Bike for shorter than 5'3" little people
 

I am trying to get info on an appropriate bike for a person (woman in this case) shorter than 5'3". There are a number of postings that refer to shorter (5'6") but those precious 3" make a big difference.

Can anyone give me an idea of which bike would do the job and any indication of by how much any lowering kit made a difference to which ever make.

I understand that the F650 can be lowered quite significantly. Any owners of the Lowered version of this bike out there with comments.

I am 173cm (dunno what feet and inches are, i use SI, anyway) and a man, a relatively a short man:) I have a 97 F650 with lowered suspention. it works quite well. I had no problem what so ever. You just need to change the rear suspention and lower the front ones where they attacted to the handlebar. If you go to a dealer it will cost you about £300-£350. If you do it by your self you only have to pay for a rear suspention. fofr more info check f650.com faq.

good luck

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ride safely
ozhan u.
'97 F650
www.ozhanu.com/gezi

Take a look at the Chain Gang.
Search their site.
http://f650.com/forums/

I am going through this with my girlfriend of 5'1" now. Here is what my research has found out. The Suzuki DR 650 is the lowes factory 650 dual sport and is designed to be lowered.

I got her a DR-Z 400 and have lowered it where she can touch. First of all I backed the preload off so the sag is correct. The spring is too stiff for her weight, but that is ok for now. She gained several inches there alone. I then installed the lower gel seat. Another inch or two. I next put on a kuba link. She can now touch. I also raised the forkes in the tubes the same amount the link lowered it in the back. I haven't had a chance to test ride it yet. The link was easy to install and I am by no means a mechanic. All you do is take off two nuts, pull the bolts out and replace. I greased the berings since I was there and they needed it. Just use a second jack under the rear tire to line the holes easier.

The thing to remember about women is their legs are usually longer in relation to their bidy then men, so that means take a man of 5'1" and a woman of the same heigth and the woman usually has longer legs. This is not always the case but of course.

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John

Try with Kawa ER5, cheap, small and reliable, very good choice for girls.

Beat me to it. Was fiddling with an ER-500 yesterday. Belongs to a woman not much over 5ft tall, has some foam sculpted out of the seat & recovered, suits her fine.

Easy to work, reliable & best of all, they're cheap. Hers is for sale if you're interested?

Reg'd in 2000, sub-8,000 miles, getting an MOT today, new tyres. Advertised in yesterdays MCN for £1,400 or £1,450, she would take £1,300. Bike's in Oxford.

Try looking at these sites, which list bikes for the vertically challenged
http://www.vtwinmama.com/motorcycles...ort_riders.htm

http://www.supersarah.net/shortbikers.htm

or just search google for 'motorcycle short riders'
Bill

Don't forget the Yamaha XT225 Serow. I did 19,000 miles on it from Alaska to Ushuaia. You can read mor about it on my site www.loisontheloose.com
It's a great bike if you're happy not to get above 55mph. Super tough, simple, reliable and goes anywhere and nice low seat height. Very popular amongst short people and ladies. The new model is a 250 so that extra 25cc might give you a tinsy bit more umph!
Cheers,
Lois

This old chestnut again
 

So we eventually went for the Funduro for my partner:
Kouba Links $100
Hagon shock (short) £360
Cut seat out £25
Slide forks through

All resulting in new seat height of 720mm but this only leaves 35mm rear wheel travel before the swingarm smashes into the frame so the ride is a bit hard to say the least. At this height with all these mods my partner could only just get her 10 toes on the ground.

Just had two weeks in the Pyrenees (only on paved roads - Denis B). Riding was great, first trip for partner, no incidents, loads of lovely twisties. But there was no chance at all of stopping or getting off the bike on anything but absolutely flat.

prognosis: At 175kg (unloaded) the bike is too heavy for the limited foot grounding. If we had 1/2 inch lower then she could get a better footing to keep the bike stable. Now try and do this on a gravel road in africa somewhere...not worth taking the risk...

So after this very expensive experiment we are after a new bike.

Lois...thanks but the lack of speed is an issue. Most parts of Southern Africa have paved roads with very big fast trucks and we don't want to spend our time dodging truck. From your site you mention that with your lowered TTR250 you just get your toes down. What is your actual new seat height? Then again the new 250's can maintain good speed but most of them (XR, TTR, XT, XYZ) are all 890mm or higher...

We are seriously looking at options away from the cliche trail/off road bike. Seat height and low weight are imperitive.

I absoluelty love my Funduro especialy considering it is now fully overland ready (screen, luggage, protections etc) and I am very comfortable with it so I am now really torn about the recommendation of taking the same bikes. With partner most probably ending up on a wee small puney bike I will have to carry both our luggage and water/fuel etc.

So what I'm asking: Any idea of a bike to take someone across Africa with a seat height lower than 720mm, bigger than a 250cc, lighter than 140kg? Offroad, trail, custom, classic....anything so long as it can do the job.

Looked at the DR350 but no one can tell me how low it can go...same with the DR650SE (yes I have emailed Trui and Iris). Lecap...please go outside and measure one of your bikes and tell me what the lowered height is ag please man.

I don't want to sound arrogant but please please please don't repeat what every other site and thread has said about "..well this bike can go really low with cutting the seat and fitting longer links etc". If you don't know the ACTUAL lowered seat height then rather don't say anything. Alternatively if you know of someone with a lowered version of a bike you think will do the job them please send them in my direction so that we can at least go sit on the bike and see if it will do the job.

As you can see my partner and I are absolutly at our wits end and frustrated at the fact that the entire motorbike industry clearly do not cater for people that are vertically challenged...

...and no I am not going to get myself a new fiancee.

Get in done pro and it should be right!
 

Im a 5'5" male and ride a Yamaha TT600r(the old TALL kickstart one) which by all accounts is a really lofty bike.
I first had the seat lowered by Motorcycle Seat Works in Bradford (01274 604672). I wanted it really low, but he convinced me not to drop too much, so about 1.5/2 inches. He replaced the foam with a harder type suitable for my weight and made it a bit wider. Cost about £100. He did my mates TT600r seat as well, he's 6'4" so got it made really wide with loads of padding for his bony behind.
I also dropped the forks through the yokes about an inch.
I then rode 18,000 miles with the bike in this state. I still wasn't happy though. I read about a bloke in TBM that does suspension tuning including lowering, down in Essex somewhere ( www.endurotech.co.uk ) for about £200 for the full bike.
Rather than treck down there i found UK suspension up in Keighley ( 01535 606200 )who did a similar job for £300. He shortened the rear shock and put a lighter spring on it, revalved the forks and changed the springs for stiffer ones.
Basically its a further 2 inches lower and works really great on and off road. Its amazing the difference it makes. I can only get tip-toes down, but it feels half the size/weight it did before as i can get one foot off and flat on the ground even if its not flat.
People told me not to get it done as it would ruin its off-road ability, but i dont ride fast, so the added confidence its given me and the ability to stay upright on the rough stuff is well worth it.
I reckon i'll end up having this done to every bike i'll ever own(cos i is a short ass!)
Oh yeah, get the side-stand lowered so the bike doesnt try and fall over all the time (with all your luggage on!)
TT660r's are 131kg dry (according to Yam, probably about 140-something in reality) the slightly lower TT600re, which have electric start but no Ohlins shock and cheaper forks, weigh 150kg dry.
You could probably get work like this done to any bike

SEAT HEIGHT as requested.......
 

Been to measure it. Its still 840mm! Oh well it feels great to me now.
Im getting a ferry from Portsmouth on Wednesday night, thats near Poole isn't it? You can come give it a go if you like.

F650gs
 

I am 1.62m (around 5.3 I think?). I bought the F650GS earlier this year. The standard seat was far too high for me but I did not want to lower the bike and reduce ground clearance.
I sent my seat to www.customseats.co.uk to scoop out the foam and insert a gel seat. It lowered the seat by about 2'.

It makes a big difference as I can have the ball of the foot down on both sides at the same time. Melvin, the guy behind customeseats did a great job. So much that one of my friend, about same height than me, sent her seat (she's got a 650GS) to Melvin as well. Cost just under 200 pounds.

On subject of the bike, the 650GS is not too heavy and handle really well. It's a superbe bike.

Cheers,

Maria

Thanks very much for the reply Wonky. Good idea/referral. I think I'll get in contact with those guys and see what ideas they can come up with.

My Funduro is at about 840 and my parters toes are 5" off the ground when she sits on it...thanks for the offer though. Enjoy the trip.

Norm Kouba got back to me (nice bloke) and said the DR350 might just be the thing but he would prefer the DRZ400. Due to budget constraints the 400 is out so we are now aiming for the DR350SE. There appears to be loads of inches of ground clearance so lots of room for dropping the suspension (possibly new shorter forks and monoshock) and following on your point; we are going on a RTW trip not aiming to be MX champions. So as long as the bike is comfortable and tough that's all that matters.

Thanks MAria, yes the GS is really a good option. With the same things we did to the Funduro (seat, monoshock, links, forks etc) they can both get down to about 720mm (try and get BMW to tell you that...cowardly B£$%^&*ds) and as the GS seat is narrower than the funduro it could do the think....but $$$$ is a problem. I haven't seen a clean GS for under £2500.

Dr350 probably a better bike for job and lighter for sure.
No need for new shorter forks and monoshock, the suspension guys will modify your originals, loads cheaper and reversible as well. I didn't understand how this would be possible until i started doing the research.

Dr350 probably a better bike for job and lighter for sure.
No need for new shorter forks and monoshock, the suspension guys will modify your originals, loads cheaper and reversible as well. I didn't understand how this would be possible until i started doing the research.

Lois
you might just be onto something ;-). The TTR250 is quoted at 28bhp and the DR350 at 35bhp...so with the additional weight of the DR there's not much in it.

The DR is not in production anymore although the same engine is used in the Beta Alp 4 but the TTR is still in production and sold from dealers in the "sensible" southern hemisphere. Both are very scarse though as 2nd hand here in the UK.

ponder ponder ponder...

See if you can find a Zongshen Sierra 200 (that is what it's called in the US). I am fairly sure they are available there and have a seat height of only 28." Engine size is limiting, though, at 200cc's. Read this article:

http://www.danielmontejo.com/Picture...themachine.htm

It might be an o.k. bike for your purposes.

just maybe...
 

try looking here

http://www.royal-enfield.com/low_seat_option.htm

the new lean burn engine model has a 720mm seat height option., without touching anything else. these bikes are very different animals from the older enfields, even though they look very similar. claimed weight is 160kg. the company has open days on 22/23 rd july where you can try out the bikes. may not be a wste of time.

glad you had good trip, I stuck to the n240 and 260 mostly because that was as far south as my map of France went :)

regards Larry,, from Le Frene... of course I am not biased any :)

Dr350
 

Just to confuse things further:

There are several different models of DR350, sporting kick or electric start. The SHC has an upside-down fork and suspension height front and rear can be changed with a knob on the bars while riding. Just so you don't try one model and then buy another...

The height of the seat off the ground is not the sole criterium, as the suspension sags when bum hits seat and the width of the seat in the front makes a difference, too, whether or not she can reach the ground.

There are lots of custom bikes (choppers) that are fairly low.

Thanks Beddhist

Just to clarify. My partners Funduro unladen seat height is 730mm. There is very little sag in the suspension as the bike is as low as it can go so the seat height will be minimum 700mm with her on it. With a lighter bike with a narrower seat the laden seat height must therefore be less than about 720mm.

Larry....I'm an tempted. We might just go up for the open day...but the prices new are a bit very steep and you can't get an electric start 2nd hand anywhere.

Yes, they have been producing the electra (make sure this model, not the older one) since 2002, and I haven't seen one for sale for a long time. Think this is an indication of rider satisfaction. some peeps with 60's and modern triumphs seeking to p/e for them in real-classic.co.uk Used to be lots of hardly used enfields for sale. But if you try it an dont like it, then you know, vice versa if you do.

Dr 650 Se
 

The DR 650 Se is 830 mm with the lower suspension setting. Might sound a lot but you have to keep in mind that the seat and tank are lots narrower and allow short people to get their feet down a lot easier than on the 650 BMW's. I know that the low DR feels a lot lower than the standard BMW F650 GS which is 780mm as far as I remember.
A 50 kg driver compresses the DR's seat height down to about 780mm. More weight or luggage does not get the bike a lot lower as you run into the progression of the suspension. I don't think it's a good idea to significantly reduce the preload on the rear shock as the loss of performance of the suspension might be prohibitive (too little positive travel, shock tends to bottom out. Can cause serious damage on shock, wheel and frame). My wife is 5'5" and she's perfectly fine with the DR650SE although she does not stand feet flat. But both feet safely down. I had customers on the low DR's as short as 5'1" and took them up to the Kunene (admit they were experienced riders)
Anyway I think the BIG plus of the DR is the much lower weight compared to the BMW (which in comparsion feels like an Army tank also due to different geometry). Also: The DR is tough: Drop it and you might as worst case scenario break a clutch lever or brake lever, both cheap and easy to fix. The DR has an excellently working suspension system no matter if set high or low. This does not seem to be the case with the BMW.

Does anyone based in the UK know of a supplier of after market suspension linkages for the 250 Serow that will have the effect of lowering the seat height please?

The DR650SE in the low setting is approx. 780 to 800mm depending on preload / sag of the rear.
Higher than the BMW F 650 (770mm) but in direct comparsion the DR actually feels a lot lower as it is much lighter and also much narrower whilst the BMW forces you into an "ironed over a barrel" statue.
The DR only looses very little of her off road capability when you drop the suspensions.
Get the DR650SE and learn to shift (stop with one leg down & hanging off the seat). Forget all the lowering link crap. It will leave you with punctures, torn spokes, cracked and dented rims and collapsed wheels or worse.

The DR350 gives very little advantage over the DR650SE (SP46A after 1996) being nearly identical in weight and height but loosing out badly as soon as it comes to reliability of the engine.

Morning Hayastani,

I don't know of anyone that does a lowering kit for the XT250 Serow anywhere, never mind in the UK.

I own one myself and, only being a little chappie, find it perfect for my needs.

I weighed it on our scales at work and find, with a tank brimmed to the top and with a rear rack fitted, she comes in at 129kg.

So far I've covered 46,000kms in 22 months and love it!

Thank you for the info Cameraman. A possible alternative I have come across is the AJP PR4 200 which can be supplied with a lower seat height. If only platform soles were still fashionable!

My wife is 5'2 and copes without issue on a factory lowered 650GS with low seat option.

A friend who is 4'9 is having custom made hagon shocks, and a scultped low seat to cope. This is costing about £750 to make the necessary changes.

I seriously rate the bikes too - and a doddle to maintain.

My dad lowered a DL650 so much that I have to lean it to the right to put the kick stand up, he's about 5'5" but he's got short legs. He then moved the bars back an inch, which helped a bit too. We (me and my dad) purchased our lowering links from ebay for around $30ish a set. The guy who sells them is a machinist and could probably be talked into making other lowering devices for other bikes.