Heresy

My middle daughter is looking at motorcycles and I am trying to help. She is only 4'10" with very short legs. She once had a Hyasung 250 cruiser and is looking at something like that. She is afraid of weight and power. I'm suggesting something like a Honda shadow rather than another 250. Any thoughts out there? Her mental picture is to accompany me on my weekend trips.

Suzuki S40, more power, close to same footprint as the Hyasung 250; it is a thumper though and does have vibration related to a big thumper and has drag bars. If she is afraid of the weight and power-Honda Rebel 250-these bikes can go all day long, can cruise at 70mph or faster (I have a friend who is on her 3rd Rebel and we have been on long week long trips-the Dragon, Blueridge parkway, Skyline drive, southern Ga from our homes in Indiana).

Honda Shadow is good and seat is puffy, if you need to trim it down there is room. I HIGHLY recommend against the Honda VLX 600, they are only 4 speed and get a pretty bad buzz about 60mph. Check out the Kawasaki Vulcan 500. They don't make them anymore due to ability to pass Calif emissions. They use the same engine that was on the 500 Ninja and run very nice for a 500. They are also a 6 speed and will run highway speeds pretty well. The 500 Vulcan is a small frame bike and won't feel like a big move for her.

davidc83 said:

Suzuki S40, more power, close to same footprint as the Hyasung 250; it is a thumper though and does have vibration related to a big thumper and has drag bars. If she is afraid of the weight and power-Honda Rebel 250-these bikes can go all day long, can cruise at 70mph or faster (I have a friend who is on her 3rd Rebel and we have been on long week long trips-the Dragon, Blueridge parkway, Skyline drive, southern Ga from our homes in Indiana).

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I agree why not another 250? As we all should know a bigger hp bike is not necessarily a better option. Also check out the Suzuki TU250 if she likes the style,will run 70-80 all day long with a bulletproof reputation.

Thanks for posting this question. My son Max first had a Yamaha TW200 about 5 years ago and just recently returned to riding on a 2007 Honda Rebel. He hated the bike at his first sight of it. After half a dozen hours riding it though he'll tell me how much he loves riding it, how much better the bike is than the TW. He is also thinking of a larger displacement bike and would like to stick with the cruiser style but not a lot more weight. He wants to be able to travel with me and keep up with my pace. I'm subscribed to this thread.

Also the Ninja 250 is excellent beginner bike, and the ergos are much more upright than other "sport bikes" but it is a little vibey at top speeds.

No one mentioned a mid sized scooter, so I thought I'd throw it in the ring. My wife is short and not super strong, and finding a low seat and low weight is a challenge. She has a Honda a Reflex, a liquid cooled 250cc scooter with full fairing. It tops out at 79 mph on GPS, and is very comfy and stable on the highway. Personally, I think it has adequate power. I ride it almost as much as she does. The weight is around 350 pounds, but scooters carry their weight very low. The range is 180-210 miles. It has under seat storage and a plate behind the rear seat that can accommodate a top box. There are two versions; the sport model lacks the top box mount plate.

The down side to scooters is the feet forward riding position, and the poor suspension. But, from what I've experienced, the roads down when you live are a lot smoother than mine up north. The floor boards are long on the Reflex, and I'm able to move one leg rearward and under me interchangable to alleviate the discomfort of the feet forward position.

The Reflex has since been superseded by the 300 Forza, but after riding one, I like the old Reflex better. The Forza has a slightly higher seat.

Piaggo

[video=youtube;s1331a4kf7E]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1331a4kf7E[/video]

and don't forget the CTX700!

I agree with the mid sized scooter idea. I think it would be hard to travel on a Rebel 250 or similar, not much room for luggage, topbox, tailbag, etc. Also when you add the wind resistance of the luggage you are going to be lacking power at highway speed. I had a Honda Nighthawk 250 (very similar to the Rebel), it was a fun bike but I wouldn't want to be on it on the highway for more than 30 minutes.

A Suzuki Burgman 400 or similar will give you a lot of luggage space, decent mpg, nice wind protection and decent highway power. Also a very low seat.

I also have a CBR250, it's a great bike for around town and light duty traveling, but the seat isn't as low as a scooter. It's much lighter than a scooter though, you'd be surprised how heavy those scooters are. The COG is very low though so it's manageable.

The CTX700 has a 28-inch plus seat height so it may be a bit too tall for someone who is 4'10". My guess would be that for someone of that small stature, a 250 scooter would be plenty!

I don't believe in the old adage of "buy it bigger because you'll get tired of a small bike." People who are just starting out need the confidence provided by a scooter or motorcycle that makes them feel comfy. I was an MSF Instructor for 16-years so have seen all the mostly-terrible permutations of men buying a motorcycle for a girl or woman in their family and it usually had negative results.

Lots of good ideas, keep them coming. She tried to sit on the TU, too tall, and she thought the CTX was too big. The rebel is a good idea. My MSF course was on those.

Here is an article on beginner bikes for women with lots of options and specs in one place.

Women Riders Now - Motorcycling News & Reviews

how about the Honda Grom.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=h...uw8KHVrWAmkQ_AUIBygB&biw=1366&bih=599#imgrc=_

Came to my Honda dealer to address some recalls and they have the Scout Sixty in the back. 25" seat height or so and it won't break the bank.

drdubb said:

Lots of good ideas, keep them coming. She tried to sit on the TU, too tall, and she thought the CTX was too big. The rebel is a good idea. My MSF course was on those.

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You may also be able to find a nice, used Suzuki gz250. It has more room than the Rebel 250, runs about the same as the Rebel, less vibrations than the Rebel. This was my first bike back into riding after a 25 year hiatus. I put 11,000 miles on that bike in 6 months, including a 2500 mile bike trip to Florida from Indiana (return trip was on Interstate from southern Alabama to Indiana-75mph all day long), and to me, the gz250 looks cooler than the Rebel.

My old Suzuki gz250 (2006 model);

i think a scooter is her best option. 250 cc to 300cc BV350 come with ABS now .

a scooter has the ability for her to move off the seat at the stop and stand on both feet.

at 4'10" she would be like 100 #..... any 250 is plenty of power

+1 on the Vulcan 500. You would have to go used, but the one I had was solid as a rock. I never had an issue with it. Yes it has a 28 inch seat height, but it might not be too bad.

Please don't kick me out of the forum for this, but another option would be the Harley Davidson 883 SuperLow. It's got a 25.5 inch "laden" seat height. It doesn't get much lower than that. Not even on a Rebel, a TU250 or the S40 and practically all the scooters. In fact, there are several Harley models whose seats can barely see over two rulers including the Iron 883, Street500/750 and even the 1200 Low. Since she already has some miles under her belt, I would consider picking up a used 883. You can find them fairly cheap with low miles. There are countless accessories and she could customize it however she wanted to.

If she doesn't want the Shadow or the CTX, the Harley would be a viable option. I love the way the S40 looks and feels (in the showroom) and almost bought one before I got the NC. I have a friend who had one and he loved it until he moved up to a bigger bike. Also, nobody's mentioned the Star Bolt or V-Star 650. They're both just over 27 inches.

She sat on an S40 in the dealership, but felt it was too big...not too tall. She also sat on a couple of harley's. Seat height ok, but afraid of the weight..heft.
I think we will have to go 250 for her to feel comfortable although I think a 500/750 or so would be much better.

The Star/Yamaha 250 is a pretty low sitting bike.