small riders??
 

hay there people my girlfriend is thinking of getting a bike she wants a cbr600 or a 748 but she is short and cant safly get her feet on the ground with out tilting the bike just wana no if any one has used lowering kits or anything

a bike shop said drop the head stock and ride height but surly this is guna make the bike turn so quickly are there any lady riders on hear that can help or short guys ???

can the bike be altered with up upsetting the handling


cheers

get a NC35
how much do you need to drop it by.
would imagine that if you have to pull it down by even a small amount it will change the handling characteristics by a fair bit
let alone fairing or rear sets touching down issues

Nc35 would be good for a sportbike(I just happen to have one too:D)
What about a monster?, low and handle well,and a ducati.

i said to the guy in the dealers it would mess up the handling he said it wouldnt lol

she needs about a inch to be on tip toes i suggested a monster she thought bout that but has her eyes on the cbr600 i get the feeling there wont be much out there for her that she can safly stop on unless its a 400 and possibly a early 600

its odd that most new bikes seem to get taller and shorter and people use to maon about the 916 being uncomfy

Have you looked at getting a custom seat unit made or the original modified? I'm only going by experience of other bikes but there is generally quite a bit of wriggle room to chop the height the seat raises from the subframe.

749 is pretty low seat height standard
Marcus @ P&Hs girlfriend rides one and she is tiny !

My wife (5') started with a CB 400 we chopped the seat on that. But now has a Monster 600. Dropped the forks 1" and lowered the rear ride height wishbone thing (old style Monster) by one inch. Bike is much lower now, the handling is ok other than it grounds out a bit soon but it is not a problem for her. Once she has more confidence and strts grinding the pegs then riding a taller bike won't be an issue.

Mike

yeh my otherhalf fitted one for me its great now i have the cbr600f it corners so nice too now
i was told that the cbr was one of the lowest and i almost get my feet flat on the ground with the bike lowered.
it looks diddy now compared to his though!!! we bought the kit from the usa if you need anymore help give us a shout.

748 can be lowered quite a lot, but rmemebr it may affect the handling..alos as long as planning and bum-shifting is second nature, getting one foot down should be fine..well for me it is anyway!!

if she doesnt want a ducati what about a suzuki sv650 ( did i really say that ) there quite low to the ground and you do see a lot of women on them

the only other sensible option would be a 400 nc30/35 would be the ones to look at :rodent:

Julie, who runs www.girlsbike2.com, the womens only bike gear shop, (and is Mrs No Limits), has a Fireblade that she has had lowered. She is an advanced instructor and a quick rider and I have ridden the bike and can assure you it handles beautifully. In any case, no disrespect, but the difference in handling it would make would not be noticed by anyone other than a very, very good rider on a track. All the nonsense we all talk about Ohlins this and that and we potter down to the shops at 50mph!!!

I once had a VD750FD, (I know) and put a lowered seat on it. It was great in that I could touch the ground with ease on a big heavy bike, but it dramatically changed the riding position which i didn't like. I would have it lowered.

WeeJohnyB

Damn I've just sold my minimoto too!!:eureka:

the 749 is a bit lower IIRC and i believe that the seat pad is narrower, which apparently makes a big difference.

i was discussing this very subject with someone on the ducati stand at ally pally in january and they were telling me that they sold a brand new 749 to a short lady, did a lot of work, cutting the seat foam, dropping the forks, reducing the rear ride height etc and then she dropped the bike the day after she collected it! :rolleye:

The CBR400RR NC29 has one of the lowest seat heights I know of and I know a fellow DSC member that has an immaculate one for sale.

thats nice kev, how much is said member expecting to get for the nc29 ???

looking at around £1900 i think, its currently around the corner from me at the local honda dealers who have it up for around £2500 and Mel the sales guy says its one of the best examples he's seen.

at the other end of the scale I have a project ZXR400L I'm asking £600 for

wow thats some project you got there kev, apart from time and effort what else would be needed to put the bike back together and on the road. shouldnt really be looking but now ive found a engine for the van its one less thing to worry about

Very little in the way of parts needed as there are 2 boxes in the workshop full of ZXR400 bits, most of which will go with the bike comes with Logbook , its on a K plate, also has full Micron system, the white fairing in the foreground is a replica fibreglass one, ideal trackday bike for someone

a 400 would be a option but with insurance companys giving us harendous quotes its cheaper to go for a 600 paying over 800 quid for TPFT is just not worth it when we can get a quote for a 600 for 420 the only 400 that is cheap is the zxr 400 must be because most of the others are grey imports ???? :sniff:

when i first started riding i paid £172 3ptft with no ncb as a 22 year old with points on my licence for a nc 30 on a j plate, my missus who's turned 30 now can insure 1 for under £200 fc

shop around is my advice and you'll save hundreds

wow who was that with ??????

Wow, that NC29 looks well mint Kev, best handling bike of all the 400`s,

I have a Monster 600 in my garage, so if your girlfriend is intrested (Paul748bp) it could be yours. Send me a u2u if intrested.


Chris.:burn:

just shopped around

think norwich union quoted £200 to insure her on a aprillia rs250

try ronnie at insure my ducati ( insurance section on here ) hes pretty good and got me a good deal on the duke

£1900 for a NC29, you've got to be kidding, although it does look tidy, you'll get an NC30 for that or even an average NC35, (I've had both). Is a CBR400 an NC29 in any case, I thought it was the VFR400 series with the NC tag, no? The cbr was the 'baby blade' and was never worth the money the VFR series was/is. If you're thinking of a 600 money, then get a decent RVF400rr (NC35), for a novice you'll go just as quick if not quicker and it'll handle and feel better for the vertically challenged and will hold its value better as well. look at 400greybike.com or similar address can't recall it exactly, loads of info and for sale.

WeeJohnyB

Actually £1900 is a good price for a NC29 Baby Blade
there is one on the Autotrader website at the moment and thats at £2350.
Also the a NC29 (CBR400RR) was the last bike to win a Lightweight TT in the hands of John McGuiness, Pete Thompson on his CBR400RRs also won both of last years NG 400 Championships so i can't see how they can be thought of as a lesser bike than any of the V4s.
The NC30 (VFR400R) costs more to run and unless you rev the nuts off them they don't do much, also the 18" rear wheel is a pain, the NC35 (RVF400) is a blinding bike but again service costs are up on the CBR.
But if we are talking easiest to touch the ground when sat on by short riders then the NC29 wins hands down and as this is the point of the post (safely getting ones feet down) then I would say it was an important factor.

Lots of the Honda 400s had NC designation check out the NC23 and NC24 ones a V4 and the other a IL4

If you want to stick to the Ducati Line (Dosen't everybody ?) you could het her some Helibars on the front. I am "small" (no not in that department):frog: and the Heli bars took a lot of strain from the riding position.:eureka::eureka: