Comments on: Short Woman Shopping: bike-hunting tips for shorter riders

By: BladeRider

BladeRider — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:53:29 +0000

Hi everyone :-) I hope you are all well :-)

I hope you don’t mind me popping back and bunging another link to my site on here. I got a new bike for Christmas, a 1995 Fireblade (Honda CBR900) and had a.. ermm.. little difficulty reaching the ground on it..

This link – http://ravenbladerider.wordpress.com/2010/03/15/lowering-the-ride-height-on-a-cbr900-fireblade/ – shows how I shaved the foam off the seat of my bike so I could get a bit more foot on the floor :-)

By: judith

judith — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:43:43 +0000

I can ride any motorcycle,its the stopping flatfooted thats the problem.I had to learn fast to lower all my mcs.I was embarrased thirtysome years ago when I rode up to a 1% clubhouse,did’nt get my feet down right and fell over.
5′,2″,106 lbs.

By: Corn Dog

Corn Dog — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:13:25 +0000

Kat, the 750 I owned was heavier than the Yamaha 250 I started with, but it was very well-balanced and I had no trouble maneuvering it around, including “walking it” backwards (such as into or out of a parking space). The Kuryakyn ISO grips are made for many makes and models of bikes, you can get them through J&P Cycles from a variety of sources – J&P Cycles and Dennis Kirk are the two sources I used most often when not shopping with my HD dealer. Be sure to spend a few extra bucks and get the “wrist rest” add-on, it’s well worth it… allows you to relax your grip on the throttle while the weight of your hand keeps it open.

By the way, on the 600 – I sat on that bike the day I ended up buying the 750. I LOVED the way it felt and fit; the only reason I didn’t buy it was because it was only a four-speed, which my hubby thought would not be enough power on the highway. I bought the 750; later heard mixed reports from others who owned the 600 – some said they never felt like it was lagging, others definitely did. As much as I loved the way the bike fit me, I was glad I bought the 750 instead.

Have fun shopping!

By: Kat Kleinsmith

Kat Kleinsmith — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 02:11:45 +0000

Janet
Thank you so much, your so very right there is a lot of vibration with the Rebel, I find that it is both my hands not just one, my husband has been at a loss on how to help me as he rides a BMW Cruiser and doesn’t have this problem, the bike actaully fits me through the arm length and height well now that I have lowered it and got boots with heels, the shopping I’ve done has been real fun(still looking) leaning me towards the Honda Spirit, I was looking for a Honda 600 but found out there discontinuing that model, the dealer said people were complaining they were dogs on the freeway and that the larger models were being purchased more readily, so the 750 I checked out seem to fit but a bit heavy, handle bars fit and I really like the looks.
So were would I find these Kuryakyn ISO Grips handle grips? Are they designed to fit most bikes?

Kat Kleinsmith

By: Corn Dog

Corn Dog — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:46:50 +0000

Kat, there are two things I can think of off-hand that might cause your hands to go to sleep. One is an incorrect (for you) riding position; the other is vibration in your handlebars.

Riding position – Because I’m so short, I’ve found that often, the stock handlebar set-up on a new bike creates too far of a reach. This can burn starting between my shoulder blades and all the way down my arms into my hands. The solution is to figure out how much pullback you need in your bars, and see if you can find some risers or extensions that will alter the handlebars into the right position.

Vibration – I hadn’t heard about vibration being a problem with the Rebel, but on a pre-2004 Sportster, believe me – it’s an issue! So it might be with your bike too. Depending on how the engine is mounted (among other potential variables), the vibration from the engine might be traveling through the bike and creating a buzzing or vibrating sensation in your hands. After some distance of riding, this makes them feel numb and/or puts them to sleep. There may be a deadening insert you can put into your handlebars (I know at least one person who did this on her Sporty), or maybe some kind of padded handgrips might work to reduce the vibe.

All that said, if you are looking new bikes, definitely research whether vibration is an issue in the bike you’re considering as well as the handlebar position. As a very short shopper, I found that the Honda VLX (which is a 600) and the Shadow 750 Spirit both fit me very well. I owned the Shadow for about 18 months and put padded grips on it (Kuryakyn ISO Grips), and never had a vibration problem. On my 883 Sportster, I changed handlebars a couple times – once for comfort and once for looks – and it didn’t lessen the vibration any but it did make my shoulders more comfortable. On my 1200, the engine is mounted differently so the vibration’s not so noticable, but I got ISO grips for my birthday so we’ll be adding those soon and that should eliminate virtually all of it.

Other thoughts welcome, so others please chime in!

By: Kat Kleinsmith

Kat Kleinsmith — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 12:27:57 +0000

Biker chick
I am 4’11 (quite short) and have a Honda Rebel (not a very big bike), and I’m thinking of graduating to a larger bike, but I have some concerns about the weight of the larger bikes and the arm length, the weight I think I can handle but the real problem as it is I have trouble with my hands going to sleep.
What do you do to stop this from happening?
Kat

By: Janet

Janet — Fri, 22 May 2009 13:34:00 +0000

T – “no time for freezing up due to lack of experience” – that is a very good point, if you live in a busy city with aggressive drivers, that could be very daunting. I do have lots of gal pals who handle the bigger bikes with no problem, but so far I find my 883 Sporty fits me really well. I just found a great catalog with an interesting new front-end setup that I would love to try – makes it look like a mini-FatBoy! Bet it’s expensive though. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Janet

By: Tail

Tail — Fri, 22 May 2009 12:46:01 +0000

I have been thinking about taking a good class and learning to ride but I live in Houston Texas which is a very dangerous place for novice riders so I continue to ride with my husband on our Harley. I prefer the Sportster because it fits me the best and is more compatible weight wise. I am not afraid of my riding abilities it is the people in the cages that scare me there is no time for freezing up due to lack of experience. We have had some pretty close calls that my husband’s riding abilities saved us from. I just recently finished chemo and survived breast cancer so riding a bike is not so challenging anymore.

By: BikerChick

BikerChick — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 02:35:02 +0000

Mrs. Road, thanks for sharing that link – it also appears in the text of my more recent post that provides an update to this article. It was a Herculean effort from Women Riders Now and VERY helpful! ~ Janet

By: Mrs Road Captain

Mrs Road Captain — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:16:33 +0000

Jade,
I recnetly read an article on Women Riders Now that listed all of the bikes from major manufacturers that come stock with a low seat height. It might be helpful to you. Here’s the link: http://www.womenridersnow.com/PublicFiles/DepartmentViewer.asp?ArticleID=1187