Can short women ride motorbikes?

Question

I'm a 5'1" female weighing about 150lbs. Looking to get motorbike license and buy a bike. Have been told I'm too "small" in stature to ride. Can any bikers out there help with recommendations on whether to give up my new-found dream of buying a Harley or to go for it?!

Answer 1

ignore the totally clueless non-harley riders. i have personally ridden with women who was close to ur height having absolutely no problems in handling her 883. she rides a 883-L which is a factory lowered 883 specifically designed for smaller riders. i also have ridden with another woman who is short, and she takes her low rider all the way to the pegs in turns. a slow rider that woman isnt. weight has little bearing on being able to ride. i ride a 1200 sportster, and i've ridden the full dresser's that weigh alot more than a sportster, and i have no problems handling them at slow speed....and a weight lifter i'm not.

u can pursure ur dream of being on a harley easy. u can get either of these 3: 883-L, 1200-L, or the low rider. if u can keep the bike level with 1 foot on the peg, and the left foot flat on the ground like u would be at a red light, the bike is good to go.

Answer 2

I am a female rider who is exactly your height. I ride a Harley Davidson Night Train and have had it modified to fit my needs. My Harley is not my first bike. My first bike was a Yamaha V-Star Silverado that fit me perfectly without any modifications. At the time, I was a brand new rider who had just completed the MSF Safety Course. Needless to say, I dropped this bike twice (but not seriously) trying to get the feel of it. Riding this bike and getting a good feel for how bikes handle on the road in real conditions gave me the confidence to move up to my bigger, heavier Harley. When I purchased my Harley, I had to have it lowered a little, and I also changed the seat to give me better reach for forward controls. I also went from the spec drag style handle bars to a handle bar with risers that pulled back toward the rider. Now, it is as comfortable for me as my Yamaha ever was. For short women like us, it is best to purchase a bike with mid controls if you do not want to have to do a lot in modifications. Always keep in mind that this has to be a personal decision you make. Motorcycling is a fun and exciting sport. The beauty of any bike is based on all the custom modifications you can make to really make the bike yours. Anything you want, within reason, can be done if you are willing to put in the effort and money. Happy riding to you!

Answer 3

For your weight and height a Dyna would be a good fit. The seat is only 26" high. But any HD is going to be big $$$ and kind of heavy. My sister had one for two years... I didn't like the straight handlebars.

It's winter time and most bike shops are dying to make a sale. I would spend a couple of weekends and visit a few. Sit on the bikes, ask tons of questions. When you find the right fit, you will know.

There's a lot of merit to buying a used bike. It costs a whole lot less than a new bike and will not loose too much value. Who knows, you may take one ride and think "What the ^&*( am I doing" and turn around and sell it.

A Rebel 250 is a nice starter bike, but you will probably outgrow it in a few months. Consider the following: Honda VLX 600, Suzuki Savage 600, Kawasaki EN500, Yamaha vstar 650, Buell Blast (500 cc I think).

I started riding again in 2001 (after a 20 year absense to raise two children). My re-entry bike was a 1995 Yamaha Virago 750. Within a year I traded it for a 1999 Honda 1100cc ACE Tourer and then traded for a new 2003 Goldwing in 2004.

Answer 4

Hi.
Of course you can ride a motorbike!!! From one vertically challenged woman to another - I ride a motor bike and love it. I too am 5'1'' and I am 47 years of age!! I got my licence on a 250 Honda (1989 model). There are modifications you can do and I had part of the foam cut out of the seat to make it a bit lower. I rode that for about 12 months and have just recently purchased a Ducati 600 Monster and it is great. I specifically picked this bike because of the fact that it is not a huge bike. You should do your homework on the net also ask around - go into bike shops and ask to sit on various bikes and just "get the feel". Good luck - there is no stopping you now.
Trish

Answer 5

I am shorter like you are and I ride a HD Deuce. It also sits lower to the ground than a lot of other bikes I tried. A couple of years ago we were in Sturgis and I saw a very short, very petite woman driving a big road king and asked her if she had any problems because of her height and stature. She said she has never had a problem. Best thing to do is go to the Harley dealership, sit on all of the bikes, have them show you different seats. Some seats sit lower and get what you want. Make sure to take the motorcycle safety course if you haven't yet

Be safe, ride defensively and have fun.

Answer 6

If you haven't ridden before, I'd highly suggest getting a smaller bike first, like the Honda Rebel. You need to be comfortable on a bike before trying to heft around a big bike like a Harley.

Check out the MSF course first. It'll let you get comfortable on the small bike. But get used to riding before trying a big bike. People _can_ do it, but you have a higher chance of accident including dropping the bike if you have too many inputs to deal with. Eliminate the big bike input and concentrate on being a good rider first.

Good luck and ride safe.

Additional Edit (two for two on the thumbs to here :) :

I'm reading all the replies below and have a couple of comments.

1. I also have a Harley Softail. It's a big bike. My wife who's about your height cannot reach the forward controls so no, you can't ride every Harley.

2. I'm not a Harley hater. Jeeze, do I have to have a different opinion to be a hater? I'd rather see you learn how to ride well on a cheaper, smaller bike so when you get to the Harley, you'll be confident and a good rider a much better combination.

2. To all the folks advising lowering and seat modifications, remember this is her first bike. Most people (not everyone) will drop their first bike at least once. I've been riding for 30 years and I dropped my first Harley, twice, 5 years ago. Worrying about too low, stacked boots, narrow seats, adjusted handlebars, moving a big bike, picking it up if you drop it, low speed maneouvers, traffic, pedestrians, dogs, junk in the road, etc... It's better if you learn to ride on a throwaway jap bike (Ninja 250 or Rebel) that you can ride with confidence than get on a HD. It's only a few bucks to get the smaller bike and next year when you're more confident you can sell it to the next newbie for close to the same price and get your Harley.

Yes you can get the HD now. And you might even survive the ride. But it's _better_ to start small and move up.

Ride Safe

Answer 7

Yes you will have no problems. You will need to get a lower bike like a sportster, get a seat that is narrow in front, and possible also get the bike lowered. Lowering the bike will cost a couple hundred dollars but will be worth it. Basically the shop will change a link in the rear suspension and then move the triple clamp down a little on the fork tubes to keep the geometry correct. Long story short, no worries. Enjoy.

A sportster is not too big. If you want a Harley, get one.

Answer 8

You can still ride a Harley. One of the best things about Harley Davidson is you can customize it. You can buy a 883 Low or other models that sits low anyway, then you can get a lowering kit to lower the rear end and a kit to lower the front end. Also Harley makes a seat that will move you up and lower you another 1 1/2 inches. So in the end you are looking at a seat height of less then 23 inches. So don't give up your dream, and don't listen to these people up here who don't know anything about motorcycles.

Answer 9

If you are just getting into riding, and have never ridden before, stay away from Harleys.

Even the smaller sportsters are probably too big for you--at least to begin with.

Go check out some of the jap bikes--which are way cheaper, and have made some serious changes over the last few years to compete with the Harley. You can get a Suzuki S40, which is one of the smaller bikes made.

http://www.suzukicycles.com/Products/S40K7/Default.aspx

They are less than $5,000 brand new (you could nearly buy two of them for what one bare bones HD sportster costs). It would be small and light enough for you to handle, not to mention if you dropped it, it wouldn't be a ridiculously expensive bike.

Once you have ridden for a while, you can try getting on a HD sportster, but like I said, they are mostly overpriced toys for people with more money than brains that want to 'buy into the harley experience'. No offense to the Harley riders--they know what I mean too.

Answer 10

An 883 Low Rider would do you just fine. My ex-wife is your height. I taught her on a dirt bike, but that is another story. After she passed her 'road test', she rode my 1970 Triumph Dayton, which had 32" saddle height. From there she brought a Honda 450-4, then an 883 Low and currently owns AND rides a Fat Boy.
Not to mention she is now weighing in at 113#.
Do it, you CAN handle and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.