Damn you tall people!

[Shifty]

After sitting on a mate's 98 GSXR600 yesterday, I've decided there's no way in hell I can possibly ride one. It's too top-heavy... I can't even get it off the stand confidently! The bike I was riding around yesterday weighs much the same, but it is much easier to pick up off the stand as it's a lower seat height and (I assume) the weight is down lower. Unless there's been a drastic change to the weight or the top/bottom weight distribution on the newer models, I'm stuffed :(

[Charlie]

you can usually get the seat foam shaved and the suspension lowered slightly. (I believe? I'm a dirtbiker, so might be imagining it done to roadbikes) wear shoes with thick soles.

[bahaimus]

Leigh, Ducatis seem to have been designed with the shorter Italian rider in mind ;) :D

[Q]

Shifty
would trainer wheels help ?
;)

[fro]

Shifty... as bahaimus said, try a Duke.

I'm 5'10" (on a good day), and my wife is about 5'6". We both have no problem at all with reaching the ground due to the low seat height. The ST2's a bit bulky (yes, we have both dropped it getting it off the stand when we first got it), but once underway, you'd never guess it is as heavy as it is.

Even the SuperSports and Monsters are quite good for the stockier, less-leggy rider*.

* - Read: short and fat.

[Shifty]

Yes, I'm quite partial to ol' mate Ducati.

Unfortunately some of us are on budgets, and once I am off my "training wheels" (thanks Q :)) I had hoped to get something new with a warranty, etc.

An equivalent Ducati is about 50% more expensive, a bit of a rough penalty for being short!!

I have heard a lot about people getting custom seats made, and lowering the suspension a bit - unsure how the lowering would affect warranty, and also it's other expenses that need to be included in the budget.

[fro]

Shifty, what sort of budget are you looking at? We were looking at 2 year-old VFR800s whn we foudn our Duke. Sure, it's a 97, which is a bit older than what we initially wanted, but it's injected, and came with less than 15k on the odo. And was less moolah than the VFRs we looked at with 40-50k on the clock.

[rowdytoot]

glad you mentioned dropping the Duke fro, saved me the trouble of telling everyone :p...

ROwds

[fro]

Okay, now you've mentioned it Rowds, let us never talk of dropping of the Duke again... It makes my wife cry, which subsequently gives me pain, and then makes me cry...

[rowdytoot]

dude.. I nearly cried that day :(

oh BTW one of the guys I work with has an ST2 and it's broken... :(

Rowds

[bahaimus]

Broken dukes make baby jesus cry :(

Oh and insurance companies and/or owners wallets

Has the ST2 got a centre stand Fro?

I'm 6'1" and can straddle my Monster very easily. I have quite a bit of leg bend when I sit on the seat and have both feet on the ground. But fortunately, due to the lower peg position (thus limiting ground clearance) the leg position is still quite comfortable for me.

[dazza]

Dayum shifty you must be short :p

Go sit on the new one anyway you might be surprised

[Shifty]

Fro - probably mid teens, but as I said I want something with a full warranty - I'm sick of paying for and/or doing mechanical work. As such a two year old bike is no good to me.

Dazza - I'm 5'7-5'8, somewhere in that vicinity. On Drew's bike I had one leg fully extended and my foot flat on the ground, and the other was still about 4" from the ground!

I will go have a sit on some of the newies shortly, maybe they have improved for the vertically challenged. I have heard that they are also a bit narrower now, which will help too.

[fro]

Originally posted by bahaimus
Has the ST2 got a centre stand Fro?

Yes, but I fooked it up. First day I owned it, just picked it up, took it to Rowdy's, and went to push it off the centre stand to leave. First time I've had a bike with a centre stand, and it toppled off to the right (away from me). Fooker.

[msfto]

hehe i am not that tall either, and being a short female riding a CBR600F4I is kinda of a struggle... (i can barely tippy toe!) but ive got use to getting off the bike on one side.. it can be scarey at times esp. on a hill etc...

these links are quite useful!

http://www.vtwinmama.com/motorcycles_for_short_riders.htm

http://www.nebcom.com/noemi/moto/sbl.faq.html


cheers.
Helen

http://www.nebcom.com/noemi/moto/sbl.faq.html

[msfto]

since then, ive now ridden GSXR600s, CBR1000RR, R6s etc etc on road and on track and have no problems!

[80DGY]

Originally posted by bahaimus
Broken dukes make baby jesus cry :(

Haha, I'll try get some photos from work scanned in of some of the pearlers we get through.

My current favorite is the black 748 that the insurance quote was 10+k and they approved it :D

[bahaimus]

I didn't bother getting any photos of the Monster. But I now have great incentive not to crash it again. It has been 8 weeks now and I still don't have it back........

[Shifty]

Goddamn, any idea when it's coming back?