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Hello all
I am 5 feet in height and female, I am also older at 62. To begin with I will need to ride 125cc bike. I would appreciate guidance as to what motorcycle would suit a small person please. Thank you for your time.

Welcome!

Most 125s are fairly small but the Suzuki GN125 is probably the smallest :)

Seat height is a problem for shorter/small riders, I know, especially when learning. You want to feel confident when coming to a stop that the bike isn't going to fall over, with you underneath it...

All I can suggest is to find out seat heights of any bike that you take a liking to. Really, the best way is to go to one of the major motorcycle shows and wander round all the stands, trying bikes for seat height, and making a note of the ones that work for you. Are you based in the UK? If so, I'd suggest taking a trip to the annual NEC bike show in November. All the major (and minor) manufactureres have a stand and you can sit on as many bikes as you like.

Once you've found a bike (or bikes) that have a suitable seat height, find out the actual seat height in cm/inches (the staff on the stand should be able to tell you) and use that as a reference point for any other bikes. The width of the seat where it meets the tank is also important (narrower=better) and you also need to consider bike weight. You'll probably find that 'cruiser' type bikes have the lowest seat height.

This is always fun to play with

https://cycle-ergo.com/

Nothing compares to actually getting on the bike though. Bike and saddle widths and positions vary tremendously so sometimes a high seat (on paper) is easier to reach the ground than a lower one. More to the point, it's great fun trying out loads of bikes, especially the really expensive ones!

I used to ride with some guys in Australia and one of their wives was learning and she was easily less than 5 feet tall, I don't remember the bike she was on, but what she did have was effectively high heeled boots. They looked normal at 1st glance, but on closed inspection there was clearly a high heel, but hidden within the boot. It might be a way to use a taller bike, when you move up.

Thank you all for your advice, which is helpful and informative. I'll go to the show in November as it seems a good way to identify possibilities and I'll also look at the specifically suggested bike.

It is handy to go to a show and see all the bikes in one place, but the bikes are often on stands. This means that the bike may not sag down due to the suspension compressing when you sit on it, so will feel higher than it would on its wheels.

When I sold bikes for a 'living' I tried to get smaller customers to look at roadsters rather than cruisers. I have always felt that the 'armchair' seating position of a cruiser means you have to put your legs/feet forward rather than straight down which I find awkward and slightly unstable. An upright stance on the bike always feels better when you have to stop IMHO. This might explain it better:

https://www.bestbeginnermotorcycles.com ... -position/

Very interesting read! I can concur from personal experience as regards KTM seats - or at least the one on my Duke 690R...

Welcome!

Yamaha also made a YBR125 Custom for a while and that has a low seat height.

If you progress to bigger bikes, the Yamaha XV535 Virago has a super low seat and low down weight. Good combo.

Falcopops wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 09, 2020 12:05 pm

I used to ride with some guys in Australia and one of their wives was learning and she was easily less than 5 feet tall, I don't remember the bike she was on, but what she did have was effectively high heeled boots. They looked normal at 1st glance, but on closed inspection there was clearly a high heel, but hidden within the boot. It might be a way to use a taller bike, when you move up.

Daytona were the best brand for this from memory... I did a quick scan of their site:

https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=20
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=19
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=86
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... id=1&eid=3



And for gents of the shorter persuasion....
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=12
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=85

Well Done, I had a quick look (nothing worse than suggesting something then not evidencing it), but came up empty.

RiceBurner wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:36 am

Daytona were the best brand for this from memory... I did a quick scan of their site:

https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=20
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=19
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=86
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... id=1&eid=3



And for gents of the shorter persuasion....
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=12
https://www.daytona.de/en/index.php?sec ... d=1&eid=85