6ft 5in new biker needs advice about 1st bike.

[Bardo92]

Hi Guys,

So for my first post I'll need a little introduction. First off I'm 23, 6ft 5in and 115kg. I've loved bikes since I was a kid but Ive only recently started making enough cash to plan my venture into riding.
I'm planning on taking my CBT in the next month or so then get a 125 until completing my DAS when I turn 24 in May. The main issue is I'm struggling to find bikes that I'm comfortable on.
I've sized up a Keeway Superlight and a Lexmoto low ride and but it doesn't quite feel comfortable maybe it'll be different once I've taken a ride on one but id really like some advice from anyone who has experienced the same sort of issues.
Many thanks guys.

Andy
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Can't wait to hit the roads!!

[MC900]

Im 6'5 also and im on a YBR125 which i find comfortable. I look too tall when sitting on it like but its comfortable ;p
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Current Ride: Fazer 600 (02) & YBR125 (07)

[Teflon-Mike]

6'3" & 95ishKg here, with 35" inside leg; welcome to the cold-ankle club, 'cus we are just outside the range of 'off the peg' proportions in the 'standards'.. B-U-T about half the fucking population are! Though at least they can roll up thier sleeves and trouser legs!

And bikes is not a lot different to jeans or water-proofs; they are all built around standard, basic proportioned people of regulation size; and the displacement is merely the size of the hole iside the engine where fire happens, and there's no rule that says that a 1500cc bike or a 500cc bike need be any 'bigger' than a 50cc bike as far as the key key dimensions of foot-peg to bum to handlebar.

So first up, we buy a bike to ride, not to sit on in or living room, so when yo try one for size, sit on the damn thing like you would when riding, either with t on the centre stand if t has one, or get some-one to prop you up wit it on the wheels, so you can sit, feet on pegs holding the bars, like when you'd ride it.

Next.. forget what the bike looks like or what you look like on the bike, or what you THINK you look like on the bike. The answer is you look DAFT. Get used to it! We do t look 'cool', we look like freaks, usually cold, wet, bedraggled freaks, and most folk just think "They must be D-A-F-T! Why dont they get a car, and stay warm and dry and safe?!?!".. well, that's if they thik anything at all, ANd if they have actually taken a blind bit of notice to begin with.. and most don't; even the ones who SHOULD be looking out for us, other road users, usually in cars... but they dont, and number one exuse whe they knock us off is "Sorry-Mate-I-Didn't-See-You!" (SMIDSY), so if the ones that should be looking pay not the blindestbit of notice, sure as eggs no other fucker will, so what you think you look like, and what you might actually look like is pretty irrelevant really.. So get used to it, you'll look daft, i varyig degrees of cold wet and miserable, depending on the weather!

Oh-Kay; there are three basic riding positions, derived fro our equestrian ancestor, same as 'orses and their saddles.

'Jockey Crouch'; like a racing jockey, leaning forwards, head down, in-front of your bum, legs tucked up heels behind, knees bent almost double; hands clutched in prayer under your chin. Its 'scrunched up' and usually slightly un-comfy, bordering on painful for longer rides, but, it ducks your body out of the wind, minimising wind resistance for higher speed, and distributes your weight evenly between the axles, with slight bias towards the front wheel, for high speed 'control', but usually sacrificing rider mobility and visibility. Riding position adopted, for more 'sporty' style bikes.

'Lancer Slouch'; Evolved from the heavy-horse saddles of ancient knights; Its a recumbent riding position, slightly feet forward, legs extended ahead of the bum, back reclining slightly back fro the bum, arms outstretched to the bars. The position was originally to allow a knight to brace and balance a heavy lance in a joust'. Legacy is the modern 'Western' or 'Cowboy' saddle evolved fro those of the Conquistador 'Knights'. Its 'supposed' to be a more comfortable riding potion for long hours in the saddle, though exaggerated for the 'style' on modern 'cruiser' style motorcycles many come to question that notion. Placing riders weight towards the rear of the machine, and limiting rider mobility, it doesn't offer the best 'control' over the machine, while rear-ward weight bias makes the front 'light' so only really works properly on a heavier bike, and one with more 'lazy' steering geometry to give it better straight line stability, and questionable cornering capability.

Hunter Position; the more 'general purpose' saddle employed by our stiff-upper-lip, sherry swilling, hound-chasing fox 'hunter' types. 'Ram-Rod' straight back, with shoulders directly over your bum, over your feet; 'sit up and beg', legs slightly bent at the knees, elbows down hands clasped just in front of your chest. Position concentrates your weight centrally between the axles, and provides great all-round visablity and 'mobility', for best control, and with good posture a surprising amount of all-day in the saddle 'comfort' Translated to the regulation 'commuter' and 'all-round' road-bike, that usually don't have fairings, it does stick you out in the breeze a bit; but, it woks and works well, and is close to a 'one-size-fits-all' riding position.

You place bum on saddle, foot-pegs directly under bum, you just bend your knees a bit more if your have long legs, and likewise reach to the bars, you just end your elbows a tad more if you have long arms.

To blow a couple of falacies; shorter legged rders, often ladies are often directed at cruisers, because of the low seat height, and suggestion they can 'flat foot' from the saddle. Actually you almost never 'flat-foot' fro the saddle in normal riding, that is havg both feet flat on teh floor at the same time; when riding you should have both feet on the pegs.. which perversely on a cruise are often placed further fro where bums go than on anything else, and folk with little legs often straggle to reach them, and work the gear and brake levers if they can! When stopped you ought to assume the 'Safety Position', left foot on the floor right foot on the peg covering or applying back brake; and littler leg will still reach the floor, you just have to lean a little further to get there!

Conversely, longer legged folk like me and I guess you, get pointed at dirt bikes cos they have monster seat heights.... which is because the whole bike has been lifted up off the floor for more 'ground clearance' so engine stands a better chance against sump shattering rocks... only trouble is, that the foot-pegs have gone up with the saddle, or more, and arse to ankle can be even less than on a sports bike! AND for heftier fellows, that long travel 'off-road' suspension, only holds the saddle that high when the only weight on it is the 100 or so KG of the bike... add as much again for the rider and the thing squashes back to the floor, giving some rather bizarre 'wedgie' moments, from thier skinny saddles, when you stop, put a boot down and take your own weight on your leg, and the seat disapears up your crack like a stripper's thong!

SO, all-round commuter style machines with a 'Hunter' riding position, tend to be the best bet, for most folk, and especially learners. They are close as one size fits all' as you can get; and offer the least compromises to viability, control, manoeuvrability and comfort, and anything else is compromising a lot of that just for 'style' and remember, you are going to look Daft, IF any-one ever bothers to look.

This hints at the Bench-Mark 'Learner-Commuter' Yamaha YBR125 and Honda CBF 125, the school favourite CBT bikes, that represent a hell of an all-round 'optimum' for cost, usability, liveability, performance, reliability, practicality and all pots around that! which is why the schools choose them! They are just 'easy' unpretentious do it all bikes, that are all about function over fashion.

But they are small displacement, 'lightweight' machines, and they do tend to have slightly more compact dimensions to bikes with bigger engines. Of the two, the CBF is reportedly slightly more generousely proportioned and many suggest t feels less cramped, while the YBR is often suggested to feel a little ore 'flimsy' Actual handle-bar to bum to foot-peg dimensions have bugger all in them, and I suspect that this 'perception' is as much a anything to do with the shape of the saddle and tank an the bodywork around the tank on the CBF, as any significant difference in actual erganomics.


Similarly the older CG125, has peculiarly tall handle-bars, like 'ape hangers' they aren't actually much f any higher than on any other learner commuter at the bits you hold, its just the bit that bolts to the bike thats lower, giving a 'sensation' as much as anything.And other bikes have thier own similar quirks and peculiarities.

BUT, the bottom line is that they are all little bikes, and there is little significant difference between most of them; and it WILL come down to that 'sensation' you get when you sit on them, whether any one of them feels more 'natural' or 'comfortable' to YOU, as anything in the brochure specs...

YOU just have to get out there and sit on'e and see what you 'like' the most. B on saddle and lots of.

JUST remember what I said about buying to ride, and judging how they feel when you are sat feet on the pegs as if riding, and heed what I say about the 'neutral' Hunter position, and the all-round benefits it has over control and mobility and visability, that is so much more important and worth having when you are learning.

AND the all-roud optimum of cost, usability and all-round hassle free biking the CBF and YBR offer as a 'package'.
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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]

[JoeDaStudd]

I've heard the honda varadero 125 is a great 125 for anyone tall.
They aren't too common and are pretty in demand so they aren't the cheapest.

Take your CBT and see how you go.
Odds are you'll do it on a Yamaha YBR, Honda CBF or old Honda CG. If you don't feel comfortable on one then you'll have to start looking for a varadero or hold out for a full license as the 125 market only has a limited number of good models.

[doggone]

Consider super moto/trail bike styles - perfect for long legs

[Wighty]

If you were to buy a 125 buy one which won't be worth 50% of what you bought it for when it comes to selling it. i.e. Anything that isn't chinese
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Big twat on a 2005 Honda Varadero 125.

[Tristan.]

[someotherguy]

[Northern Monkey]

As any fule knos. The correct answer to which 125 I should get is the msx125, and the correct answer to which bike is pass your test and dont piss about with a 125. They're all shit (except the msx, which is made of lulz)
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Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk

[Bardo92]

Thanks for all the advice guys, all this has been really helpful! Teflon-Mike that was a really good read and it's given me loads to think about.

I'll be sure to take a look in some bike shops and get sat on some bikes.
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Can't wait to hit the roads!!

[Bardo92]

[Fladdem]

You lanky weirdo!

I would actually advice against trail enduro style bikes. I'm 6'4" with a 35" inside leg, a touch under 80kg's, not that that's important, and trailie's, despite a tall seat, also have a lot of ground clearance, meaning the pegs sit quite high from the floor as well. This still results in cramped legs.

My Varadero was good, but I used to get cramp in my hips from it after an hour or so, the seat was just too low, if I wanted to stay on a 125, and that one in particular, I would have put an extra couple of inches of foam in the seat.

Conversely, my latest buy, an RS 125, fits like a dream, absolutely perfect proportions for me, despite being relatively small. The C70 fits like a glove as well, provided I sit on the back seat.
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Current:1991 Honda MT50 (Soon to be a H100/MTX/MT5 hybrid), 1976 Honda Cub C70, 2005 Honda Varadero 125, 1993 Yamaha TTR250 Open Enduro , 2010 Road Legal Stomp YX140, 1994 Honda CRM 250 MK III, 1999 Cagiva Mito 125, 1992 Honda CB400 Super Four, Stomp T4 230, 1984 Honda H100s, 2009 Sym XS125K
Past:2003 Aprilia RS125, 1982 Kawasaki GPZ550(FREE BIKE!)
I'm having more fun than a well-oiled midget.

[mysterious_rider]

Cb1000 1994.. Im 6.2ft and i almost tiptoe if im not wearing boots. 250kg of metal right there.

If you want a 125 i second the varadero. Very good sized machines. Or even a dt125.
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KAWASAKIIIII

[Val]

welcome to the BCF

you may need to check this https://cycle-ergo.com/

it gives you the option to set up your height and gives you the result.

Here is one example of a tall guy:

https://i65.tinypic.com/281g6tl.jpg
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Adrian Monk: Unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not...
Yamaha Fazer FZS 600, MT09, XSR 900

[Bardo92]

[Teflon-Mike]

Time on a tiddler is rarely wasted... but, modern system don't encourage it, and actually encourages L-Plating without training.
Once upon a time you could take a test on your own 125, and get the full monty licence.. so there was incentive to get one, and do a bit of training, bit of practice, bit of training, practice some more, take tests. It was a good way to learn.
Now, the system encourages you to rush, and try to do it all at once via a crash course, or not at all!

Thought for you; 125's aren't toys, or a toe in the water, and absolutely no safer than any other motorcycle, just because they are smaller and slower.. they can still go as fast as any other motorcycle can legally go in this country, and SMIDSY man don't stop to think, "Aw, dat a cutsie liduw byke! I wont pull out on him"

You are facing the same hazards and risks regardless... and as a newbie, most likely to get yourself into trouble.

TRAINING then is good, and gives you some better preparation to deal with some of them hazards when you encounter them, than the scantest know-how imparted in the 'first lesson' of CBT... cos that IS all it is, a first lesson. And its something of an anathma that one-day-wonders are let loose on their own after just that first lesson on a motorcycle, THE statistically most 'dangerous' motor-vehicle on our roads, when every other vehicle type demands you finish the course and pass the tests before you get to go solo....

Just 'cos its legal don't mean its a good idea, even less 'safe'.. the laws an ass, but its still the law....

Anyway, as a way to get going and build confidence, which seems to be what you want to do here; tiddling it, heading out, on your own, you are going to be making it up as you go along, and learning by the school of hard knocks, which doesn't 'teach' you how to do stuff right, merely punish you for getting it wrong, and that tends to hurt on a motorbike.

You can still tiddle it with lessons 'old sckool', if you want, but harder to find lessons rather than courses, and can get expensive; though if you have your own 125, does mean you can practice to your hearts between them.

Practically its down to courses, for VFM, and you tend to get a licence at the end of one, and dont have to buy a bike first. So do course, complete the program, get the licence, THEN learn to ride..

If you want, learn to ride on a 125, cos its a FULL licence not a 'Big-Bike' licence; and ride what you like means just that. But 'sensible' bigger bikes can be better VFM, and as good a place to start learning 'on your own' as a 125, and 'better' if you have completed the course and got that added know-how, and not have to be making up so much as you go along, learning from potentially painful mistakes in the School of Hard-Knocks.

Plenty of big tiddlers out there, stuff like Yamaha SR250's or Suzuki GN250's, usually hard used commuter hacks, that can stand a bit of abuse, and offer a lot of 'cheaps', or there's the middle-weight commuters, like the ER5 and CB500 etc, that have a bit more weight on the road and a bit more oomph to shift it, but still sort of comparable to a car driver's 'first hatch'. Don't have to be 'nice' and they don't have to be intimidating.

But, your call. I pig-about on tiddlers, without the L's cos they can be a lot of fun, and they do tend to be cheap; certainly on running costs, compared to a set of tyres on my Seven-Fifty, though 'old git' insurance on that actually comes in a bit less than the 125... not that it'd buy me many beers.. certainly not enough to dent the extra £63 a year road-tax.

But, conclusion is to do the lessons, work towards the licence; get as much know-how upfront as you can; make bike choices later. IF a 125 can help in that, short term, while you are doing lessons, great, make it work for you, not against. Elce, probably better to get ahead, do a course, get a licence THEN make your choices, to start learning on your own.
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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?'

[Bardo92]

Another massive point I've overlooked really. What are people's overall opinion of taking lessons before taking the full direct access test?

How much does your riding style change one a larger CCd bike? I understand the speed won't really change coz at the end of the day a speed limit is a speed limit! But what about in terms of dealing with the extra torque and clutch control?

As a newbie rider one of my biggest fears is getting my DAS done hopping on a 500+cc bike and coming straight off! Fucking up the bike and myself and ending up just going fuck if I'll stick to the car!! I know I'll come off eventually, but I can't help but thinking coming of a toddler at 30 will hurt less than if I come off, say a Vulcan that is if the bike lands on me!
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Can't wait to hit the roads!!

[Rogerborg]

[Evil Hans]

[J.M.]

I personally found riding a 125 quite valuable, but not valuable enough that if I had the option for DAS instead I would hesitate about my decision to completely avoid a 125.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Teflon-Mike]

[Bardo92]

OK I think I'm starting to get a decent understanding now! The bottom line here seems to be: I need to stop fucking about and get trained!

Afterwards I can take each bike as it comes and find one that suits me.

Thanks guys this has been really helpful!
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Can't wait to hit the roads!!

[Teflon-Mike]

[Yorkshire Geek]

My Diversion 600 is not scary, CBR600RR is scary. Same size, but one I'd want as a newbie.