Which starter bike or lowering mods works well for the SO.

What is a good bike for a SO who maybe shorter than the normal?

Mine is 5'6", actually taller than me. But I don't expect nor want her to attempt riding a bike heavier than 300 lb or one which she cannot at least get the balls of her feet on the ground at the same time.
Anyone w/ experience in lowering a bike, please share your results, be it good or bad.
Anyone happy w/ a certain short bike let us know.
This is really for many other riders that want their SO to ride or just want this info for their kids too.

Thanks for your input.
Poncho

Well...I'm a short assed thing, and I can get the ball of one foot down pretty solidly on my R². I also have an old XL 25o that I can flatfoot, and had an old DT200 that was a scream to ride. I could get both balls of my feet down on that one. I dunno, if I could do it all over again, I'd still take the R². I can pick it up off the ground decently without destroying anything, and learning how to pick up a heavier bike is always a good thing to learn. I lowered my bike any way I could, save shaving the seat, and I'm more than happy with how it sits and how it feels under my short ass.

I use to have a Honda CRF230F I got it when i was 11 years old. Great bike easy to ride and handle, faster then you would think too.

Poncho,

You know how I feel about the XT, piece of cake to ride and at 268 wet easy to pick up if you drop it. Lots of room in the seat to shave down some foam, too. I rode mine to Utah and back this summer with nary a hiccup.

Sarah

We have a Honda CRF150F (not the R) and anyone can ride it and it has plenty of power to go just about anywhere but wont wheelie over very easily. We did the 428 chain conversion to it and it made a huge differrence. Kids to adults can ride it. It's an 06 and I paid $1,200.00 for it. No kick start, just elecetic or push... I have taught many people how to ride on this bike...


See more pix at http://www.spaguru.net/honda_crf150f.htm

SARAH,
TN to UT & back on an XT...........you are the LADY, that I take off my helmet to.

Would be kinda fun to get a riding group that wanted to so some touring on these lighter bikes.

Hey Mister, I'm from Kentucky!!

Best of luck with the starter bike, let us know how it goes.

Sarah

OH Kentuck, what a way to loose a friendship.
So very sorry!

Owe you a tube of Ride-On.

& I had actually mapped out a route to you for a friend in N GA.

Ponch: For a street legal dual-sport ? ...or strictly an off-road mount ?

I have three girls and all three were riding CRF230s (off-road only).

Since, the teenage girl (5"-6") has moved-up to a YZF and the lil woman (5'-2") now has a CFR250X which I did lower using a Kuba lowering link and then cut the seat down.

I am going to use the Kouba (or yamalink) and determine if the additional shock adjustment will get here there, or determine the seat solution. I am considering the Corbin dual-sport seat (I have one on my KTM) which is a great solution at a cost ($399 I recall).

While continuing to reinforce the fact that she doesn't need to touch the ground while riding, there certainly is a reinforcement of confidence by enabling the ability to touch the ground.

Street dual sport.

I find the trust in the ability to touch the ground w/ a sure foot rather than touching the ground only while the bike is tipping over is a no brainer. I personally have ridden some of my buds' tall machinery & find myself overly concerned about knowing full well that when at any stop I must dismount or locate a fallen tree.
But if a SO is to grow into the sport then there must be a level of trust & ease during the earlier stages. Even for an experienced rider w/ a load of camping equipment riding something like the TAT solo would find more than one too many tip overs was a need to address. I know!
You are blessed to have family members enjoying your riding experience. Your selection of the CRF230 sounds like a good one. That is the bike which convinced me to study harder the 250cc array of bikes. Rode w/ some good guys in NM that had 350s & under, We had equally the fun & engaged in some real tech riding. Everyone was exchanging bikes for a sample of whose bike was what. The honda 230 was my choice among that group. My DR650 would have done all but it would have been more than a handfull in so many areas. Plus the picking up anything like a KLR 650 at 420 lb wet is pure back damaging. I know! So you can see I have learned the hard way & don't want to put another through my history.
I did lower my 650s for me, but the picking up was still a two person job to be safe about it.

thanks for your info X-Racer

I have two (2) 230s in the garage still. We take those if we go up fishing (off-road) rather than the two (2) CRFXs.

The girl hasn't ridden her WR yet, but we modded it today (GYTR pipe, AIS removal, etc.) and I rode it and I know (already) she's never going to want to ride her CRF after that !

They are one great trail bike. I actually have a 230 for sale in eBay now cheap at $1800. You can DS them in FL yea ?

This was my CRF230F I would reccomend one of them. The seat height was 866mm and weight 106kg.

This is the only shot I have of it with my WR250R.

WOW! Look at the difference between those two rear sprockets.

What's on that Honda a 54?

PonchoV wrote:

WOW! Look at the difference between those two rear sprockets.

What's on that Honda a 54?

Sold the Honda about 8 weeks ago so I can't be sure but I think it had 52.

As my KLR buds would say, that is a lot of grunt form the runt.