Hi all, it's been a while since I've posted on here, just been skipping thru posts once in a while...
Anyway, I've got a friend who's 5'2'' and she rides a buell blast. She wants to get a different bike. It doesn't need to have a ton of power, that's not really a concern. But it's hard to find something with a low enough seat height. I think the buell blast is something like 26'' seat height. What would you recommend? She was looking at the harley 1200 nightster, but what is there in the ways of a sport bike? I'm sure a GS500f would be great for her, but it's just too tall, she kinda likes the SV650.
ninja 250 + lower links
ninja 500 + lower links
gs500 + lower links
a 1200 HD would be a real imposibility should she drop it.
Quote from: ohgood on October 09, 2008, 09:21:06 AM
ninja 250 + lower links
ninja 500 + lower links
gs500 + lower links
a 1200 HD would be a real imposibility should she drop it.
Thanks, I'll look into the lowering links. How much work is it to install?
I can go along with wanting a shorter bike as a first bike - but at some point, shorties need to realize that there's no need to flatfoot both feet on the ground. Or even touch both feet at the same time.
I'm a shorty (an inch shorter than your friend), and I've learned how much easier it is just to ride a bike and not worry about the height. When you come to a stop, do it with your left foot flat on the ground and your right foot up on the peg. Easy. The bike is actually more stable with a slight lean to one side than it is when you try to balance it straight up-and-down, and it's constantly wobbling from one side to another.
I had a lowered SV650. It screwed up the handling; the bike would scrape hard parts without using close to all of the tire. And it really didn't help me ride it any. I got a non-lowered SV a little later, and was just as comfy.
If you really want that extra inch, shaving the seat is a lot less invasive than lowering the bike. Or reshaping it (the post-'00 GSs had annoying 'wings' on the front sides of the seat that push your thighs off to the side, and just trimming those off makes the reach to the ground a lot more comfortable).
Actually - I do own one bike I can flatfoot:
(http://www.roadstergal.info/images/lean2.jpg)
Sporty, but kinda slow.
I agree with it screwing up the handling, I know she's not going to be leaning it over that much, but also resale value probably isn't as good once you've lowered it and all. Maybe I'll go to a motorcycle shop with her and see how she looks sitting on the GS, if shaving the seat would help enough. She just doesn't like her blast that much, but she can flat foot on it.
I told her she can just put one foot down, she didn't like that idea. I usually never put both feet down, I do the same, left down right up. Unless it's really windy.
She needs some dirt ridin'! :cheers:
I don't blame her for not liking the Blast. They are really very buzzy (and I own and love my share of thumpers) and quite cheap and plasticky in construction.
Quote from: Roadstergal on October 09, 2008, 10:02:30 AM
She needs some dirt ridin'! :cheers:
I don't blame her for not liking the Blast. They are really very buzzy (and I own and love my share of thumpers) and quite cheap and plasticky in construction.
She's ridden dirt bikes. But the blast is her first street bike.
and yeah, when that thing is idling, it sure is shakin!! It's as bad as my dads road king!
I lowered my GS500F K8 by 2 inches. Takes 10 minutes to do. Once she gains confidence you can remove restore it to a height nearer to stock. I had to adjust my stand as well.
I am happy with it since it allowed me to ride the bike I want as opposed to a cruiser (that I did not want).
Thanks
Does she want sport or crusier??? I was unclear on what she actually wants so its going to make a difference. If a sport bike, how about 650r with lowering kit, or the new suzuki gladius possibly with a lower kit as well. That should be enough oomph to keep her entertained while allowing for a little room to not kill her. Also a kawasaki eliminator may be the ticket in the cruiser world. They're a 4 cylinder cruiser with a really low seat height. I was also thinking of the boulevard s50 v twin which may be a bit buzzy, but liquid cooled, cheap, girly looking enough, and enough power to be happy on.
Just my .02
I lowered my GS two inches in the rear and just under two in the front. The seat height is under 28 inches.
As far as picking the bike up, watch this:
http://www.pinkribbonrides.com/dropped.html
...if your talking about a bike thats too heavy (HD)
And I have to disagree with some about the flat foot thing. I really enjoy having both feet down. More stability and control of the bike. But this is my first bike. I rode dirtbikes as a kid that were too tall for me and I remember how unmanagable they were.
I would tell her to get a Gs and if its too tall, and she needs both feet down, just let most of the air out of the back tire. And wear out the shock . Have a fat man bounce on the bike till it drops down. This wont hurt resale of the bike as much I dont think... :dunno_white:
Not that it matters but I didn't have a problem putting only one foot down in Chicagoland but in Omaha/Lincoln it's a different story. I actually had my first drop trying to maneuver it around in a parking lot in Omaha. The whole parking lot was on a hill and I just took a bad angle. Anyway, my point is that getting two feet down is a bit more important when you're parking on hills and what not (for me). Just my two cents, though.
Hell my skinny ass can upright a goldwing, up through 07, never tried on an 08. its all in the technique ( i am the gs rider in my avatar with teh backpack on)
Other than cutting down the seat, the lowering is easily reversible. Pick up a used sidestand and modify it for the lowered bike. The forks definitely need to be re-sprung if lowered in the clamps. I've seen a SV650 lowered for a 4'11" rider. The resale value of a properly lowered bike can be higher than stock.
GS will not even make it to #5 on beginner bikes.
#1 and I have not changed my position on this in over 12 years. Virago 535. 87-90. The no tank in front of you version.
#2 Again several years. Savage 650.
#3 Vulcan 500.
#4 KZ 305CSR or whatever was the parallel 2 cyl cruiser I forget.
#5 400 maxim yamaha.
There is several more before we get to a GS.
Cool.
Buddha.
come on buddha, make it a top 20 list. i'm dying to know what other bikes you'd recommnd instead of a GS. i personally think the GS is a fat hog. :laugh: (of course i've only sat on a newer F model and tried to manuver it a bit round the dealership.) i'm a short person myself so this thread intrests me. :icon_mrgreen:
Quote from: The Buddha on October 11, 2008, 08:13:32 PM#2 Again several years. Savage 650.
Yuz gots to be kidding. Those bikes are highly craptastic from a riding standpoint.
OK, not as bad as the 250 Nighthawk, but still - I'm glad I started on a GS500.
Quote from: porsche4786 on October 09, 2008, 09:09:36 AM
Hi all, it's been a while since I've posted on here, just been skipping thru posts once in a while...
Anyway, I've got a friend who's 5'2'' and she rides a buell blast. She wants to get a different bike. It doesn't need to have a ton of power, that's not really a concern. But it's hard to find something with a low enough seat height. I think the buell blast is something like 26'' seat height. What would you recommend? She was looking at the harley 1200 nightster, but what is there in the ways of a sport bike? I'm sure a GS500f would be great for her, but it's just too tall, she kinda likes the SV650.
thers no way the GS is taller than a SV..
Quote from: Roadstergal on October 13, 2008, 10:36:26 AM
Quote from: The Buddha on October 11, 2008, 08:13:32 PM#2 Again several years. Savage 650.
Yuz gots to be kidding. Those bikes are highly craptastic from a riding standpoint.
OK, not as bad as the 250 Nighthawk, but still - I'm glad I started on a GS500.
how so? i KNOW youre not naive enough to compare teh savage to a sport type bike, but how are they craptastic, ( cept maybe for teh thumper aspect of it?. lemme know i am curious :thumb:
Drum rear brake, lousy front brake, wheezy tractor engine, scrapes pegs with very moderate lean angle, so low you sit below traffic (can't see, can't be seen)... There's just nothing particularly right about it, even though there's nothing horribly wrong with it.
Oh, and one thing I think gets brought up too infrequently - motorcycling is a physical sport. Strength training really pays off when it comes to being comfortable moving a bike around.
OK, I want this top 20 list.
The fiance just got her license. She isn't super hot on the GS. She thinks she wants a buell blast. Hast ridden one yet. Got her on the GS500 last night, lowered a little bit, maybe 1". She can almost flat foot it (she is 5'1", and all legs) She wants a Gladius. When I explained it had almost 2x the power it didn't sink in. Then I made her open the GS500 up in 2nd gear last night. She doesn't need a 650 any more.
Other cool looking, safe bikes for the shorter rider?
Holy resurrection Batman.
Anyway, any list of this kind is very subjective but I like the list at this link:
http://motorcycles.about.com/od/howtostartridin1/tp/Ten-Great-Beginner-Motorcycles.htm (http://motorcycles.about.com/od/howtostartridin1/tp/Ten-Great-Beginner-Motorcycles.htm)
Of course the GS500 is number one.
-Porkchop
nice looking list porkchop. now if only it were a top 20. :icon_mrgreen:
I really wish 400s were more popular in the US.
Although I am big for one, a Bandit 400 is something I always wanted.
That beginner list has 650s and 750s on it?
Quote from: Porkchop on June 09, 2009, 06:51:03 AM
Holy resurrection Batman.
Anyway, any list of this kind is very subjective but I like the list at this link:
http://motorcycles.about.com/od/howtostartridin1/tp/Ten-Great-Beginner-Motorcycles.htm (http://motorcycles.about.com/od/howtostartridin1/tp/Ten-Great-Beginner-Motorcycles.htm)
Of course the GS500 is number one.
-Porkchop
i'm of the impression that 650/750 cruisers are a horse of a different color when compared to same size engine in a sport bike. i could be wrong though. :dunno_white:
Quote from: jserio on June 09, 2009, 07:54:08 AM
i'm of the impression that 650/750 cruisers are a horse of a different color when compared to same size engine in a sport bike. i could be wrong though. :dunno_white:
Yeah, a 650 cruiser is going to be much slower than a 650 twin sport bike. My dad has a harley with a 1450cc twin engine and my 600cc (4 cylinder) is much MUCH faster. The cruisers I believe are set up for more torque....and cruising.
Quotenice looking list porkchop. now if only it were a top 20.
Actually, even though the list was a top 10 list it had a link to two other top ten lists. So in reality, it was really a top 30 list. :confused:
-Porkchop
Quote from: Roadstergal on October 15, 2008, 08:32:16 AM
Drum rear brake, lousy front brake, wheezy tractor engine, scrapes pegs with very moderate lean angle, so low you sit below traffic (can't see, can't be seen)... There's just nothing particularly right about it, even though there's nothing horribly wrong with it.
Oh, and one thing I think gets brought up too infrequently - motorcycling is a physical sport. Strength training really pays off when it comes to being comfortable moving a bike around.
I have owned and ridden 6 savages ... its not wheezy, but it does run out of steam at ~100 indicated. Sorta like a GS but slow revving and tall gearing cos it got torque and not revs.
Front brakes are not great, but its a cruiser. Not much else has better brakes in that genre. Its light weight gives it stopping power with brakes that dont sound impressive on paper.
Yes it will scrape pegs easy, They are wide and low and so is the bike ... but my 535 was worse, the vulcan 500 is almost as bad, and the larger virago's get by only cos they are high and cramped in the peg area. No cruiser is better.
There are only 2 legit complaints with a savage and both IMHO are pretty minor.
1. The 4 speed, you're rolling along and you anticipate a cager cutting you off ... you pull the clutch in, 2 seconds later you know he's seen you and you are sure he's not killing you right now ... you will be too slow for the gear you were in, and too fast for the next lower one. The 5 spd was apparently better.
2. The bars the angles the effort of steering etc etc are a bit much and yes I understand how raked out feels like, yet the offset on the triples etc etc should be better adjusted to make it less effort. It also needs drag bars, its ergo's suck, GS got nothign on the stock savage bars, torture device at its purest.
Its easy to work on, has some defects but nothign too great, and its bottom end is build to take the bomb ... nothign like that ...
Cool.
Buddha.
Quote from: intergalactic on June 09, 2009, 07:51:58 AM
I really wish 400s were more popular in the US.
Although I am big for one, a Bandit 400 is something I always wanted.
That beginner list has 650s and 750s on it?
Suzuki used to make an SV400, but it was only for the Japanese market. I always thought that would be a great commuter bike.
hopefully the bike market will take a change for the positive and we'll get some smaller displacement bikes. i would think that would help drive insurance costs down, hell, total cost of ownership. i'd honestly like a sub-600 FI bike under 5k new. but, that's just me.
Quote from: porsche4786 on June 09, 2009, 08:22:58 AM
Quote from: jserio on June 09, 2009, 07:54:08 AM
i'm of the impression that 650/750 cruisers are a horse of a different color when compared to same size engine in a sport bike. i could be wrong though. :dunno_white:
Yeah, a 650 cruiser is going to be much slower than a 650 twin sport bike. My dad has a harley with a 1450cc twin engine and my 600cc (4 cylinder) is much MUCH faster. The cruisers I believe are set up for more torque....and cruising.
AND comfort :angel:
comfort is important. :thumb:
indeed it is. not many bikes that can do BOTH equally well IMHO. you give up one to get the other
So she decided to do the one leg down thing at stop lights. So I will be selling lowering links and a shortened kickstand soon.
:thumb:
Quote from: The Buddha on June 09, 2009, 12:26:12 PM
I have owned and ridden 6 savages ... its not wheezy, but it does run out of steam at ~100 indicated.
See, I almost got a savage, but I read online that they ran out of steam at 80mph. I ended up getting the GS because it can do 80-90 pretty easy. If I'd known they do 100 I may have never gotten my k5.
i guess the question is, how fast does one really need to go on the street? :dunno_white:
well take that into account as well as the interstate too, speed is fun IF DONE SAFELY, will never be legal for teh most part BUT if you are gonna do it, do it safely
here in a few days ill get to resurrect a honda thats been sitting in storage for a year a 900 of some kind ( a cruiser)
Savage is really cool, it would actually think its more fun than a GS, you can mod it a 100 ways including my recent favorite, fitting a dirt bike front end on it ... instant chopper. Its untra low seat height lets you do anything you please without jacking up the ride to the sky.
A KX250 FE like I am slapping on turns it from a 32 rake to a ~45 rake. Its ~12 inches longer when fully loaded. Plus its has a 21 tar.
Cool.
Buddha.
Yep get a Savage and then do this with it. :bowdown:
I love this bike.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h4-w0f0t5xY/Rf1_-pUrP-I/AAAAAAAAAC8/sgokdxdLybc/s1600/savage_cafe_1.jpg)
hmmm....you can ride a red X?? interesting. :icon_mrgreen: :cheers:
You need to hit refresh sucka, I see it fine :tongue2:
hmmm.....nope.... :dunno_white:
refresh doesn't work. had to view the page in IE to even see a red x, firefox just has a blank field.
(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_h4-w0f0t5xY/Rf1_-pUrP-I/AAAAAAAAAC8/sgokdxdLybc/s1600/savage_cafe_1.jpg)
here's my attempt.
Also, it looks like the owner never adjusted the idle mix on the carb, and the lean burn colored the pipe.
I can see that one too, oh and I still see mine :tongue2:
all i see is a red x
let's try this one
(http://i166.photobucket.com/albums/u117/s0crates82/savage_cafe_1.jpg)
ah, yes, much better now. :icon_mrgreen: