questions about being a smaller rider

[naughty koolaid]

so i'm looking into getting my first bike. and yes i did read the new riders thread before posting this thread. i'm a small girl, 5'2'', 120 lbs and was looking into options for a starter bike. im thinking about the kawasaki ninja 250R, are there any other good bikes for someone my size to start out on without having to modify? I already tried sitting on my ex's 250R and fit fine, but i wasn't even CLOSE to reaching the ground on his 650R (which i have since learned is a bad bike for beginners).

I've also been doing some ebaying to get an idea of bikes out there, and i like the look of the hyosung GT250R. would this be an appropriate bike for someone of my size and experience?

[aussieidiot]

steer clear of hyosung.

my dads neighbour bought one as his first bike and had it back in the dealer for recalls and all sorts of issues. this may be a one off but its enough for me.

the ninja is a great bike to start on. they're pretty much bullet proof

[richtazz]

I agree with Aussie. The Kawi is a great first bike. With their bulletproof reliability and fun to ride nature, you can ususally sell them for what you paid when you're ready to upgrade. As a small rider, your sportbike choices will be limited, but you can always switch to a bigger cruiser-style bike (or as Saturntangerine would say, go to the "dark side" and get a Harley) depending on how you ride.

[speediva]

My godson's mom (used to) ride a Ninja 250. It was the only bike short of a (new generation) GSXR1000 that she could even tiptoe (she comes in at a nice 5' 0.5"). Go with that if you want a sportbike...




and if you wanted, you could find a "standard" - NOT THE DARK SIDE - that would have a lower seat height.










And P.S. - Find an MSF course, if you haven't already.

[jeffcoslacker]

There are so many good cruisers for short folks now...sounds like you aren't into that, but sportbikes in general seem to favor tall, thin people...as a short, stubby person myself I find them to be like a torture rack...

I know Kawasaki sent out rider surveys to all owners back when I bought my Vulcan 1500, and they said they were surprised when out of all the attributes of their cruisers, seat height came out #1 for reason for choosing a Kawasaki...as a result they have since made sure that all of them are comfortable to shorter riders, and have some cool features that work well for people with smaller hands, like the adjustable lever pivots that allow you to move the clutch and brake handles closer to the bar so you can grip them more easily with smaller hands, etc..

And believe it or not, I've seen some people who could keep up with a sportbike in all but the most convoluted of roads riding smaller cruisers, like the Suzuki Intruder 800 (now Boulevard S50), Kaw VN750-800, etc...actually the Honda Rebel 250 and 450 are remarkably nimble and aimed right at the smaller beginner rider as well...very bulletproof and cheap as well...