My girl is 5 foot and she can't reach shit on my bike so I don't know. What bikes has she had in the past.

 

For sportbikes the R1 is very tall. More than likely she can handle the bike, but she probably is going to be uncomfortable at stops. I for one can't speak for anyone that tall, these are just my personal opinions. There are a couple of women on the board here, not sure their height, but they may have better imput.

If anything, go to a dealer and have her sit on one. They might even have a loaner to take out. Otherwise, the best bet is to check out some other bikes, sit on them. Overall, I am probably not telling you anything that you don't know already, .

(But chock another one up on the post count, ).

Good luck. And tell her that size doesn't always matter, it is how well you can use it, :thumbup .

Edit: That last comment was specified towards the size of the engine on the motorcycle, :lol .

 

Good luck. And tell her that size doesn't always matter, it is how well you can use it, :thumbup .

Only little guys say that motion of the ocean crap Joe.:2bitchsla :beer :finger :crash

 

I saw a Petite female on a R1 and she had it lowered and she could reach the groun no problem , infact with the lowered center of gravity she might pull you !

 

lowering the bike is a pretty good idea... just keep in mind that the lean angel will be comprimised

 

I dont know how good or bad lowering could be for it (lean angle or other ) but if its a small comprimise in track time I hardly think she will notice .

 

Only little guys say that motion of the ocean crap Joe.:2bitchsla :beer :finger :crash

Yeahhhh..... *sigh* .......... I know

.

 

lowering link and smash the forks down until they bottom..will handle like shit tho..i seen an oriental guy with an R1 set up like this, and he wasnt even 5 foot..i sat on his bike and it felt like a sportster (for being low)

 

Have her go to a few dealerships and sit on different bikes. My friend is 5'4" and when he sat on my bike he was on his tippy toes. He has a ZX6R and he can sit flat footed. fyi

 

Aftermarket shock with adjustable ride height. I wouldn't want to lower it too much as it will affect cornering. Also remember seeing John Kocinski sitting off to one side of a bike at a starting line when he was like 12 so there must be some type of comprimise. Just my .02 cents after the bar:beer
Merry Xmas

 

Friend of mine had the same dilemma, he is approx 5'2 and was on the toes when stopped... slightly lowered the bike and had the local boot maker replace the sole and heels of his boots with an extra inch to compensate... no problems at all and the boots dont look that 70's retro either!!!

 

Not to sound mean...but I'd tell your girlfriend to scrap the idea of riding a R1. IMO, 5' is too short to be on this bike. Once you get down modifying the suspension for her comfort you'll have pretty much butchered the bike of it's intended purpose. Past that...it's nothing but a "squid" factor...all she has is, to look "cool".

My wife would also love to get into riding a sportbike. But she know fully aware she has her handicap. Her height. I'm about 5'9"-5'10" and I'm on my balls of my feet with my Sidi boots. I can't even imagine how much of a disadvantage it would be for someone 5' or shorter.

 

get her a busa and stretch and lower it

 

get her a busa and stretch and lower it

That's an idea. :lol Plus, she'll smoke him in the straights.

 

Might as well NOS it and turbo it too if she wants fast

 

You could always race ahead aher and wait at the lights thereby holden it upright for her, no need to modify the suspension then!

 

i'd go with an older ducati 916... if she seriously wants a low enough bike that's over 900cc's those would do it... you can pick up one a few years old for a fair price..
peace

 

Well I am a female and I am like 5'5 an I lowered the front shocks it went down alot .I have a Hyperpro dampiner.It steers fine. I also went down on the front sproket so I could pull the front wheel up easier.. I lost a little speed on the top end but at 160 an 170- you don't ted to miss it much.. I was going to get a dog bone an have the back end lowered. But, I have only dropped it trying to do a stoppy .I was to short and I stopped all the way . The bike just went up and then down, I was lookin like a pro... I came to a complete stop and it fell to the right side. My man husband turned around an said" You try to do stoppy. " He is asian. so it was funny. My man had to help me get it up.
The right side for me is the side I have dropped my bike on like at a stop not going down the road. thank god. I had a gixxer 750 first, a slug. I was always in the back but now ..vroom vroom
Get the bike for her at 5 foot you will have to modify any bike so give her the big one....

 

Tell her to get in her rightful place in the world.... on the back seat!!!! JK JK JK LOL PLEASE DONT KILL ME!

 

Lowering is the way to go . If she really wants the bike and considers the pros and cons of lowering , i'm sure she will be very happy with her decision . unless she goes track racing (Not straight line) she will probably never notice its handling differently from stock . I wouldnt dare stretch or lower my R1 or anything to comprimise handling but some would because its thier bike !

 

I don't know, I'm 5'4" and I can just barely touch the ground with my tiptoes on my husband's R1. I think it would take an awful lot of lowering for someone 5' tall to ride it.

 

JulieD,

My wife is about the same height as you. What kind of "sportbikes" do you feel comfortable on? She tried to get on the R1 one day. Even with her 3 inch heel boot...she was tip toeing. She wants to ride...but she also wants something appealing to the eye. :2bitchsla I keep telling her she's a squid. :lol

 

EmVeeGusta baby!

 

Check out Daytona Lady Star boots:

http://www.helimot.com/catalog/boots/boots_ladystar_data.shtml

They are especially made to extend the leg reach of the inseam challenged. I've seen and even tested out a pair myself and I can tell you that they are great! They make a huge difference in increasing the foot contact patch and boosting your confidence when puting your foot down. They are also very well made.

Thick sole boots and lower custom seat are all marginal improvements, but a good place to start. However, 5 foot is quite short for the R1. I'm 5'6" and I'm on my tipy toes at stop lights, unless I plant just one foot down.

 

I seen small people ride big bikes. It just takes time. It will come to feel right in time. I do the one toe thing to the ground to stop.