Best handling motorcycle for a lady?

Question

I had a Buell Blast 500, and still have a Honda Rebel 250. I've been down on both. I've taken the MSF safety course, and have been riding for a year. I was wondering if a slightly heavier, lower riding bike might corner better? I've been contemplating a Honda Shadow 600, which is 150 lbs heavier and 1 inch lower than the Rebel. I rode the Buell fine, as far as engine size goes, but the higher center of gravity on a sport bike requires more lean. The leaning is where I have problems. My husband was thinking lower and heavier might hug the road better without me having to lean as much. Is this a good bike to consider for my issue, or what other do you suggest? Thank you!

Answer 1

From a survey made by cycle traders for women riders
http://www.cycletrader.com/womenarticle.html

Harley-Davidson 161
Honda 131
Yamaha 79
Kawasaki 52
Suzuki 50
Custom 13
BMW 8
Ducati 6
Triumph 5
Buell 5
Indian 3
Aprilla 1
Total 514
Top 20 Models Women Ride
Harley-Davidson Sportster 65
Honda Shadow 57
Yamaha V-Star 32
Harley-Davidson Softail 29
Yamaha Virago 23
Kawasaki Vulcan 23
Kawasaki Ninja 18
Honda Rebel 18
Honda CBR600RR 18
Harley-Davidson Wide Glide 12
Harley-Davidson Fatboy 12
Harley-Davidson Low Rider 11
Harley-Davidson Heritage 11
Honda Valkyrie 9
Suzuki SV650S 7
Assorted Custom 7
Yamaha Venture 6
Yamaha Road Star 6
Suzuki Intruder 800 6

Answer 2

Been there with my wife. The sport bike doesn't require more lean, it just feels that way because it is taller. The angle of lean determines the sharpness of the turn regardless of CG. the taller bike just requires you to be more aggressive with pushing that bike around to "right" it.

A larger, heavier bike will not necessarily "hug" the road better, it will simply require you to muscle more weight around. My wife was riding a Yamaha Vstar 650--a nice, low, foot forward bike that weighed in at the same mark as the Honda shadow. The problem was that it was too much weight, too low a center of gravity, and too foot forward of a seating position for a 140# woman. Bear in mind that (genrally) a man's center of gravity is higher than a woman's and consequently a man needs to shift his upper body less to get a good lean out of a bike (and thus turn it). So, low and foot-forward is a very comfortable "masculine" seating position.

What you need is a bike with a more conventional riding position and a moderate weight. That will keep your legs under you and allow you to turn the bike by using your entire body and not just your (generally lighter) upper body. As you've already discovered, you are also looking for a bike that isn.t too tall. Look for something that allows you to put both feet flat on the ground, that'll keep the CG within your control. A bike too tall will only cause you to drop it.

Look at a variety of bikes--on the heavy side, HD sportster 883, Triumph Bonneville, Moto Guzzi Nevada.

Your rebel is on the light end of this spectrum and it may just be that it is so light it doesn't hold the road well. You might also look at some of the bigger single cylinder bikes--suzuki, BMW--these actually perform well but greatly reduce wieght on a larger framed bike. I took a BMW F650 8000 miles to the artic and found it to be very agile for a heavier (400#) bike.

Answer 3

Lower and heavier generally means LESS cornering clearance, meaning hard parts will start touching down sooner, and in a worst-case situation, lever the back wheel off the ground. This means you will have to take corners slower than you would the Blast. Heavier also means that side-to-side transitions will be slower, and steering will be heavier.

The biggest benefit more weight will give you is greater stability at freeway speeds when being passed by large vehicles. Other than that, they are more cumbersome and harder to move around (like when parking).

I actually suggest getting a lighter bike, as a lighter bike will be easier to handle, and you aren't fighting as much mass. When a heavy bike starts to tip over, it tips over. When a light bike starts to tip over, you can catch it or correct much more easily.

A bike with lower seat height (like most cruisers, I don't include sport bike with lowering links or shaved seats) will give you more leverage when you are stopped and around parking lots, but as I mentioned above, it also translates to less cornering clearance. Fine if you enjoy cruising, not so good if you like to ride at a moderately sporty pace.

So many factors affect whether a bike feels top-heavy or not, not just the actual weight, but rake and trail numbers, whether the tank is full or empty, mass centralization, seat height, suspension settings, etc.

The BMW boxers have particularly low centers of balance due to the position of the cylinders, whilst maintaining good ground clearance. I suggest heading to the dealership and trying a few on for size.

Also, the SV650 has a relatively low center of balance due to the position and angle of its V-twin motor. I don't know how it comares to the Blast, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were lighter.

Of course the best solution is to simply keep riding. I remember my first bike, a VF500F Interceptor which felt ridiculously top-heavy and 'tippy.' I dropped it a couple of times. After a while, you get used to it, and as a matter of fact, may come to appreciate it, as it means quicker turn-in and sharper handling.

Answer 4

My wife drove the Virago 1100 for three years and found that it was a easy as a bicycle to handle, but it was all over the road in the wind. She currently has a 2004 Suzuki Intruder 1400. it is heavy in the parking lot, but she is short and both feet touch the ground. It handles the road great. She has 54000 kms on it as we have travelled coast to coast for the past three years. I think you need to worry less about trying to lean in corners and use "push steering" to force the bike to lean. If you push the inside handle bar on a turn, it will lean the bike much harder.

Answer 5

Yeah I've seen this question phrased slightly differently before. "Best handling motorcycle" is fine, but what difference does it make that you're a lady? You think the bike knows the sex of the rider, huh? The best handling motorcycle is a sportbike. You see people out on a road course on cruisers? They don't handle all that well, but are easy to get on and off of and a more comfortable riding position. You want a high angle of lean to corner well, you lean a cruiser over 1/2 as far as a sportbike and you have scratched up all the fancy chrome.

Answer 6

Honda Shadow 600 is a good choice. Sit on the Yamaha V Star 650, its heavier and low to the ground as well. Compare, then decide.

Answer 7

The facts are this should never have happened, if the car next to you was traveling at the same speed and was slightly in front of you and was able to stop to avoid a collision (with less time and shorter distance) then you should have been able to as well, a properly maintained R6 has very good brakes. You cannot afford to let your concentration drop when you are riding – it might have been the fault of another road user but you are the one in pain and out of pocket. Approach your insurance tell them that you need to make a claim, let them contact the police and the other driver’s insurance company. The fact that you do not have a licence will affect the situation – did your insurance company not ask about that? You might well have voided any insurance you had.

Answer 8

I ride a Yamaha Virago 700, which is probably equivalent to the Shadow 600. It handles better than the other motorcycles I've had, which had higher center of gravity.

I suggest you slow down before hitting your turn.

Answer 9

i ride a 1200 nightster. at speed it feels very nimble and easy to manuver in the corners. but like any bike, if u attempt to ride outside of ur abilities, the road will be waiting to chew u up.