Tryin to get on one!!

pHaZe_bUsA

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hey, this is my first post
i wanted to buy a bike. I have never been on one before. The problem is that im 5 4', dont know if i can fit on one. i went to the dealer to look at some bikes cbr, kawasaki, yamaha. all r 600's but i am on my toes. I heard that u can lower bikes but i dont know if its the same as lowering a car. I would appreciate it if i can get some advice on what bike i should get. Not tryin to die on a bike so i want to play it safe. Thanx!
 
600's are a good starting point. Bikes can be lowered pretty easly.
Welcome to the board
Jim
 

Phaze,

A Busa is probably not for you. My friend who is 5'10" sat on my bike, and he was on his toes.

My first recommendation would be what style of bike do you like? Cruiser style or racer? Once you make that choice, I would probably start out with something in the 500-600 cc range.

You didn't list your weight, but with a 500-600cc engine, that should give you enough ooomph to get out of the way of hazards. You don't want an underpowered bike. That can kill you quicker than an overpowered bike.

You didn't mention whether you want new/used (I know everyone wants new, but we're talking reality here). The latest round of 600s (racer style bikes) have a lot of performance for the $$. I don't follow the cruiser bikes that much, but from what I gather, you can tweak them quite a bit to get extra performance, although probably not as much tweaking as a racer.

You also didn't list your age. If you're under 25, the insurance companies will pretty much screw you if you look at something over 600. If you go new bike and finance it, you'll have to have full coverage which will cost a bunch.

Lastly, take an MSF course. You will learn a lot and in a "controlled" environment.

Good luck!

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Welcome to the board phaze.
600's are good starter bike yes, but the new 600's make serious power, and are very light, which makes for serious performance.
Try one that's around 6 or 8 years old to be safe.
Most will tell you that you can kill yourself on any size bike,
but bad things happen alot faster on a Busa.
 
Phaze,

two of my buddies (who are twins) are 5'4", one weighs about 145, the other 155lbs. They both tried out my busa and were on thier tippy-tippy-toes. However, in MD we have a MSF instructor (ladies) who is about thier height and she rides a busa (or used to, she just got a ZX-12). Anyway, they make a "shorter" seat which puts you down almost an inch.

I agree with everyone else about power... Especially, you don't wanna start out overpowered on your tippy-toes.

One problem with sport 600's is that several of them are higher than the bigger sports. And, many people find that lowering can hamper handling... Depends what you are looking for.

One of my buddies (previously mentioned at 5'4") is planning to buy a Suzuki Marauder 800cc. It is a cruiser style and fits him very nicely. There is also the Honda Shadow 750, etc. But, the Marauder is best price and light. Sweet cruiser for a man your height.

Good luck dude and take 'er easy while starting out!

Oh yeah... Welcome to the board!
 
BTW - I just noticed you are from Olney... I ride through there every day on my way to work (Annapolis). If you do get a bike, or just wanna hook-up to look at 'em, lemme know!

Always looking for new additions to our riding "gang."
 
get sumfin older to start on.....I once had an' 85 suzook intruder . lowest seat height of any production ever built . in that period anyway . welcome to the addiction . its kinda like speed or crack or cocain . no its not . its way better . drugs suck . riding is the pure form . good luck bro .
 
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