What bike for a short person?

[Farmer Palmer]

My girlfriends just passed her test and now she's looking for a bigger bike than her 'wee' Yamaha YBR 125!

Since we live on a farm with rough gravel roads and lots of mud etc. She would like a bike that could handle this with ease and also since we have been known to go to Iceland on the odd occaision with the bike, maybe one that could handle there aswell!!

The downside is that 'Ms Palmer' is only five feet tall!!

My thoughts were a 'lowered' F650GS but it's her bike and her decision and she'll be the one who has to ride it/pick it up/pay for it, etc

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks FP.

 

[greencat]

My girlies in the same boat (See Flower Deadwood posts in the heals on wheels section).
She's got her heart set on a 650GS but can't reach the ground properly even with the lowered seat . We're just trying to find someone/somewhere with a full on factory lowered version for her to sit on to see if that would be an option.
The girls in the Heals on Wheels section also recommended a nuber of other bikes (See my posing there) which your girlie might want to consider.

Congratulations to her, by the way, for passing .

 

[Timolgra]

My partners in a similar position with her test coming up in a few weeks and I've been looking at all options.

She loved the look of a 650 Dakar I had but for what it is, it's too heavy and too tall.

In the end my Suzuki DR650 seems to be the perfect bike, it had a lowish seat height, the suspension also allows for it to be lowered further as it has two mounting ponts at the bottom of the shock.
It's plenty fast enough with cheap and available options to change the gearing, bigger fuel tank etc etc.

The picture below may look a tad taller as it has different rear shock and bigger rear wheel.

A very much underrated bike IMO and no disrespect for GS650 owners but having had both this is a far better all round bike

Trouble is finding a good low mileage second hand one, Snoopy has been searching for one for a while.

Mine is set up to go anywhere now, trouble is, she can't have it

 

[Bert]

Well I'm a short ar*e! @ 1.62m

She loved the look of a 650 Dakar I had but for what it is, it's too heavy and too tall. nah!

Suzuki DR650
A very much underrated bike IMO and no disrespect for GS650 owners but having had both this is a far better all round bike noooooo

Mine is set up to go anywhere now, but not very far!

where do you put the luggage Tim? and fuel range?
This is much better IMVHO

 

[Timolgra]

Acerbis, IMS and Clarke all make various large tanks for the DR, I think the largest is the Safari at 5.9 galls. Corbin seats etc

Most types of luggage can be fitted see the ADVrider site for details.

Nice looking bike Bert

 

[sycomoto]

Anything that doesn't have GS on the tank

 

[Timolgra]

Luggage

 

[Jaq]

I'm 5ft and a squidgen and ride a F650GS which was factory lowered....wear Daytona 'Ladystar' boots...and no problems......

 

[Bert]

very nice

Luggage

that's tidy looking- well done - nice one
and probably lighter too I knew I missed something
and here is the front end with our pesky travel friends!
The fuel gauge is...unbreakable!

 

[Timolgra]

The fuel gauge is...unbreakable!

I like that

 

[VAL. H.]

My girlfriends just passed her test and now she's looking for a bigger bike than her 'wee' Yamaha YBR 125!

Since we live on a farm with rough gravel roads and lots of mud etc. She would like a bike that could handle this with ease and also since we have been known to go to Iceland on the odd occaision with the bike, maybe one that could handle there aswell!!

The downside is that 'Ms Palmer' is only five feet tall!!

My thoughts were a 'lowered' F650GS but it's her bike and her decision and she'll be the one who has to ride it/pick it up/pay for it, etc

Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks FP.

Give Wizard a shout, he posted a link about a rear suspention lowering kit for the 650 last september 'I think it was'

Then you put lowering blocks (tube actualy, I did this to a Vmax a couple of years ago) in the front forks and voila' you have a 650 gs that a small person can sit on and ride confidently.

A friend who is 4'10" had a sit on Jag's bike at the east mids last year. She could reach the ground with the balls of her feet and turn the bars lock to lock.
She could also reach the ground on the vfr / cbr 400 hondas, the 400 bandit and a 400 ducati though all were a long reach. For what it's worth she could also get the new 1900cc yamaha cruiser off it's stand quite easily.

 

[brassmonkey001]

www.koubalink.com do 1" and 2" lowering links for the 650GS.
What is her inside leg measurement? If you don't mind me asking.