Novice newbie

[T]

Hi All! Having been a pillion rider for too many years I am now in the process of taking control.......... have my bike test at the end of the month, so hope to be riding in time for summer.... Yeay!! (provided I pass that is :-/) Have already decided not to get too ambitious with my first bike, so was thinking of a 600cc, but not sure if it might be a bit much for me to handle first time out, so any advice would be appreciated. Also, being a girlie of not-too-tall proportions means I have to consider the height/weight of the bike and my own limitations in terms of leg length. Any advice from those of you 5' 6" and under? Anyways, I live in the Chippenham area so if all goes according to plan I hope to see some of you around and about over summer. Hope you are enjoying the taster we have been having at the moment! 8-)

[Dabz]

welcome to the forums I reckon a 600 is fine straight after your test - it's not a huge jump from the 500 you'll do your test on. The only difference will be if you get a sportsbike or something a bit less extreme..a bandit 600 or hornet or fazer would do you proud while you're getting used to it all

[T]

Thanks for the advice Dabz.... and the welcome. Not only am I a novice rider, but Im a newbie to this forum stuff too, so I apologise in advance for any breaches in etiquette! Looking forward to improving my skills tho ........ in both respects

[FJ_Biker]

Hello T and good luck with the test

The big question is what type of bike do you want, sports, custom, retro, and the list goes on.

My top tip would be sit on the bike and move the handle bars till they hit the stops to make sure you have a good reach. If that makes sense .

[T]

Hi FJ_Biker....... thanks for the advice, and yes, it does make sense........ not-so-long-legs goes with the not-so-long-arms! In terms of style of bike, I like sports bikes, but being a newbie dont want to scare myself silly first time out (or get spat off!), so have been looking at sports tourers. Also, am doing the test with my boyfriend and he has even shorter legs than me! He works overseas alot so we will be sharing a bike to begin with (no point having one sitting doing nothing and going to waste) but he prefers retro/custom to sports bikes, so there will have to be some compromise there too. The bandit/fazer suggested by Dabz is something I have been considering in the faired versions......... anyone care to comment on how they handle? Am itching to get out there and test ride some but need that all-important bit of paper first - and the sun has been shining........ Aaargh! 8-)

[Dabz]

The 600 bandit handles pretty well, and the fairing helps to take the wind blast that you get on the nakeds off. They're really robust bikes and defintiely handled me learning to ride hehe!

[Scott_W]

Hi T! If you are after a sportsbike, I guess your budget comes in to play. You could easily fit on a RVF400 and they are nice bikes. If you feel the 400 cc engine will be too small for you in the long run then look at something say, like the GSXR600 or similar as they have narrow seats and lower seat heights than say the R6/CBR600's of the world.

There is a company out there (I think his name is Dr Hull or something like that - hopefully my wife, RVFBabe, can confirm this) that offers a service where he lowers the bike for you, but yet maintains the essence of the bike, i.e. it being a sportsbike. I don't think he charges all that much (especially in the world of bikes as well!) for his service.

[kwik]

Good luck with the test ... I'm 5'4" with a 31" inside leg and got straight on a FZR400. Narrow seat made it easier but it soon transpired I don't like sportsbikes (riding position) and felt too 'stretched' out to ride confidently. Wish I'd gone for the Hornet 600 after trying a mates' one (I think they are lighter than the Bandit, not too sure). Prefer the retro/naked bike look anyway and find they are more my style of riding. Try browsing http://www.400greybike.co.uk for info on 400/600cc bikes and plenty of short people around

[RVFBabe]

As Scott W has mentioned there is a company that lowers bikes, link added below:-

http://www.drshull.co.uk/

I'm 5'3 and ride the RVF400 but I've had this bike about 8-9 years now and at the time of looking there weren't any 600cc or above that I could fit.

Now, if I had the money I could get a GSXR 600, 750 or 1000 as they are lower, narrower and lighter and would fit it quite comfortably :

Good Luck!

[furry-TLR]

Hellos

5ft 6" not toooo short though so you might find you'll fit on more bikes than you expected.

You can get longer wishbones (also called dog bones) to lower the bike...problem with them is you then need to drop the front end through to keep the weight distribution the same(otherwise it will handle **** out of corners)...which is all well except you loose alot of ground clearance and might find the pegs touching base round corners if you ride hard.

400's are quite common with shorties...they can also prove to be costly to maintain though.
(ZXR400 is the best of them really when it comes to living with one...GSXR400 1990 onwards also good......Hondas are ok if you can swallow the high parts costs!)

One bike not mentioned here but is started to become pouplar with the ladys is the CCM R30 (Suzuki based 644cc version)...not got a massive top end only 110mph but it's a peach of a ride and handles so well (Even though I ride a TL1000R a little voice keeps telling me to get one lol)...They seem to be going on ebay for peanuts at the moment.

Bandit 600...ok smallish engine but the bike is physically quite big as is a Hornet 600 (From a shorties perspective anyway!)....both can be lowered but again you just need to get on one and try em


I've always been a suzuki person myself but I'm not keen on the latest GSXR's build quality on them is paper thin....better off getting a 636 but they ain't cheep even 2nd hand! (They hold their value well)

End of the day, try as many as you can, I've always been one for sportsbikes better tyre choice for them if nothing else got me into them