If u can get it in her head that u only need to put your foot down when u stop then your golden. 1 foot on the ground is all u need. most of the time youll spend it on the go & no need to touch the ground. U need to hammer that in her head.
For the first few weeks with my 600, I rode with my steel toe boots since they got almost 2in high soles.
I yet have to drop it from loss of footing. I did slip a few times on sand or misplaced my foot/off balance, but managed to ride of or catch it somehow.
Same here. I had this pair of awesome Doc Martens that I wore for the longest time because I refused to lower my bike. Those things held up so well. Although, I did have to adjust my shift linkage to accommodate the taller toe.
Once I got confident in supporting the weight, I switched to my Sidi boots. I still really only get the toes to touch when I'm in my gear (can't bend my ankles), but I'm familiar enough with the bike, and relaxed enough with my body that I can adjust the weight accordingly and balance pretty well.
So it's settled right? Ninja 250 lowered 2 inches right? Shit, at 100 lbs. she could prolly accelerate down the back stretch faster than me on my zx6r. Lol
My wife is the same height. I lowered my 250 2in and she could barely tip toe on it lowered, and never became comfortable with doing one foot only. SHe decided to be passenger only after that.
Just saying I can even do 1/2 foot. If I'm sitting at a light a little longer light or I see gravel coming up, quick unexpected stop, I got my whole foot on the ground.
With 1/2 a foot I don't have to scoot off the seat so far. Just a lazy thing.
If it's really windy it's crap cuz I need both feet down but then only reach as far as tippy toes.
Dani Pedrosa is 5'2" he gives me inspiration! I am a 5'2" female and I did not want to lower my bike so I learned to ride and stop with one foot. It sure was scary at first. I can also pick my bike up by myself too. :cool3:
:O You can drop the bike with two feet on the ground.
I mean, I've gotten off pretty lucky so far *knocks on wood* In the 9 years I've been throwing a leg over bikes, I've only had them fall due to other factors such as the kick stand sinking into uneven or broken asphalt.
None of my sportbikes are lowered and when I'm fully geared, I am on my toes (if I want to put two feet down) or half a foot depending on if I'm covering the rear brake or not. It boils down to balance and leverage. If I have to inch off the seat a little bit to get more footing, I usually offset it by keeping my upper body directly over the bike instead of sloucing in the direction of the tilt. I've had my foot slip out on oil before and managed to regain footing because of that. Had I been slouching, all of the weight would have been enough to bring it down for sure.
I'm not sure if that makes sense but it works. I did lower my DRZ because it was just impractical for me to try and make it work with a bike that top heavy on the street.
Im thinking here it's Just Not a good Idea yes one foot is enough But 4,10 she will never be Comfy on that Bike ( and By this she might even avoid stopping even if she is in danger Coz she will be More scared of balancing the Bike )
There is a walkthrough on line, where some guy shaved and reapholstered his seat and ended up dropping the seat height a good inch or 2 on his sv, for his wife. I'll see if I can dig it up.
I'm rockin 5'1" 120lbs. I finally bought a zx6r last week. I can tip toe on one side. I'm a little nervous about it. When I ride my kx125 I have to do the same, but it's a lot lighter!
Her height isn't so bad. What's her inseam? You can do what other have stated and do the 250 or 300, and when she's ready, she can get on a newer GSXR with no problem once you lower it.
You just have to drop the forks, add a steering stabilizer to offset the quicker steering, shave and sculpt the seat so it's lower and more narrow, either get a rear shock spacer or lowering link and go down 2-3". Then get her in a pair of ADV type boots with a thicker sole.
It can be done, and she can be comfortable with some work.
Roaring Toyz makes a 5 in. lowering link for the Ninja 250 (08-12), and you can soften the suspension to drop another inch or so. You can use this at the full 5 inch drop without playing with the forks at all. There's also some fully adjustable links out there for the bigger bikes.
I just bumped up to a 626 from a 250. I was really glad to start off nice and low and enjoyed it for a year. My husband lowered the 250 2 inches and let the pressure out of the suspension as well. I'm 5'2''. Highly recommend the 250, great starter bike. I'm tippy toeing it on my 626 but loving the power!! Learning to ride all over again... Fun stuff
When I learned to ride, I was always taught that you are supposed to be on your toes anyway. Being able to flatfoot with two feet promotes poor technique I was told. That said, I don't care a whole lot about my 96 zx6r getting dropped, so I taught my gf to ride on it. (its also my only bike). She got her learners, and in Saskatchewan there's no mandatory lessons. You write a written test and you're legal to go riding with a few rules.
So we go to a parking lot, and her first stop she sets her foot down and ... oh... tipping... tiippppppppping... and as it was falling over I just ran up and yanked her out from underneath. She dusts herself off, I tell her to stand her ground and she tries again. Away she goes. All that story, to remind you that it's going down anyway so put her on a light bike to start and gain confidence. I'll be buying her a 125 or 250 before she's riding on her own. --and she can enrol in a proper course with a real instructor haha.
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