Good Bikes for my 4ft11 Girlfriend | GTAMotorcycle.com

Good Bikes for my 4ft11 Girlfriend

nguyend

Member
Hey everyone, I've been following this forum for a while now but finally decided to join and post. So my girlfriend has decided she wanted to start riding as well, and just took her M1 and is now signed up for the RTI course. She was a little worried about taking the course, because she thought she may be a tad too short to ride some of the bikes they have. I gave them a call, and they said that the shortest bike would probably the CBR 125 that they had.

Are there any riders out there that are about her height, that can give her some advice? How did you find the M1 Exit course for that height?

I told her that she could just tippy toe around, and that it shouldn't be that much of an issue. Any thoughts?
 
There are many bikes that your girlfriend can ride easily. I guess the first question is what style of bike will she be looking for, sport or cruiser? I watched a basic class over at the Hershey center and they were using the Yamaha Virago 250.

My Wife is 5'-0 and my yougest daughter is also 5'-0" and both have bikes and ride. My daughter now rides an SV650S.

Once you know what style of bike she prefers people will be able to make recomendations based on what bikes are available in your are. My wife currently rides the Buell Blast with the low seat and it suits her fine. Her first bike was a Honda 250 rebel that she rode for four years.
 
People can and do ride bikes and stop on their toes or only able to put one foot on the ground. I would recommend, however, that a new rider start on something they can flat foot. As a new rider they have a lot of things to worry about already and adding difficulty balancing at a stop is just throwing more issues at them.

You can lower a bike, but that comes with potential geometry issues. Starting with a lowered bike to get used to riding then taking out the lowering links and springs when she is more comfortable is an option.

Cruisers are, generally, the bikes with the lowest seat height. The Buell Blast's at my rider course were nice and low too. My wife, at 5 foot 0 inches, can balance the older generation (2006 and older, maybe some 2007s) ninja 250 and the zzr250s which use the same internals with a smoother body. She has had trouble with the current gen 250s, they seem to be a bit taller. The CBR125 is a good choice.

You really need to take your gf out and get her to sit on the bikes she is interested in and see if she is comfortable.
 
i don't know about the cbr125...i'm 5'4" and i had an '08 which i couldn't flat foot...it is a very light and nimble bike but being able to flat foot as a newbie is definitely a plus...i would go to a honda dealer and sit on one of them, or better yet, go to a multi-line dealer and sit on a few...i currently ride a vulcan 500 and while it's heavier, because the centre of gravity is lower and the seat height is only 27", it's easy to handle...
 
Did your wife and daughter take a course? How did they feel about the course? My girlfriend has sat on a few bikes, none of which she has been able to sit flat footed on. I'm just a little worried about her not being able to do the course.

We plan on lowering her bike once she buys one, but for now we are just worried about her ability to pass the course.

There are many bikes that your girlfriend can ride easily. I guess the first question is what style of bike will she be looking for, sport or cruiser? I watched a basic class over at the Hershey center and they were using the Yamaha Virago 250.

My Wife is 5'-0 and my yougest daughter is also 5'-0" and both have bikes and ride. My daughter now rides an SV650S.

Once you know what style of bike she prefers people will be able to make recomendations based on what bikes are available in your are. My wife currently rides the Buell Blast with the low seat and it suits her fine. Her first bike was a Honda 250 rebel that she rode for four years.
 
Did your wife and daughter take a course? How did they feel about the course? My girlfriend has sat on a few bikes, none of which she has been able to sit flat footed on. I'm just a little worried about her not being able to do the course.

We plan on lowering her bike once she buys one, but for now we are just worried about her ability to pass the course.

Yes. My Wife and two daughters have all taken a Basic Motorcycle Course, My Yougest daughter has also taken advanced riding courses. They were more than able to flat foot bikes like the Honda Rebel, Yamaha Virago and other cruiser type bikes. They both also can flat foot the Buell Blast with the low seat as well.

No Bike My Daughter has had on the street has that been possible thought. She can only touch with her toes of each foot. Her first street bike being a 1984 Honda VF500F. Now she rides a 2005 SV650S. She is comfortable only doing do as she got pproper training and built her confidence and knows what she needs to do.
 
Just to add like others have been saying -- flat-footing is probably a good thing as a new rider, but you quickly outgrow the need for it. I'm 5'8" with only a 29" inseam, so I could flat foot the CBR125 course bikes with no issues, but on my CBR250 (due to the seat being slightly higher and the bike being wider), I can either put toes down on both sides or flat foot one side and just lean the bike slightly. To be honest, when starting to ride this worried me, now it is entirely second nature.
 
^ I can relate to this :).

I'm only 5'1", but inseam is 29". 100 pounds, abouts. Inseam (therefore leg length, not entire body height), weight and confidence factors will help you decide. I tippy toed my 2011 cbr250r for the first few months, but needed more confidence. Skimming teh pavement with ur toes does not inspire confidence for a n00b, especially if you're tiny and not a lot of weight to throw around to push that bike down, and that's an assessment from my own personal experience. Leg strength helps too. Build that up ;).

Bought a Soupy's lowering link, and hubby and I brought the bike down a good inch and a smidge in the back, and lowered the front forks too, to compensate for bringing the back down.

I have absolutely no problems with turning or handling issues after messing with the bike's original height. In fact, I wish we had done it sooner!

Why? Because I found that being on tippy toe on an uneven surface like a hill, or a grade of some sort, made things tricky for a newb like myself to consider, especially when you're trying to set to memory all those other things that are supposed to keep you alive.

Consider the possibility of tipping over at an intersection that's located on a hill, with a slight grade to the side and uneven pavement. Add a touch of slippery gravel or wet under those tippy toes. Recipe for disaster in the beginning :(! But once legs get stronger, and balance and confidence get better, it's not so much of a issue anymore. Your leg is much stronger when the foot is flat on the ground. On tippy toe, legs buckle easier under 300+ pounds of steel, and there is more tip angle to the bike before you reach the ground.

I tried the Honda 125. It's great, 'cause it's light. Even if you tip, it's not going to be as hard to recover. Cruisers are ok, but not everyone favours them :). My first bike was a Yamaha TW200, and we shaved the seat considerably. But I couldn't be happier with my Honda cbr250r. It looks cute lowered, too :D.

Ok, I'll stop yakking. It's just that I've been there. Frustrated and looking for answers. Now I have some possible solutions, and I will share them happily!

Just to add like others have been saying -- flat-footing is probably a good thing as a new rider, but you quickly outgrow the need for it. I'm 5'8" with only a 29" inseam, so I could flat foot the CBR125 course bikes with no issues, but on my CBR250 (due to the seat being slightly higher and the bike being wider), I can either put toes down on both sides or flat foot one side and just lean the bike slightly. To be honest, when starting to ride this worried me, now it is entirely second nature.
 
I'm 5'2 and have a 29" inseam and when I took my course they singled me out of the group and but be on a dirt bike, lol. I was glad because on the 125 I was teetering all over the place. I tried the 250 rebel they had and although I am not a fan of cruisers I could have taken the course on that without any trouble as it is so low.
Orangepeel is right about stopping on hills with a slight grade too. If your tippy toeing it and you encounter that as a new rider it can lead to dropping your bike :(
 
You could also add some height with some boots with a thick heel...
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Thanks for everyone's opinion, it has been very insightful. I plan on lowering whichever bike she decides to get...I just hope she can pass the m1 exit course with the bikes they provide. I guess we will find out in 2 weeks.

She's about 95lbs, but does work out so hopefully her leg muscles will be able to keep the bikes up. I talked to the instructors and they said that they have the TU250s, CBR125s, and the TW200s which are all shorter, so hopefully one of those will be good for the girlfriend.
 
My girlfriend is 5' and has tried sitting on a CBR125, TU250x, and a VStar 250. The VStar was the only bike she could comfortably keep her feet flat on the ground. Plus the wet weight is like 320lbs. I think the seat height is 27"?

Others mention lowering the suspension. Just be careful it's not lowered too much.

By no means am I some sort of expert on "bikes-fo-shawty", but I've done my research!
 

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