Help me with my woman's pick of bike.

Here's the situation. My woman is 5'2" 105 pounds. She can outride most of you guys on this forum. The problem is that she does it on an old Honda CB400F and Cb550F from the 70's. Did I mention that she is also a mechanic and can tune these old bikes like a clock? (yes I am bragging) This is not really a problem, I like it, but I/we want to get a bike for her to tour on and more often enjoy as a sport machine. Which generation of vfr is more appropriate for a woman of her size? She wants to have both feet on the ground and a narrow seat with luggage options. Since I am not familiar with the entire line of vfr give me some suggestions for her. From there we will go seeking. Thanks----Seidts

 

Ive actually ben trying to find the right bike for my wife aswell, she is too small and short for a VFR in her opinion, she has to reach far for the bars....and doesnt qiute touch with her feet...she wants a sportbike, no nakeds, she doesnt like the look (unfortunately) So Ive helped her narrow down to a Suzuki 650f, Sv 650s (faired), and the Kawi 650r...Now Ive seen alot of women her size ride bigger bikes including the VFR..but she doesnt feel comfortable with it so as always it depends on the person woman or man...Id take to sit on different years and she what she thinks....but i wouldnt force the VFR only thing....there are alot of great bikes out there...most of us would have a warehouse full of different bikes!!!! Goodluck and let us know how it turns out...

 

Can't help you with a recommendation, but I am happy that she can outride most of us.

 

Wow. tough one there. My wife is 5'8'' and 120lb. She started on a 81 K305 before she bought an 06 vlx 600. whe had a back surgurey and sold it and we got her a 92 gen 3. she allways felf better in the standard seating than the forwards on the cruiser.I was worried about the weight of the viffer but it worked out fine. lottsa little things we did to set it up for her and make it a bit lighter. I'm not sure about the seat hight of the VFR's in general for someone who is 5'2''. Im sure someone out there has info on any lowering kits/mods that might make some generation the right bike.

 

I'm a little biased, but a Hawk GT probably wouldn't be a bad fit. It has a nice low seat height, it's got tons of upgrades and mods you can do to it, it's got a SSSA, and its got loads more character than an SV650 or Kawi 650. There are still some really good examples out there for $1800-$2500 if you look hard enough. Just a thought....

 

Unfortunately, you've discovered that the motorcycle market ignores short people. There is no sport bike currently made that would be a comfortable fit for a 5'2" person. My wife is 5'6" & she can't flat foot my VFR. She can ride it very well but she tells me she is nervous at stops. VFR's are relatively heavy so that doesn't help either.

As much as I love my Hawk GT, it's seat height is only 1" less than a 5th Gen VFR so it's probably not a good fit either. Hawks only get about 100-125 miles per tankful so touring on them is a pain as well.

If I had to give a recommendation, I would begrudgingly suggest the Suzuki GS bikes. They are usually dirt cheap since no one wants them. If you're looking specifically for a VFR suggestion, I would say the 4th Gen simply because they are the lightest of the SSSA bikes. The only other bike I could suggest if a sport bike is what you want is the 600F4i. They had a fairly good aftermarket following so I would think lowering kits are readily available.


VFRHusband, tell your wife I said ATGATT. :biggrin:

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

Second on KC's CBR600F4i. Lowering kits available, along with Helibars and a Sargent seat makes for a nice fit. Don't forget to lower the triple trees on the forks 5-6 mm (to start) to keep the handling balanced. I'm 5'6'' and can stand up off the seat at stops. For touring Givi has hard luggage available and several places make Double Bubble and/or touring screens for it. Footwear also helps-Danner makes their logger boot in women's sizes and it has a smokejumper style heel on it, gives you about 2 inches and they are comfortable and very protective. With these boots I can stand up off the seat on my 4th GEN VFR that has NO lowering mods. Good luck and remember, if you mod a 600 and go to sell it-just mention it's set up for a short person in the ad and it'll probably be gone the first day.

My first bike was a CB400F Super Sport, Wish I still had it

 

there is the option to go to the NC30, still only a 400 but possibly more powerful than a 70's model CB.

we get some really stunning examples of these in NZ, both baby RC30 and RVF schemes.

i know alot of females over here looking for bigger bikes go the cruiser route.

something like a Vulcan 900 can be ridden all day and possibly has comparable handling to 70's CB although i have to say the one i owned handled pretty well.

if you realywant to stick to sport bikes an early model CBR 600 (say 95 -99) seems to be a good choice, they always seemed smallish, the 600F4i i rode felt like it had gotten a little wider, at the tank seat junction, than the earlier models ive ridden and this can shorten up the inside leg measurement.

i guess getting around the dealerships and sitting on a few is the next step.

 

get her a turbo charged busa.. since she can out ride most of us on an old piece of junk. she must need the baddest bike on the planet. maybe ben spies can sell her his old bike.you may not know this but there are some roadracers on this site and the vfr is there street bike.good luck hope to see her at daytona...

 

Ducati monster w/ corbin seat then you can follow her

 

Hey, watch what you call junk! And a turbo charged Hyabusa is far from the baddest bike on the planet. She won't be at Daytona. Children and money kept her from racing. Sorry to offend your testicles, pizzaman.

 

I can't tell if you are joking or not, but I follow her anyway. Once in a great while I'll catch her sleeping and I'll pass her, but she burns past me soon enough. It's not frustrating at all. I like to watch her; it's like watching a really good dancer or drummer. Are you serious about the Duc? We both want one and she is more likely to buy one sooner than myself. She hasn't ridden one yet but she really has a thing for them. I wonder about the seat height and the reach. If you were serious and have had experience with them and a small lady, I'd like to know more.
Weight for her is not a factor so long as the balance/CG is correct and her feet are flat.
I have thought of a CBR but a 600 won't do. She needs more power. Basically, I'm looking for the lowest, moderately powerful bike on the market that does not have the handlebars in the next county and has a non-bulbous tank that doesn't get in the way.
KC is right about the bike manufacturers not doing a thing for small folks. She has been complaining about them not doing anything for women since we met. The sportster/rebel/shadow type is the only thing out there that a woman can compromise on and that shit is NOT happening in our garage. She has been threatening to build a bike design that's just for chicks. We just need a manufacturer to back it up or the 10k that will get someone entertaining the idea of building a custom whip. Are there any women out there with input on this?

 

Power, huh?
Then do the F4i mods mentioned above to the new (2008) CBR 1000 RR. It's the lightest, has the lowest CG and the shortest reach of the series. Oh, and power, it has plenty.

 

If she's 5'2" 105 pounds I'm sure the CBRf4i would more than fit the bill power wise

 

Boy Seidts,that's a stumper! If she's dead set on a VFR I'd humbly suggest a '94-'97 model. Plenty of power,beautiful styling,and a good handling machine as well. I checked,Thurn Motorsport still sells lowering plates for the 4th gen. VFR's. The reason I'm suggesting the 4th gen. is I met a guy who was a bit short in the inseam. I'm 5'9'' and he barely stood up to my shoulder,I wanna say 5'3"ish or so. He had a '94VFR with a set of custom made lowering plates on it. I asked if he had any issues with the suspension or grinding hard parts on the ground,and he said he hadn't had any. He was wearing a good pair of riding boots and when he sat on his bike he was flatfooted on the ground and actually had a bit of a bent knee. I've seen it done if you're thinking about going that route. Just a thought. Boy Seidts,that question is a stumper though!

 

Any 750 from 1991 to 1997 could fit the bill.

I would first go down the seat resculpting route as you can shave 2" off it without losing comfort. This together with narrowing the seat a little helps a lot. You can go down the suspension lowering route but this will compromise ground clearance to some extent.

I don't know if they are available in the US but my girlfriend has a BMW F800S. She has the optional low seat fitted and has no problems at all. It's an 800cc twin that is lighter than the VFR, almost as powerfull and certainly as quick. It's all day long comfy and handles as if on rails. I have ridden it two up all day and have no complaints at all. I would certainly consider one if it's within budget?

 

Seidts -

There is a '97 VFR about 5 minutes from me (Underhill) for sale for less than $3k right now. The craigslist ad had expired, but the bike is still behind the guy's house as of yesterday. he currently rides an '02 VFR, just needs to get rid of the second one. I haven't checked it out up close, but it seems to be in pretty good shape.

I love mine, I can flat foot it and stand over the seat, I'm 5'10". If need be, the bike is actually pretty easy to balance on one foot. It's not as powerful as a CBR600F4i, but has a much more broad powerband.

 

Thanks for all of your replies. I am getting the idea that I should rethink my anti-CBR nature. Now I have to get her to try one. She dislikes them more than I do.
I was in the Bimmer stealership a year ago and I saw the F800. I instantly thought of it as a suitable ride. The one I saw had a super shaved seat and certainly lots of power. A friend of mine has a SV650 but it got too cold before she could ride it. This spring, we'll be making a decision and I'll let you all know. We'll go to the Duc dealer and peruse the offerings there as well. It will be like watching porn together. Awesome! Now if I can get her to stop working all of the time.......

 

It seems to me to be pretty silly to say a 100+hp bike, that will only be ridden on the street, doesn't have enough power. If you consider the fact that every VFR made has roughly 100hp...

The BMW F800 bikes make less than 80hp. I think the actually figure is 77hp. For some reason I can't get the BMW website to work over here. We are still considering the F800ST for my Wife.

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

lets see cb400f and a cb550f from the 70's????I stand corrected theres no way the new r6 or ninja 600 could possably match that type of machinery its just unfair..well at least the kids will have top of the line equiptment when they are ready to hit the track..:bs::bs::bs::bs::bs::bs::bs: