Help me with my woman's pick of bike.

In a straight line? No. In the twisties? No. In style? A total fucking eclipse, hotshot.
I suppose the newfangled bikes could be remanufactured in to airtight containers that you can use for keeping food fresh in the fridge.:bootyshake2:

 

You are the last person that I want to appear as ignorant in front of. (please be gentle)
My silliness comes from a lack of knowledge of the CBR. I had no idea that they had that much juice. I guess that I am old school when it comes to picking out a bike that goes long distance. ie: bigger displacement, lower revs = less vibration.
That's is why I am asking, folks. Ignorant but open.......

 

Considering the "weight" of the operator, you could easily go +1 on the front sprocket (speedo would probably be more accurate too) which would lower the revs on the slab. But my experience has been that there is no vibration per se with the CBRs, very turbine like. How many miles a day you talking about? Sargent seat = 400 mile days, EASY.
The BMW F800st is a good option too, probably the perfect small person's commuter bike. Available with lowered suspension AND low seat FROM THE FACTORY. Plus outfits are starting to make a bunch of stuff for it.

 

dare I say 919?

 

Dead serious it's a nice set up and and a ton of fun

 

THE NT 650 HAWK is nearly perfect for someone your wife's size.....
has she tried one??

 

wife bike

my wife is also pretty small....she learned on a buell blast which was a great first bike for her,BUT...it felt unstable above 60....we ended up getting her a suzuki sv 650 (standard)....we lowered it.shaved the seat, and so far she loves it.....i enjoy getting on it once in a while too...altho its too low for me (now)....good luck!

 

dont pay any attn. to some of the dipshits you get (rarely) on here. i cut my teeth on a cb550f great bike. i bought a 4th gen last summer for my wife. shes 5'4". I lowered 2.5" front and rear with NO handling problems at all. she can touch flat footed. good luck with the search:drinker:

 

One word here Ducati. The monster series is great for general purpose sport, all thou it's still more a naked, another thing nice about em is they make em in 600, 750 and 1100 But you said no naked, but as a bike for the ladies it's going to be hard to beat .. a Sv 650 is just as tall as the VFR. I too like the NT But it's dated and would make for a not so good touring machine. Once you start lowering a bike you mess it up in the handling department, and since she knows how to ride I'm thinking here thats a NO NO. So go check out the Duc you'll be glad you did. Sorry Honda, there is another market you need to make bikes for.. That said, Shorty rode around on a 2nd gen with no trouble.

 

I'm liking where this is going. Ducati. I have my English-Italian dictionary for the manual. Guiderà come il vento!

 

Hmmm, as mentioned, the 919 but it might be a tad heavy. However, the 599 probably isn't and would be in the 90 HP range with more upright ergos considering it has standard bars instead of clipon's.

Since she's a good mechanic, the 599 is a carburetor bike still, so she might like it (I believe it is basically the same motor used in the previous CBR600F4, not F4i).

 

I dont quite understand what your looking for now...the Duc is a great bike no doubt, but its not he bst mount for Sport/touring ie has small tank, no windscreen, no fairing...the F4i would make a better tourer than that, IMHO...on the same note you stated that the 600 inline was too small and she would want something bigger, more powerful...but the VFR any year is slower and heavier than the f4i.but you were interested to begin with....sounds like you (she) will have to decide were to comprimise..speed, agility, comfort.....Let us know how you decide!!!

 

I've seen people of all sizes manage bikes of all sizes; it's all about the technique. I thought my VF500F was a huge, cumbersome bike when I first got it, my Radian was too damn small and my FZ1 was a monstrously huge bike of epic proportions... now it feels tiny.

I'm suprised that me at 5'8" and 130 actually look somewhat proportional, ha!

And yes, this is me using my frame sliders as highway pegs.



FTR, most factory nake bikes in the sport-standard range have lower fairing options. FZ6, FZ1 and such all do.

 

She needs more power than a 600? Really? Like this? 2008 Yamaha R6 AMA SuperSport Bike - BARF - Bay Area Riders Forum

 

As it stands, the VFR sounds like it might not be the bike of choice for her. We have yet to see a Gen 3, so the jury is still out on that yet. I am going to the Duc dealer and see what they have. We are most certainly not going to buy something brand new since the funds are going to come mostly from the sale of our 550's to deepdish so he can learn how to ride. We will be going shopping this spring and the input, so far, has gotten it narrowed down to a few bikes. We'll try a CBR and Ducs and some others suggested. Squirrelman suggested an NT650 Hawk. It sounds like a rare bike and I don't want to have to chase ghosts for parts when the time comes. As bigbird says, there will have to be a compromise in some areas but comfort is up on the list and speed and agility is anything out of the 80's.
It's going to be a real challenge when we have to pick out an enduro for her for our South America run in 5 years. Vermont to Argentina. Anyone want to go?

 

My fiance is 5'3" and rides a 2006 GSXR 600. We had it lowered three inches so she could touch. She still needs a good pair of boots with some heel on them to hit flat footed.

 

Me thinks at'll do.

 

I think I agree with Fizz. Now I LOVE my 04 FZ1, but it is a big bike. Kristin did look at an 07 FZ6 and really liked it. The Viffer gen 3 just fell in our lap the same day, and not to mention its paid for and not finaced. It was wanting on some things and I just modded it to her a bit as far as the seat & brake pedel geometry. She loves the bike. No gripes at all, loves the v-4's smooth pover over other bikes she has owned and rode. The FZ6 is light, but it is kinda tall, but a heck of a bike. And i gotta say I love its looks.

 

Honestly I still think the suzuki gsx 650f is the best bike for what your looking for, not a ong reach to the bars, good seat, low stance (compared to other sports) strong motor, faired, and it bieng a gsx Im sure aftermarket will be all over it...Im sure it would handle and have more power than most 80s bikes....And if she can ride as good as you say (ATGATT!!) you still wont pass her in the canyons, even if you had a GSX 1000....But for some reason Bikes like the Hawk, gsx650f, kawi 650r, etc are left on the showroom floors usually with all the 600r and liters get swooped up quick...which reminds me of another great sport/tourer the yamaha 600r which has a bunch of aftermarket including lowering, bars, pips, PC....And a good pilot on any of these bikes can the leave the flock at will during any canyon run..just not drag night at the track...I rode with a guy a few times with yama 600r and I was impressed by him and the bike...just food for thought...

 

My wife is 5 foot 100 lbs last bike was a 93 f2 (lowered 3/4 inch) and not flat footing but has ridden it for 5 years. She does quite well on it from what the guys say that have followed us on rides (so its not just my opinion). As for comfort she has done many 500 mile days on it. Just got her a f4i for this year but has not ridden it yet as we live in a part off Canada that is getting snow as I type.

I have ridden a 550 ss and now own a vfr400 as a daily rider and my $ is on the 400 any day of the week. When the weather breaks and the wife and I swap bikes I'll get her to give a seat of the pants comparison of the 2 bikes from the view of a smaller rider.