Bikes for the short of leg.

I wouldn't reccomend sports 400 for somebody who has never rode so much as a scooter.
You've got to learn to walk before you can run.
What I am looking for is a cruiser type bike with 33BHP. That way she can do the test on a smaller bike and ride for 2 years before moving onto something bigger.

I agree the virago has been smacked with the ugly stick but it's a shaftie, just trying to find power output figures.
I think the 650 drag star was about 40 BHP so the viargo should be less than that.

My Lady is 5'3" and rides a Yamaha Thundercat. She's had it from new and it was especially lowered and suspension sorted for her light weight plus the seat was professionally cut and lowered before she picked it up. She bartered with them on purchase and so they threw it all in for her.

She copes with the height although she does look like a swan coming into land sometimes at traffic lights! She's been riding for years and annoys the hell off me when she occassionally goes up to 140 mph+ knowing that mine won't quite keep up but at least in the twisties and upto the ton or so she's mine!!!

its more to do with inside leg measurement than height for most bikes. i have the same inside leg measurement as my 12 year old daughter (cow) and i can reach the ground with one foot on sv. the raptor was much lower i had both feet firmly planted and that was the 1000cc too. your a lucky git amanda

I'm only just 5' 3" on a good day and have the SV plus the blade and also half a Busa (long story). All three fit me OK, al be it that the blade has a cut out seat and bu**er all padding left in it. The weight can be an issue as by the time I have planted a foot down the bike is off vertical and i struggle to hold it- pulling up next to a mate to lean on is a big help! I have a pal who is just under 5' and she has lowered her SV and also has a Kwik as F**ky ZXR4oo and that is absolutely tiny - even i get both feet flat down on that. Fun on twisties but revs too high for me and the noise drives me nuts.

Originally Posted by burner

I think the 650 drag star was about 40 BHP so the viargo should be less than that.

TWO mag has it at 44bhp. Give it 4 stars (out of 5), too. Very popular little bikes. Must be for a reason.

I agree it can often me more about having a thinner seat than the overall height itself... that and the weight.

Some of the bikes I felt most comfortable on in the early years were trailies and enduros... too tall for me to get even a toe down (stopping meant shifting my left butt cheek off the seat to get my foot down) but the seat was thinner and the bikes were lighter so I actually felt more confident handling them at low speeds.

ZXR400's are fantastic though, so light you can really throw them into a corner with confidence and go like a rat up a drainpipe; a cramped ride for anyone over about 5'6"... loved mine and wish I still had it for trackdays.

So, as well as putting longer links in, and removing the padding from the seat, is there anything else that can be done to lower the SV?

I've got the longer links on mine and I can touch one side on tip toe at the moment.

You can wind the forks through the yoke but I don't kow how this would affect the handling.

Hmm, let me think...

I'm five foot three with a thirty inch inside leg.

I started of on a Yamaha Trailway 125 - nice upright position for a small person, so I could see over the traffic and still get both feet on the floor.

I did my 500 test on a CB500 and hated it - far too wide and heavy and cacked up on the u turn every time until the actual test itself. Also, I couldn't get it up on the centre stand but they let me off. Have you considered what bike she'll take the test on? It'll make all the difference to an inexperienced rider with loads of other stuff to worry about.

I loved the Monster 620 and had loads of fun test riding it shortly after I passed. I felt really comfortable on it as I could get both feet down and manage the weight.

Someone then pointed me in the direction of the naked SV (K1) and I really clicked with it because I wasn't scared of the physical size of the bike, which made me a very confident rider indeed (OK, hooligan ). I got on with it so well that I traded up to the K3 sport in anticipation of longer journeys and the slight difference in height and riding position weren't a problem. You just need to remember that you'll always take the weight on one foot when you stop and that's something you figure out for yourself. And there's usually someone to push you back over a camber when you have to park somewhere awkward.

I tired a cruiser early on and didn't like the riding position - I felt reallyunstable with my feet up and my arms sticking out.

I had a brief flirtation with an R6 last summer and although I could get both feet down flat, it didn't really do much for me (and I gave it some in the Alps). Much happier with a more responsive SV to chuck around the hairpins.

Dunno if that helps!

Debs

Originally Posted by Grinch

My wife is 4'11" and she rides a 94 Monster 600. Though she can touch the ground once the rear spring and shuch as been wound down she tends to wear 'New Rock' Style boots. Also the fact that the bike is lowered so much it does now tend to 'squirm' about a bit, wobbling the bars. But she loves the bike and as Scoobs will tell you she don't hang around.
I'll have to get a steering damaper to help calm the wobble down. The 620 is not as low as the older models but the main problem is the seat width. The only other bikes she found that where low enough with a thinner seat was the Cagiva Raptor 650 and 1000. Funnly enough thats what she would like next.

My ex is 4-11 also, she ended upgetting an old CM250C but really wants a Monster.

I am not sure if it's possible on your side of the pond, but I believe that US spec M600s and M620s have a seat height an inch or so lower than the european spec models.... they are specificly aimed at the womens market over here