How tall do I have to be to ride a motorcyle?

Question

I am around 5'2" or 5'3" with my boots on :) , but I would like to know what type(s) of motorcyles could I safely ride (if any).

Also, is a Harley out of the question?

Answer 1

You can gauge for yourself whether you're comfortable by hopping on a few bikes in a store and leaning them over slightly (not too far!). You'll have a blast making the sales guys sweat. It has more to do with your inseam length than your height. You'll need to be able to straddle the seat with a fairly stable triangle stance. Taller folks who say "I don't see what you're worried about" need to try to walk a mile in your shoes. Shorter folks find that they are forced to stand on the balls of their feet to stabilize the bike, and that usually makes them nervous, and less trusting of their ability to control the bike. Just remember...there are dirt bike riders that learn on bikes so tall that they have to shimmy to one side to get a foot on the ground. It can be done, even if you're short; it just takes a little more care. If you're an idiot, I don't recommend it. If you're an intelligent, athletic, disciplined, and rational person, I'd say you can learn on almost anything.

Light bikes with smaller engine displacements are preferable, if you've never been on one. Lightness helps by being more forgiving of imbalances, but only by a slight margin. Small engine displacements help also for its forgiving nature when you are accidentally sloppy with the bike's clutch or throttle. Also, the nature of the bike's engine and clutch contributes to whether it feels "docile" or "aggressive. Often, competition-derived sport bikes are designed to be twitchy and aggressive in nature. You'll find their clutches unforgiving of mistakes, and their engines leap across the powerband hungrily, which makes learning...tenuous. Not all sport bikes are that way...many are built with tuned-down engines and not so grabby clutches, and simply maintain the riding position and looks.

But most dramatically, bikes with low seat heights will help you. And the seat width (which nobody ever measures) will make a big difference as well. Like I said, just head into a store and try it out.

As for general model types: Cruisers are very good starting points in general. Very low seat heights help bigtime. And their engines are not as rev-happy as inline 4-cylinder engines, so they'll react to your throttle inputs more...calmly. Don't get me wrong, you can still screw up on a cruiser. But it's a good bit more forgiving than a comparable sport bike. , but you have to decide whether you're comfortable with the cruiser's seat position, which tends to strain the lower back (biomechanically speaking, cruisers offer horrible support for your back) Harleys...it's easier to *ride* them...than learn on them. They are a bit heavy, and their engines are a bit powerful, but their seat heights are so low you can consider the smaller 880 cc engines is not a bad choice if you're careful. And really...the larger heavier options can be considered...it just means you're placing more demands on yourself to not make mistakes. Whether you can deliver on that depends on alot on your athletic ability, and past experience on two wheels. More preferable if you want to err on the safe side would be a smaller engine displacement like the Suzuki Boulevard 50's 650cc class engine. Or if you want to get smaller yet, Honda Rebel is the preeminent beginner's bike, making learning very easy (if you can tolerate the finicky-ness of a wet clutch).

The line between sport bikes and standard bikes is pretty gray these days. Invariably, their seat heights will be taller than cruisers, which makes for a more tenuous perch. Some are better than others, and I would say the Buells have the most rider friendly seat height I've seen so far. There are many standard bikes these days built with the aggressiveness formerly reserved for sport bikes. And there are many sport bikes (like sport-touring models) built with the rider-friendliness often attributed to standard bikes. I would consider which you would find most useful for your interests. For instance...would you want to be able to carry lockable saddlebags, and use it as a commuter? That'll slice out a huge portion of the market. Would you prefer a more comfortable standard riding position versus the aggressive forward lean of sport bikes? again...that'll limit you.

There are any number of starting points, as far as engine size. Which is appropriate for your starting skill level...well...that's probably best for you to evaluate yourself. In my experience, teaching many of my friends, including a 5'-0" friend with *very short* 25" inseam, you may want to err on the smaller side, meaning no more than 600cc engine. My shorter friend found that only 2 cruisers fit her bill (the Rebel, and the Boulevard 50), and having rarely been on a bicycle before, she found that the best way for her to develop her skills was actually on a...scooter...afterwhich she learned and progressed *quite* rapidly and sold (for the same price she got it!) Not everyone has to do that of course, and my friend was an extreme example. She went on to a 250cc Rebel, and loved the fact that it had saddlebags to make it more functional. Others that we found worth considering for her were the Buells, again for their low seat height. For someone slightly taller like you...I'd also throw in the mix the Ninja 500 as a sport bike option--very docile for a sport bike.

But my most practical recommendation is simply this: Whatever you get...get it used and prescuffed. You will almost certainly be laying the bike down at least once while learning--even in a parking lot, it sucks to scrape up a new bike. It's cheaper to get a used one and money lost on resell is less than if you bought new. The boulevard 50 used to be called the Suzuki Savage 650, and I think that makes a great beginner bike that offers cruiser looks, saddlebag options, good build quality, and enough oomph to be comfortable on highway speeds. The rebel is a solid small-engine option. But at highway speeds, that little engine is really screaming. It's got the looks of a cruiser, but at highway speeds...it's happier at higher RPMs. Other options that you can probably find on the used market, and fit the 600cc or less category...Old Yamaha standard bikes (there've been tons of names...heritage special...Virago...LTD...) are a dime a dozen, and last for a long time.

G'luck! Take the MSF class, and Have a blast! And wear your protection bcs wearing stuff like shorts and flipflops on a bike is not only foolish, but looks just downright amateur.

Answer 2

The first, and most important thing you should learn before biking is this: Assume every car, lorry and coach on the road is being driven by a total idiot, and ride defensively. For a bike, on a very basic level, make sure you can reach the ground. Assuming you're in the UK and not under twenty one, don't get anything smaller than a 500cc bike. It'll be a complete waste of time. My first bike was a Gpz550, and it didn't have anything like the acceleration needed for quick overtaking. But don't spend a penny on a bike until you've got the right kit. Spend a decent amount on leathers and helmet. My first leathers were cheap and had no Kevlar armour in them, and the one minor accident I had with them broke bits that wouldn't have been broken if I'd had Kevlar panels in the arms. A helmet is somewhat easier and more down to personal preference as well as budget. Every road bike helmet sold in the UK has the same minimum standard no matter how cheap or expensive. Gloves and boots should also carry decent protection since your hands will be the most exposed part of your anatomy on a faired bike and your feet, well, if the bike ever slides on it's side and your leg is under it, you'll understand that well armoured boots are essential. Don't wear proper boots and you will leave a lot of skin on the tarmac. Ignore scooters. The skills you need riding a proper bike involve having to change gears when it might be scary and the last thing you want is to have to forget about riding a scooter first. And for all those 'bikes are dangerous' answers, no they aren't. Bikes are like any other transport, in that if you ride like an idiot you'll eventually get flattened. Unlike any other transport, bikes have to watch what all the idiots in cars are doing. So bikes aren't dangerous, cars are.

Answer 3

If you're evenly proportioned like me, or if you have longer legs, you've got a good number to choose from.

Most bikes can be lowered to some extent without greatly compromising handling. Trust me on this - I've had two bikes lowered without any problems.

But it's best to start with one that's already somewhat low because it'll minimize the effect of the lowering.

There are a good number of bikes out there with low seat heights. You could probably do well on one with a 28" height, but lower might be better still.

There are other things you can do as well if you just need a slight drop - I believe you can make some adjustments to the suspension, and you can always investigate having the seat redone - get rid of some padding from the top and sides (because a wide seat will affect your ability to firmly reach the ground), wear stacked heels....

I don't know squat about harleys, but many of them seem to have a rather low seat height.

Answer 4

harley's are not out of the question. if u want a harley, u could easily fit on a low rider or fatboy, and might not even need to have it lowered. a heritage, deuce, or a road king could do it without needing lowered also. u'd just need to sit on the bikes first. if u cant quite plant both feet on the ground on both sides, most people will say the bike is too big for u. the thing is, when u are at a stop light, u will always have the right foot on the brake pedal anyway. i would see if u can easily keep the bike in balanced in a typical riding position like u would find urself in traffic. once the bike gets moving, everything else is moot.....like, how tall u are.

i would highly recommend u taking the msf class...if u can get in. in my area, i just couldnt get into the msf class, but i still passed my test on my own bike...which is a 1200 sportster, 1st time out with NO problems. in place of the class, i picked up and ran thru the exercises on this video....ride like a pro. the instructor is an ex florida highway patrol motorman...bike cop. what he teaches mirrors what the msf teaches, but also thoroughly explains it. i picked up 'ride like a pro 3'...there's other's on the site. go to http://www.ridelikeapro.com

after u do get a bike, always ride with safety gear. leather will hold up better, but is pricey, and always assume car driver's dont see u.

Answer 5

Harleys are not out of the question. Certain models may feel uncomfortable due to seat height. This can easily be fixed by (1) buying a seat that is thinner or (2) a lowering kit for the suspension.

As far as HD's go I would suggest one of the Dyna models as they are cheaper and easier to lower.

I looked and the Dyna Low Rider and the Sportster Low both have seat heights of just over 26 inches and that drops to 24.* when you sit on it.

Btw.. you look like quite the cutie in the picture.

Answer 6

Hey girl......My wife is 5'-2" and she rides her own bike. (go to my 360 yahoo page for pics of her bike and check the blog for more info) The most important thing is ...your feet need to be flat to the ground when you are sitting with the bike held straight up. Recently we did the tour of local dealerships....and my wife ....like usual had to climb all over the new bikes. To our suprise she could almost...flatfoot the Honda 1300 VTX and she COULD flatfoot the new Kawasaki 900. (Both great bikes). So you have a yen for a Harley. There's nothing wrong with that Harley makes a great product.(Just greatly over priced) The Dyna and Fatboys and everything that people are recommending are nice bikes......in the 14 to 18 thousand Dollar range. Do you really want to drop a $14,000 dollar bike on the street.(Because you ARE going to drop it....More that once). For about $3,000 to $4,000 you can buy a Yamaha 650 used and for another $150 or so have it lowered. Remember the motorcycle is just a start....you will need a helmet, jacket, goggles, gloves, boots....the list goes on. All this aside....YOU REALLY NEED TO TAKE THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY FOUNDATION COURSE. I promise you this course will teach you some SERIOUS motorcycle skills. Statistics show that the majority of accidents happen to riders with less that 10,000 miles under their belts.This course will give you a leg up on your fellow newbies....and honestly, it will make you a more confident rider. Once you've mastered the motorcycle and have put some miles behind you, you can go out and start looking for a new bike

I hope this helps ya.....
ride safe

Answer 7

I don't think any states in the U.S. have any restrictions on height. In Japan they instituted a restriction, way back in the 70's, which you should really think about. They made it mandatory that the rider had to be able to straddle the bike, with the bike upright, and plant both feet firmly on the ground. It prevented a lot of people from riding large bikes that were too tall for them.

Answer 8

5'2" is plenty tall to ride a motorcycle. Harleys are not out of the question, but in order to pass a motorcycle safety class and get an operator's license you must be able to pick the bike up when it's laying on its side, and even the smallest Harleys are heavy. If you like the cruiser-type bikes, I would recommend a Honda Shadow 450 as a good starter bike. Smooth ride, plenty of power for riding on the freeway, but also small enough and light enough for you to manage easily.

Answer 9

You should take the riding class, this will help you make up you mind about riding and remember when you began you will be a little nervous but the will pass as you ride skills get better and always follow you mind, I met a girl that 4'8" she have a fatboy that she had it lowered, I find it good to go to different dealers and ask about what you want to know. If you want to ride you will.

Be Safe

Answer 10

Na, youd actually be better of with a cruiser because they have lower seat heights. That being said Ive seen women at 5' rideing bikes with the help of lowering links and what not. As a side note Dani Pedrosa, a very good MotoGP rider, is about the same height as you and he muscles around a bigass 990cc at stupid speeds.

Answer 11

Sorry I posted a reply to your 360 page...check it out. Good to see someone so beautiful from Virginia too. Best of luck with motorcycles..try the UJM I mentioned, SV 650, Suzuki. Seems everything these days has fairing on it, but cruiser bikes by Harley, Suzuki, Honda are very easy on those of us who are vertically challenged.