Posted August 16, 201311 yr Hey all, I need to find a road bike for a female rider who is 5' 4", not particularly long in the leg, can cope with around 27-28" easy enough so could probably stretch to . Looking for something like a Bandit or Fazer, will need a good 4-600cc on the engine, reasonable performance, easy maintenance, cheap and/or plentiful parts, decent fuel economy. Shaft drive an advantage, as is "nice colour" but neither is essential. Brand preferably Yammie, will be fine with Honda, Suzi and *maybe* even Kwak. So... what's out there?
August 16, 201311 yr Author Sub £1000 if we can find her one!! So gently used, or even 'well-used but mechanically sound'. Even TLC-wanting types, so long as it doesn't cost too much and can be ridden around happily while she awaits parts.
August 16, 201311 yr Moderator ...............as is "nice colour" .................. ????????????????????? Get her an SV 650
August 16, 201311 yr Author Get her an SV 650 31.7" seat height on a 29" inside leg? How's she gonna even get on it?
August 16, 201311 yr Honda CB500. Can't go wrong with that, and a fair few on the market for under the kilopound!
August 16, 201311 yr Cagiva Raptor, Ducati Monster, Kawasaki ER6, Suzuki Gladius (the original SV is not that short). And that's without lowering kits or, heaven forbid, a cruiser! She might want to take a peek at the Curvy Riders website as a lot of the girls have had to find/adjust bikes for the not-so-tall. Not sure if Yamaha ever bothered?
August 17, 201311 yr Moderator 31.7" seat height on a 29" inside leg? How's she gonna even get on it? Sit on one. She will be able to touch the floor with both feet and not on tippy toes. I've got one. You can get lowering kits for them but she wont need it. I would have gone with a Duke monster but not for under a grand. The CB500 is a good contender.
August 18, 201311 yr Author Sit on one. She will be able to touch the floor with both feet and not on tippy toes. I've got one. You can get lowering kits for them but she wont need it. I would have gone with a Duke monster but not for under a grand. The CB500 is a good contender. I took her up the Honda dealer yesterday - The CB500 was too tall. She was on tippy toes and would never manage it outside the showroom. There was an old Bandit she was OK on, but nothing else (apart from a gay Shadow and some 125s) was any good
August 18, 201311 yr Tasky I have a Bandit 400 if your interested? give me a PM, just fixed the clutch and need to replace the rear brake shoes and I have 2 new tyres ready to go on so might be worth your while having a look. Was hoping to get it MOTd in the next week or so and then it's ready to go out.
August 19, 201311 yr Katie, he said nice colour! And 80's yamahas look deadly in their garish shell suit colour schemes.
August 19, 201311 yr Author Apparently "nice colour" would be an electric duke blue (I just Googled that), as in the dark blues you sometimes see on Fazers with the goldish accents.
August 19, 201311 yr Katie, he said nice colour! And 80's yamahas look deadly in their garish shell suit colour schemes. Hey, I like pink myself. Just most girls would relocate your exhaust if you suggested pink bike/leathers etc for them just 'cos they're girls. Personally, my fantasy garage won't be complete until I have a 1098 and a MGS-01kitted out in Lady Penelope pink...
August 20, 201311 yr Apparently "nice colour" would be an electric duke blue (I just Googled that), as in the dark blues you sometimes see on Fazers with the goldish accents. Ooh, how about a GS500? Low seat height, really narrow seating position (great feeling for stability if you're not very confident), light weight and fab V twin engine. Usually available dirt cheap. The brakes are made of wood but apart from that, they're great!
August 20, 201311 yr Author Ah yeah, I'd been trying to remember what 4-600cc big bikes schools use for training. IIRC, the GS500 is that fecking awkward piece of shyte where every riding school (apart from my first one) replaces the stupid manufacturer's bars before they even switch it on for the first time? 31" seat height, apparently. She'd have to try it, I suppose... What else do schools use? Is there a Kawasaki ER400, 500, 600? I know there's a nice Yammie 400 - XJR400, is it? Ooh, I wonder if any in the XJ/XJR range are low enough... If there's a nice, low-ish 800, that'd be an option.
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