Good beginner bike for 5"3" ??

[Conspiracy of One]

My fiancee' is getting ready to take the MSF course and will be wanting her own ride soon.  What bikes are easily adapted to her shorter height?
Thanks,
Ray

[bizarro]

A lowered SV650 would probably work very well.

[servicerifle]

I agree, but only if she's in it for herself and is "keyed into" learning such a thing.  If she isn't super inclined, then maybe an ex500 would be a better choice.  I don't think there's any reason an SV can't be a beginner's bike, but I do think that it requires more attention and interest than the 500 does.

[Clair]

If she's open to Cruisers ... rebel, virago, vulcan 500, V-STar 650 would all work fine, tho I'd take the Vulcan 500 over the V-Star.

Baby ninja might work, can always lower them a bit.

[stinky93071]

gs500 without the plastic.. then she can drop it and not be out but a peg or two..

[bluepoof]

5'3" is a towering giant!  

I'd also go for a used midrange (250-500cc) bike without a lot of plastic.  Course, that's the same advice I'd give a 6'0" guy, so maybe this post is pretty useless.  

[Doug Just Doug]

Have you tried this source of info? http://www.ki.org/sbl/

[Green01SprintST]

That seems to be a dead site.

[jschmidt]

Suzuki GZ 250. But you can't decide solely by height. It's inseam that matters. If even the GZ is too tall, the seat can be cut down almost two inches and will retain adequate padding.

[basco]

5'3" is a towering giant!  

Go ride your pocket bike.  

[bluepoof]

Go ride your pocket bike.  

Come back here and I'll bite you in the kneecap!  

[falcofred]

Ducati Monster in the 600cc version has the lowest seat height of any sport bike I know of. It's air cooled so it's fairly light. Has upright riding position, that is neither sport bike humped over or cruiser leaned back.
I believe a low mileage used Monster 600 would be a good choice.

[Squareman357]

Buell Blast has a very low seat height too.  I think shorter than even the Monster 600.  500cc, enough power for a beginner without being scary, belt drive so no chain maintenance.  I hear they don't need valve adjustments either, so it's gas, oil, and ride.

[Stargzrgrl]

I'm 5'4.  I started out on a '74 CB360T.  You could drop that thing off a cliff (or a parking lot) and not get too upset over it.    Good way to introduce yourself to the world of motorcycling without spending too much money.

I tend to steer most newer riders to the older UJM's because they're cost effective, easily repairable, and user friendly when they're fixed up right.  

[Russellr.1]

I thought I would chime in on this one if you don't mind. My wife is short as well. Her first bike was an xr100 to ride around the farm, then she wanted to ride with me on the street. I would recommend a nice used Honda Rebel to start with. It is light enough that she could pick it up if she had to if you were not around. You can get one reasonable to see if she is going to like it. If she does't you can get you money back if it is not damaged. After a year on the Rebel, she was disliking  the lack of power so we moved her to a 500 Vulcan. Sits about the same height as the Rebel but has the power to run with the big dogs and a much nicer seat. The 500 Vulcan is a bike she can ride for years and not have to take out a second mortgage to get one. Hope that helps.

[Cpl Punishment]

Harley Sportser, Triumph Legend, or something smaller....Moto Morini??

[bluepoof]

Triumph Legend

A wonderful and gorgeous bike, but heavy and wide.  

Remember kids, it's not all about seat height when dealing with the "vertically challenged" -- it's seat *width* too!  That's a huge problem with a lot of cruisers.

[Cpl Punishment]

A wonderful and gorgeous bike, but heavy and wide.  

Remember kids, it's not all about seat height when dealing with the "vertically challenged" -- it's seat *width* too!  That's a huge problem with a lot of cruisers.

Under 5mph perhaps...

[bluepoof]

Under 5mph perhaps...

I don't follow...  

[cbsnbiker]

My fiancee' is getting ready to take the MSF course

  to your fiancee!

and will be wanting her own ride soon.  What bikes are easily adapted to her shorter height?
Thanks,
Ray

Short answer: she should sit on a bunch of bikes and see what fits her. After she completes the course, she should go shopping again then she should buy a bike (not before the course).

Now, a somewhat longer answer:

First off, does she need to adapt a bike to her height? She is not that short, as such things go. Many of my former students are significantly more petite than that. A 4' 10" former student of mine bought an unmodified Shadow VLX 600 (see below) after completing the course, and did just great.

Do you know her leg inseam length? That's a significant factor for ascertaining whether her feet will touch the ground on a particular bike. If she's leggy, many bikes will fit her. If she's long in the torso (and therefore less leggy), her choices of bike will be a bit more limited--but they're still out there.

My opinion is that it's better to choose an unmodified bike that best fits the rider, than to choose a bike that does not fit the rider then make major modifications to try to make it fit. Modifying a seat is one thing, but I eschew lowering suspensions or tire profiles (except for factory kits). It's like trying to hammer a square peg into a round hole. It causes more problems than it solves.

So, considering that she's (a) a novice, and (b) petite, she should look at smaller, lower bikes for her first bike. It's not for me to say exactly what she should choose, but I'm going to guess that bikes such as an R1150GS or ElectraGlide are probably poor choices.  

What she should consider for her first bike also depends on how well she does in the course and how high her confidence level is. If she's tentative in the course and the coaches feel that she needs a lot more work, that might be an indication that she should start with something modest, such as a Kawasaki Eliminator 125, a Suzuki GZ250, or a Kawasaki Ninja 250. OTOH, if she really kicks butt in the course, maybe a Honda Shadow VLX 600 (if she's really petite--remarkably short riders fit on it), a factory-lowered BMW F650GS, a Buell Blast, or a Ninja 500 might be in order. There are plenty of other options out there, both current and UJMs.

Ultimately, though, it should be her choice. Remember, it'll be her first bike, but it does not have to be her last bike. She can always sell or trade it in on something else when she's ready, or keep it as a backup. Better to start off on something a bit small and modest, than something big and overwhelming.