Help finding a low bike for my wife

shadowman

shadowman

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I don't know if anyone has any suggestions, but I thought I would ask.
My wife just got her M1, and is signed up for her M2 course in June. We've started looking at a couple of bikes, but, due to her size (5'0",120lbs), she seems very limited. The cbr125 feels too tall for her. The only bikes that seem to have a low enough seat are cruisers. She sat on a V-star 250 but didn't like the way her feet were way out in front of her.
Does anyone know of a small bike, with a standard seating position (your feet underneath you), that has a very low seat height.
 
For a low seat you are almost stuck with cruisers, unless you put a lowering kit on a smaller sport bike.

my wife @ 5' 2" has the same issue.

options are Suzuki GS250 maurader, S40 Boulevard, Honda Rebel, vstar 250/650...
none of these will put her feet back like a sport bike or standard, they will all be somewhat feet forward.

maybe a Buell blast? not sure if she will have seat height issues with this though?

some of these bikes are not current production either, so you will be in the used market
 
if you both plan on riding sport just pop some lowering links on hers and you are good to go as Suzuki2000 mentioned
 
My wife is 5'1". She has had a cbr125, newer Ninja 250 and old import CBR400RR. She also rides my old VFR400 too. The old bikes sag a bit and it actually works out better for her. I think you wife will be fine on a 125 or Ninja 250; it's more of a confidence thing than actuall ride height.
 
=thisischris;1555602My wife is 5'1". She has had a cbr125, newer Ninja 250 and old import CBR400RR. She also rides my old VFR400 too. The old bikes sag a bit and it actually works out better for her. I think you wife will be fine on a 125 or Ninja 250; it's more of a confidence thing than actuall ride height.
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you may be somewhat right, my wife has the 250 Suzuki, and she is looking to upgrade, but she acknowledges that this bike was what she needed to ge the confidence she needed as a first time rider.

What she found with many bikes was that she couldn't comopress the suspension as she did not have enough weight so bike at 29-30" seat heights were still that high even when she sat on them.

I wish she would consider a sportier bike, but she is biased against them for some reason
 
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Thanks for the responses guys. I agree with the confidence thing. I think she will be okay on a bit taller bike once she gains some confidence, but for her first riding experience, I think she would be better off if she could flat foot, or at least almost flat foot.

Does anyone know where I could look into lowering a cbr125? (cost, how low you can go, effects on handling,etc)
I ask about the cbr because kijiji is lousy with them, but I don't see any that have been lowered already.
 
Try shaving the seat, and maybe get her boots with some height in the soles before lowering a bike. Also adjusting the suspension to her height/weight may help.
+1 on CBR 125R very light weight and forgiving.
 
We went throught he same struggle with my wife. However she finally picked an S40 Boulevard. yes it is a crusier and her feet are out forward (anathema to me, but she likes it). i agree with much of what has been posted above, but be careful considering elevated footwear, that takes her into another set of problems - shifter, knee angle etc.

I think the motorcycle industry with the exception of BMW is really missing a prime target market, and not just women, shorter men too, by not making seats more adjustable and having suspension height options etc.

John
 
Also consider the Kawi Vulcan 500, though discontinued. Someone on here recently got a deal on one for $3k, maybe from Kahuna?

Totally inappropriate for a newby but will fit is the mid-controls HD Sportster 883 Low. She should be able to flat foot, and controls are not out front but underneath.
 
The Ninja 650R has a very low seat and standard seating position.

I've let a few shorter riders sit on mine and they all seemed to get a little more hopeful about sporty bikes.
 
Your wife should be able to get both toes down on a CBR125. My wife is only 5'1" and she has short legs and she can get her toes down on both the CBR and Kawi 250. As mentioned before some of the grey market 250 and 400 bikes have a fairly low ride height too.
 
I'm sorry (and no offense) but there is the theory that 5'0" people should not be riding motorcycles.
It is a fairly recent concept, and appears to fly in the face of Newtonian physics...
But what do I know (I'm 6'4").
 
I'd wait until after she completes the Riding Course. It will provide some access to bikes and through the experience, she may find something that feels right.

Also something to consider might be a scooter. Not a big Burgman but, something smaller. Once her confidence and experience grows and she really decides a "sport" style bike, you can look at the other suggestions already posted. Seat modification is the best place to start. Lowering links are another option depending on the bike but, it may impact how the bike handles. Just depends on what kind of riding etc.


A quick look to compare Honda's CBR 125 vs 250 specs, shows the seat height of the 250 lower than the 125. 31.2 in vs. 30.5 But, you really need to sit on them to check out sag and feel.

Just a couple of thoughts.
 
Aslan said:
The Ninja 650R has a very low seat and standard seating position.

I've let a few shorter riders sit on mine and they all seemed to get a little more hopeful about sporty bikes.
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Unless she has a longer inseam than I do (5'2") she'll barely be able to tiptoe a 650R.

OP - although they're expensive, I totally recommend Daytona Ladystar boots. Regardless of which bike she ends up going with, these will no doubt help her feel more secure-footed. It will be hard finding something standard that doesn't have a taller seat. Cruisers are able to get away with lower seats due to the fact that your legs are held out in front.
 
I'm 5'4" with a VERY short inseam and I find the cbr good...feet are not perfectly flat but it's not been a problem...I have an '08 with less than 150 km for sale if your're interested...
 
My Zephyr 550 was very low. Many older naked bikes in that category are just as low.

The other option as mentioned would be a more modern beginner bike (125/250) lowered to her liking. I agree cruisers are not for beginners any more than supersports are. Natural riding position is most important in the early stages of a motorcycle career.
 
I bought my wife a 1974 Honda CB125 (11 hp) :), it was great for her to learn on for a year, 200lbs.
Then she rode our 1983 Suzuki GR650 which was a little bit too big, although after a few drops (not moving, she could ride it fine) I got her a 1979 Suzuki GS425 which is almost the same power but just small enough to allow her both feet flat on the ground.

She's the same size as your wife.

I guess what I'm saying is if you don't mind used and are not afraid of older bikes, it opens up a much wider field of possibilities. It also allows her to learn without worrying about scratching a brand new bike and believe me the confidence piece is really important.

Dave
 
+1 for the CBR 125, you can cut the spacers on the front forks down by about 10mm before you run any bottoming out risks, shave the seat slightly and if you're running OEM tires drop the tire pressure by 1 or 2 psi. If you want to adjust the rear suspension speak to the guys who run the 125 cup about the adjustability of the Elka shocks. I think the pirelli tires they use for the cup are a lower profile so they might drop the bike a little more than 1 or 2 psi on the stock (I think they also run them around 26psi not the 32psi that the stock tires recommend).
 
Previous generation Ninja 250 had a seat height of 29" which is an inch lower than a CBR125 and 2 lower than bikes like SV or Ninja 650. You can also remove some foaming from the seat and raise the bars a bit. I sold my ZZR250 to a 5ft girl and she was fine on it.
It's also a reliable bike that you can pick up very cheap. I think the EX500 had the same kind of ergonomics as well, if she likes more power.
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