Long Distance Motorbike for Tiny Woman by: Anonymous
Your not that small. I trained with the safety council on a Rebel 250. It just doesn't have the guts... I own a Harley 1200 and it has a Low version. For smaller legged people. Check it out.
Sep 14, 2009
Weight Problem by: softmadness
You are right, I am pretty tall for a woman, but I have short legs and long body ;-)
The real problem for me is the weight. I am thinking about Boulevard , VLX or Spirit. but I have to sit on them first. I'll let you know wich one I prefer, I was not sure they were good for long distance...
I heard that VLX has to much vibration on highway.
Thanks !
Sep 14, 2009
Not a Honda Rebel by: Jacee
You're not that tiny. At 5'6, you could choose any bike. Your weight doesn't matter. What matters is getting your feet on the ground and you won't have any problem with that.
Go to a motorcycle dealership (or several) and sit on bikes. Find one that is comfortable for you - the seat, the reach to the handle bars, and the reach to the foot controls.
An underpowered bike like the Honda Rebel would be good for short jaunts around town, but you will need more power (and a bigger gas tank would be nice) to take long rides.
A lot of people (men in particular) think an underpowered motorcycle is good for a woman (any woman). Don't believe them. It is truly unsafe to ride a bike that doesn't have a big enough engine to power out of a possibly dangerous situation. Yes, I said power out. Unlike a car, with a motorcycle, it is sometimes safer to use power to get away from cars and trucks than to use the brake to stop for them. So you had better have a reasonably powerful motorcycle - like 800 cc or more if you think you can handle it.
If you're worried about the heaviness of a bike, it's obvious that a bike with more than 800 cc is going to be a pretty big bike. But when you're riding along, the weight is not even an issue.
P.S. I'm 4'10" and have had 3 bikes: Yamaha Virago/535 cc, Suzuki Intruder/800 cc (now called Boulevards), and currently a Suzuki GSXR/1000 cc.