricey, or decent plastic waterproofs. People have various success levels with non goretex gear but in my experience nothing else is up to the job, you'll only have to do 60 miles in soaking wet bike gear the once before you start wishing for something properly waterproof! Plastic overalls are good, but obviously less convenient. On the plus side they're cheap to replace and dry out quickly. You'll also be wanting layers for when it's cold, but deal with that after the main gear.

Secondly, and more to the point you raised, I can't say I've ever struggled much for movement in bike gear, but I'm pretty much the opposite of a vertically challenged lady. How exactly are you struggling? Which bits can't you bend, knees, waist, hips?
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[bamt]

Mrs Bamt is similar (5ft3), she's found low bikes to be the answer. Her 125 was a YBR Custom, her current ride is a Virago 250 (via a Bandit 600). Lower saddle height means it's easier to swing a leg over, and also easier to flat foot for stability when stopped.

Full on textiles with linings can be a bit restrictive - I wonder if you are genuinely having a problem getting a leg over a bike or just think it may be an issue because it feels different?
It may be worth doing some tries in a shop that sells both clothing and bikes (e.g. round our way there is Infinity at Farnborough which has a reasonable clothing range and has a Yamaha dealership with various trade-ins in the same building). Then you can put on some trousers and swing a leg over a bike to see if it works.

[Rogerborg]

InB4stinkwheel: clothes sizing is all over the place at the best of times and largely random in motorbike gear.

If something's not roomy enough, go bigger in that brand. Don't get caught up on the number, it's not a catwalk.

I go very oversize in cordura to get enough groin slack. This also gives enough room to wear regular jeans underneath, then I can just whip the textiles off. Consider them as over-trousers.

That's for winter use. As long as possible, I wear kevlar jeans, because you spend a lot more time on the bike than sliding down the road. Waterproofs over the top don't restrict my leg movement. Again, just go up sizes until awesomeness is achieved.

[ferrisio]

Textile trousers feel weird until you sit on the bike anyway.
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BMW R1100R

[Teflon-Mike]

Go Textile & Dress to ride, not to crash.

Leather is restrictive because its a stiff 'resilient' material.
Cut it into shorter panels to make garments to fit, usually smaller, lady people, and its effectively more so; the smaller 'scale' of the garment, making it % wise thicker and stiffer, than it is in a bigger size on a bloke.

Leather is also hugely over rated for 'safety'.. great on a race track, where you might slide a long way down the high-grip surface for a long way, before you stop; but on a public road, most accidents are on urban roads at less than the posted (usually 30mph) speed limit, and there's usually plenty of hard and unyielding 'stuff' about to stop you sliding very far.

Its also not the most practical apparel; safe leather is tight leather, which as you have discovered does restrict movement, as well as deter you adding or removing 'layers' of other cloths beneath it; fine if ALL you do in it is ride a motorbike; not so great if you want to get off and go shopping, or do a days work; on the bike, its hot in the summer, and cold in the winter; it's not water-proof and its not machine washable.. and it tends to make your arse look like something that's more often seen at a safari park charging a land-rover or pulling the windscreen-wipers off one!

And it's Far too easy to be over-sold on the 'safety' of leathers; even more so as a newbie; no-one is going to compromise their commission to disabuse you of natural 'worries' are they?

But bottom line is they are the last line of defence and only any good when all else has failed and its GOING to hurt.. when, they might, and it is a 'might', save a little of that hurt, in some scenarios... they aren't an invulnerability field..

Fall over on your drive, and they are no more likely to save you any hurt than any more usual 'out-door' wear. Fall off in front of a 45 ton truck? Well, you'd be lucky if anything saved you.. (though O/H was watching one of them yank 'would you believe it shows the other day that featured a chap that survived being run over by a steam-roller ) In between, how much hurt ANY 'protective wear' might 'save' is utterly mutable, and circumstance dependant; actual material of apparel being one VERY small factor in that bigger chaos equation; in which even the entire 'garment integrity' of material, material grade, design construction and fit, all play as much of a part, before looking at how fast you are going when you come off, the angle of impact, whether you are 'flung' or spun, how hard the surface is, how grippy it is, how bumpy it may be, and how much of it you might get inmate with before you come to rest.

AND the good news is, that your fear of falling off, almost certainly is greater than the reality.

Yes, riding a motorbike is dangerous compared to driving a car; most things are, driving cars is remarkably 'safe'. Statistically, per participant hour, motorcycles are actually 'safer' than an awful lot of pursuits, we perceive as quite 'safe'.. like Golf!

Seriously; more folk are inured by errant golf-balls or clubs, on have heart-attacks on the fair-way, or die of terminal boredom, I would imagine... than get hurt on motorbikes!

Its just that knee-jerk 'emotive' reaction to the idea of a motorbike, and the imagery they conjure of horror movie 'gore' that makes us 'fear' them more than a putting iron!

And Riding a motorbike is all about 'control' and maintaining the balance; so it starts with self control; if you cant control your emotive reactions, and let fear rule reason, or let excitement drive the devil.. you ent in control, and you will never keep the balance.

So back up, and start the self control in the buying of kit... and keep sight of what's REALLY important, not what your fear or excitement drives the moment.

HOWEVER.....

[Rogerborg]

[Herbert1804]

Check out Hood Jeans on the InterWebs. I highly recommend them and I have no connection whatsoever other than being a happy customer. The quality is excellent and the Kevlar protection also - supplement it with the D30 inserts. They will shorten the leg length for free. It's all I use on my bike, with nylon over trousers in bad weather (I rarely ride in bad weather).

Just my 2p worth.

[Andy_Pagin]

Check out this firm https://www.ladybiker.co.uk/
I read a review about them in Ride Magazine a few years ago, IIRC they were founded by a Lady Biker with the same problems as you, and make gear specifically for women, and guess what? You don't have to have pink material anywhere if you don't want it (thay made a big deal about mentioning that).
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa, hey-hey,
the men in white coats are coming to take me away.
Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[winz]

Congratulations on the pass.

I'm currently looking for gear for my girlfriend and have been looking at textile trousers or kevlar. But one is more waterproof than the other and with the British weather I know which one I'll chose with November fast approaching.

I guess with the commute you should go to the shops and try on anything that tickles your fancy. As Rog said the sizes are pretty meaningless, so it's best to see what fits you the best. I usually do this then buy online (unless it's a local business) as you can get some great deals.
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Current Bikes: BMW K1200S
Previous: Honda CBR929RR, Honda CBR1100XX, Honda CB600F

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

[rubyhorse2]

Regarding commuting, i'm lucky as i have a 10 mins commute but for when its raining i have a cheapo oversuit which so far has been the best solution on not getting wet.

You can spend a fortune on some quality gear if you have the spare cash, i think if i was doing a long commute everyday then maybe it would be worth it.

Definately try on in a shop first for sizing.

[Undinist]

Welcome Ms Foggy, sorry to hear about your brother. It sounds like your attitude to safety is very balanced.

Regarding these restrictive textiles, you just need to try on lots of different gear. This means going to several different shops, there's nowhere which sells all the good quality brands. Also try the clothing at BMW, Triumph and Ducati dealers. Which area do you live in?

Standing on the peg won't hurt the side stand but until you have more experience you should put the bike in gear before you do this in case the bike topples over. (Putting a parked bike in gear with the engine off is the equivalent of putting the hand brake on in a car.) Be aware that some bikes have spring-loaded side stands which flip up automatically as soon as you bring the bike upright by sitting on the seat. All this stuff is best discussed with an instructor - just reading about it is not ideal.

Sit on a bike when you try on the gear. A decent shop should help you with this...if you don't have a bike ask to sit on a stock bike or a staff bike or a customer's bike...women at bike shops are such a rarity that someone is bound to help out.

If you want to save money, after you've found a manufacturer which gives a good fit, buy their stuff nearly new on ebay for a third of the price.

Think about an airbag vest - it's the biggest leap forward in safety for many years. I'm about to buy a Helite. I put some info in this thread on another forum
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=1485034

Also, different brands of armour vary a great deal in effectiveness. I'm buying Safe-Max Premium now. Have a read of this www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=306183&highlight=
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Current bike: K1100RS. Previous: CD200, GSX250, GT550, VFR750, K100LT, K1100LT, R1100GS, R1150GS, ZZR1100, Hayabusa, RSV Mille, MV F4 750S, R1, ZX-10, KTM Adventure 950S

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[Kickstart]

Hi

I would be tempted to try a lot more sets of trousers. Both different brands and different types (over trousers and normal ones). Also with over trousers try different normal trousers underneath.

As an aside it is the bike show in about a month which might be a reasonable chance to try lots of different trousers on in one place.

All the best

Katy
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[hellkat]

I am so not doing leg-over jokes today.
Besides, I am the posterchild for the safety nazis, protective gear is an anathema to me.

Sooooo, are you a short fatty, or more of the slender variety of short-arse?

When looking for sensible off-the-peg protective, waterproof trousers to fit, you should note that even 4XL trousers are LONG rather than WIDE.

[Rogerborg]

[recman]

Nobody has asked for pics.

[Ribenapigeon]

Its just being unfamiliar with the clothing. First set of gear I bought felt very restrictive but I got used to it.

For what its worth make sure your base layer is natural fibre, merino wool I find best, as it will still insulate even when wet or damp. People worry about getting wet and cold but most likely you will get to work drier and warmer than others who have been standing at a wet bus stop.

I accept that a couple of days a year I get drenched but that's usually in the summer when I get caught out by a summer rain shower.

[c_dug]

The whole leather vs textiles on the road argument is a funny one. Yeah leather might be a bit overkill in terms of slidey protection, but it also keeps the armor in place way better than textiles too, which means when your short slide comes to a sudden stop you have at least half a chance of making use of the c̶h̶e̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶m̶a̶t̶o̶ ̶s̶a̶n̶d̶w̶i̶c̶h̶ armor on your joints.
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I am a bellend, I am a man of constant sorrow, I am a gummy bear, I am a rock.

[Undinist]

Leather jackets make great casual wear, you get much more use out of them than ugly textile jackets.
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Current bike: K1100RS. Previous: CD200, GSX250, GT550, VFR750, K100LT, K1100LT, R1100GS, R1150GS, ZZR1100, Hayabusa, RSV Mille, MV F4 750S, R1, ZX-10, KTM Adventure 950S

[foggy rider]

Some really useful thoughts from you all, thank you!......

@Teflon Mike - I am lost for words....... I am not proposing to break speed limits at all.... My 30mile round trip takes a minimum of 2.5 hours by bus (a 30 minute walk, a wait for the bus, then a 1.5 hour bus ride through numerous unnecessary villages, and 65 (yes, 65 !) stops later I then have a 15 minute walk to where I work. And it's 14.5 miles across Bristol. Even at 20mph safely through slow moving traffic will substantially reduce my commute. I don't know about you, but travelling for 15+ hours a week on top of a 40 hour working week is not my idea of fun!

Thanks to those with practical suggestions around it being in my mind - a good point - I will gather the courage to try more trousers on, and try getting on a bike at the weekend. Definitely a male dominated environment which I don't feel comfortable in though

Any suggestions of shops with a wide range of women's motorcycle clothing in/around Bristol/bath/Swindon/Gloucester would be appreciated. Whilst I can google for shops, there is no indication online about the range of stock carried by stores, and given my current commuting/working time, I don't have much time to spend looking apart from the weekend.

And if you've read this far through my response, I congratulate you on your persistence, and to the person who asked if I was a short fatty or a slim shorty....... It's all about perceptions! I personally think my size 12 butt and larger top half are an asset, but not everyone does
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Cautious newbie...... (CBT Oct-15) riding a Honda CB125F to get some experience. Theory test done in March). Now looking to do DAS, just gotta find the right training centre.....

[Rogerborg]

[Herbert1804]

I'm just south of Bristol myself. There's a surprising shortage of good bike clothing shops in this area. The best stocked is probably Fowlers but I've never been that impressed by their range. Browse around but I suspect you'll end up buying online from Sportsbikeshop or Motolegends. Both of which have an excellent returns/Exchanges policy.
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Current bike: Ducati Monster 1200S

[Val]