10 Fantastic Motorcycles For Short Riders
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- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Today I am going to look at the "Top 10 Reliable Motorcycles with a Lower seat height". Except there is 11.
It has been a much requested video and my choices won't be to everyone's choice. One of the asks was that it wasn't just cruisers either, so I have tried to put together a balanced list of bikes that will give a fantastic choice for shorter riders, or those that just feel more comfortable with both feet flat on the ground.
I will explore motorcycles known for their reliability as well as being a great ride for anyone wanting a low seat height.
So join me as we dive into the world of motorcycles designed for those who aren't giants.
From more sporting rides to cruisers and more, I have tried to find something to suit every taste and preference.
These bikes are all known for their durability and minimal maintenance requirements, so you get peace of mind as well as an easy comfortable riding position.
Whether you're hitting the open road or navigating through city traffic, all of these motorcycles will give you a comfortable and confidence-inspiring ride.
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Full article here
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
02:30 Suzuki SV650
03:54 Ducati Scrambler
05:20 Triumph Street Twin
07:12 Yamaha XV950R
09:15 Honda CMX 500 Rebel
11:25 Triumph Bonneville T100
12:15 Royal Enfield 350 Hunter
13:30 Kawasaki Z650
14:30 Honda CB500
15:30 Yamaha MT07
17:00 Moto Guzzi V7
19:00 Raw Footage
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#RIDEFREE - Авто та транспорт
Glad that you did a review on the Honda Rebel. It's a light bike and that makes it a bit nimble. Although it may look unbalanced. It does ride balanced and center of gravity makes this bike easy to ride.
yep, that is why i stressed the LOOKS out of balance 🙂 and i cant talk really, the Vstrom seroies 1 was hit by the biggest ugly stick of all lol (well, maybe not quite) 🙂
The flatter the seat design (similar rider/passenger seat height) the better for shorter riders to get that short leg over the seat! Like the original UJM bikes such as the 1970's Honda CB series: CB360, CB450, CB750, etc. The modern Triumph Bonnevilles including that Street Twin, and many of the Royal Enfield models are good examples. Although cruisers are a go to category for shorter riders, mid forward controls are best. As a shorter rider, I can't reach most truly forward controls.
true on the seat design, and personally im just not a fan of forward controls, i feel much safer with my legs in a position they can take the weight if needed, ride free my friend
I would never have gone out to purchase a Ducati Scrambler, but having ended up with one I'm SERIOUSLY impressed. It handles beautifully and the torquey engine makes it a LOT of fun through country lanes. Interestingly, the previous owner replaced it with an SV650.
Thanks for another great video!
as you saw, i met up with one guy who used to do arrive n ride trackdays on his. the SV is smoother and revs better tho IMO. but the Ducati definitely wins on the looks department. handling would be a close call if they were both set up right, cheers for the comment, interesting story 🙂
I know with a limit to bike numbers it is hard to include everything but I am surprised the Kawasaki 650 Vulcan S did not rate a mention as seat height is a important criteria. At about 27.5 inches {705mm} it is pretty low for short people. My only criticism of the bike is I would like a bit more rear suspension travel. It has just over 3 inches & I would sacrifice seat height to get 2 more inches. I dislike having my spine driven up into my skull on some of our roads bumps. But it is reliable; makes good power; sounds good standard & can be ridden gently or lively however one enjoys it. You did show another Kawasaki with the same engine but you showed 3 Hondas with the same 500 engine so that should not stop you showing 2 Kawasakis with the same engine. Thanks for the video with thoughtful input.
being totally honest, it was actually the Vulcan 900 that came in next, with the 650 a few bikes down, purely down to the fact the 900 for me is a nicer ride, both are great, as is the older 800. the Honda Shadow VLX was another that was pushing into the top of the list too, funnily enough slightly ahead of the 750 and 1100 Shadow and the pre Bolt, Yamaha Midnight Star and its smaller 650 cousin. it was a hard list to narrow down, especially the cruiser section as i had been asked to do the list to show different options rather than just cruisers. It would have been easy to do a top 20 of just cruisers tbh, but that shuts out all the riders that specifically dont want cruisers, so it was a balance
@barebonesmc completely fair. One point I would like to add for the Vulcan 650 (for the sake of discussion!): the Vulcan 650 looks like a sports cruiser and 100% feels like that too, and I dont think there's a lot of options for that type out there. It's unusual and I think its worth mentioning
@@gaasts im not sure ive even seen one outside of a showroom here, they arent selling at all. things like the CFMoto CLX700 which has the uprated version of the Kawasaki engine seem to be doing better from what i have seen
Saw a video that had the new Kawasaki Eliminator 500 and thought, that looks like a great riding position for shorter riders. It's not a far reach, low but not too low seat, and pretty central, not forward foot controls. I then had a chance to sit on one, and for me at 5'6" it felt really nice. To me it felt much more like a standard type bike than a cruiser type which some might see it as. Think it would be awesome if you could get hard cases for it!
It should fit the UK and European A2 licence at that, but be better with the 650 lump in :-) and there is no reason why that couldnt work to have both models. cheers for adding this mate, there is a big choice now, im just hoping this video doesnt get sunk because ive just seen that Yammie noob released one at the same time, the joys of youtube :-)
The Eliminator is my #1 pick right now for getting back on 2 wheels. I rode very briefly in my teens (for perspective, I’d race my friends riding their pet triceratops). Now that I’m older and wiser (giggle) I’m wanting to get up on two again.
@@just-dl its not a bike i know well really, they are available here, ish, but ive not looked into them to be honest, the engine should be sound though. I did like the 900 Vulcan when it was younger too 🙂 cheers for watching mate
Thanks for spending your time sharing your extensive knowledge.
glad you enjoyed it mate 🙂 Theres plenty more on the channel, hope you will look around and find something your interested in. there is more on the website too. and there will be more to come. Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
Loved the video, especially the V7 as I own the 850 it’s a great little bike. Also have the BMW r1250rt for the bigger journey but I’m sure the V7 could do the big trips too if a little slower. I just love the contrast between the 2
i do keep looking at the V85TT, but i have just got too many, need to move some on first i think :-) thin down the stable, the V7 are great bikes
Cool bikes, great video. Being flat footed is over rated in my book. Weight is my nemesis, while tall is fine heavy is not due to multiple past leg injuries.
similar story with different solutions mate :-) i agree weight is a key. My knee injuries means i cant 100% rely on my left leg at times, at those times i like at least the balls of both feet down. but we are all different. If we all thought the same it would be a boring world 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
Great video. I'm looking for my first motorcycle. I currently have a vespa 300 gts scooter (with motorcycle license in the USA) . I'm 5'6.5". This video helps.
New sub, watching all your vids in the next couple days.
Welcome aboard mate, enjoy the ride and cheers for the support
Great video Sir.
Now suffering from the effects of advancing years, I have had one hip replacement, and the other one is knackered. The main problem I have is negotiating the raised pillion seats that seem to be there for aesthetic purposes only. If only the aftermarket folk could provide an alternate 'rear section', for something like an SV for example, I'm sure there would be a market of 'old cripples' like me out there!
lol, its my knee that buggered me :-) the joys :-) i mastered the leg through rather than leg over technique :-) the guy here ua-cam.com/video/vBbcIaBAf0c/v-deo.html at 13:30 with the Jota always makes me giggle
Other bikes I’d throw in the mix: eliminator 450/500, Vulcan S or 900, you already mentioned the Rebel 500 and RE Hunter. I think the Rebel 1100 is still approachable for someone looking for bigger and RE Shotgun looks promising, too. I’m eyeballing the Eliminator or Hunter for my first bike in almost 40 years.
That mid size cruiser market is a growing one it seems. keep hearing good things about the new MBP C1002V too
A good selection. For a short rider the combination of seat height and width matters. Slightly higher can be ok, if a narrow seat.
A couple of smaller bikes 300 to 500 cc could have been included.
i tried to balance it but there is always something missed, i did include the 350 Hunter CB500 and 500 Rebel too, and the 500 Rebel size specs are very similar to the 400 version too. i do have to stop somewhere tho mate 🙂
I can't recommend Yamaha Bolt series enough. It is such an underrated motorcycle that is fantastic do-it-all bike.
I think they get overlooked by people obsesses with bigger engines, they are far better than many bigger bikes
Thanks for the video. I have the V7iii. I thought it was actually a little lower than your spec. Also, for a trail bike the Yamaha XT250 is quite low. Though it looks higher, the secret is in the way the suspension sags. I have a 30” inseam and I have no problem with it.
This is based on manufacturers measurements, so in the real world the V7 may be lower, but to save arguments i used manufacturer specs for them all. and yep, sag can make a difference, i remember a mate having a Serow for a while that he sold because it was too small physically for him so there are shorter trail bikes too, just hard to compare them here, cheers for watching
@@barebonesmc The Manufacturer states the V7 has a 780mm seat height.
@@shardlake i guess there maybe differences by year or specific model then, that is something i didnt check to be honest
@@barebonesmc To be fair - stand over height is a better measure, I tested a bike last week that has a higher seat then mine, yet could flat foot it - BMW used to show that rather than seat height, no longer.
@@shardlake sounds about right, to be fair ive never noticed that quoted on anything, but ive rarely looked through BMW catalogues lol. I guess thats sort of what i was trying to get over when i talked about the seats on some of the bikes being more sculptured to help create a straighter leg drop, and that some of the bikes simply have a wider seat and engine profile, so your legs are splayed out more and so even with a lower seat, touching the ground is higher, one example of that would be the Triumph thunderbird, low seat, but my legs were splayed out so much i got off feeling like i had been violated lol, have a great day mate 🙂 interssting comment 🙂
My wife eventually got a500 Rebel, she loves it only being 5.2.
they do ride well, and i did say they were a great bike, just not my cup of tea but if we all thought the same it would be a boring world mate, 🙂Cheers for watching. Ride Free 🙂
its not just the seat height its the height of the back of the seat to swing your leg over .. seat has to be 29-30 inches tops
i learned to pass my leg over the rider seat instead when i had sissy bars. might not look as cool but it works 🙂 some of the bikes here have flat seats too. but if that is a strict limit you might be stuck to cruisers or scooters. even a few cruisers i can think of the seat kick up is higher than that 🙂
Why not step on the footpeg with your left foot before swinging your right leg over? My daughter is 5ft and that's how she gets on bigger bikes.
@@richieclean ouch 🙂
If youre too short, get used to stepping on the peg and going over the tail of the bike that way. Easy peasy.
@@richiecleanagree. I’m 6’ but have a bum hip. Old rodeo injury. Bike fails if I don’t think the kickstand can take my weight
Probably time to do a best Chinese bikes list... no doubt I missed it! Something like the CFMoto 300CL-X might fit this list
now that could get complex lol, do i include BMW's if they are made by Loncin? and KTM's built by CF Moto? 🙂 seriously though, there is a lot of new Chinese bikes coming that look set to break the mould a bit, we shall see
@@barebonesmc it would be a good explanation as to why the small capacity market is taking over!
Could do the same with India too 🤣. I looked at the production figures for India and the numbers are staggering.
@@TringmotionCoUk eindeed, there is a video i have planned that looks at one company in particular but for complex reasons (dont want to give too much away lol), but last time i looked Hro made more motorcycles just for the Indian market than anyone else except Honda, not sure that is still true, but it wouldnt surprise me. i touched on the market changes here ua-cam.com/video/RGk7qCa4Ghc/v-deo.html and here ua-cam.com/video/AV2OWNBBn9o/v-deo.htmlsi=OwFgLr0Jwsff0McO
I'm subscribed and love the channel. I have to stop you at your first choice. The SV650 is a fantastic choice for many reasons and might someday earn my Goldilocks award, it's damn close. But my 1999 SV650 with a seat height of 31.7" and my 2004 SV650 with a seat height of 31.5" would NOT make a top ten list of Fantastic Motorcycles for SHORT riders. If you were a short rider, you would know that the pillion/passenger section of the SV650 is quite a bit taller than the not so short rider's seat. Getting a leg over the SV650 is a tall order for a short rider. At just under 5'4" I'm mostly tippy toe on the SV, not even on the ball of my foot, let alone flat foot'n it! I would recommend the SV650 to anyone, including a shorter rider, as long as they understand that you have to be a very flexible shorter rider and you may be on your tippy toes when coming to a full stop. Even my 2006 Honda 919 Hornet is a better/short seat choice for me than the SV650.
interesting, someone else was talking about rear seat height being an issue, but i guess i had to learn to do it the other way and put my leg over the rider seat when my knee was knackered lol, and as someone else said, to get on you can always mount via the pegs too, left foot on peg and then swing right leg over. what is it they say, where theres a will...............
@@barebonesmc thanks for the response. Did you say put your leg over the riders seat? As in by doing a front kick over the bike? If so, you really need to get a short guy to pick these bikes. It's hard enough for me to swing a leg over the back seat, let alone doing a high kick in front of me like one of the Rockettes to get on a bike! As far as standing on the left peg, some bikes you can, some bikes it's not advisable. I had an '80s Suzuki 650 that I managed to bend the side stand over time. Also, my mechanic warned me right away to not do this on my Ducati multistrada. Apparently, all if not most Ducatis have the side stand attached to lower engine! Which also made it harder for me to reach the side stand from a seated position. I've been riding for 49 years now but many bikes have been a challenge...
@@papatorr3669 Ill agree on the point you make about standing on the pegs not being advisable with some bikes, But i guess that would then become a deal breaker for me, As to the front seat trick, i guess it depends on what you consider short, and even the height of the person can be misleading, im one of those oddities who is all body, although reasonably tall, i only have a 30" inside leg, yes, there are many who have it worse, but what is it they say, where theres a will theres a way 🙂 after i smashed my knee the front seat one was the only way i could get on, because rotating my leg left me in a heap on the floor, picking my leg up and over meant i didnt rotate on the knee, so it stayed stable and to be clear, the 2 lads who helped me with this are 5'6 and 5'7. I left the comments of the shortest guy out, because he rides Motocross and Enduro and stands there quite happily with his leg crooked over the seat then somehow just jumps up and rides when its time to go. but he is a demon in the saddle and asking a normal person whos only 5'4 to do what he does would be a bit daft, we all find our own ways i guess
@@barebonesmc sorry about your loss... of mobility that is. You brought up a point that I rarely discuss because it just loses people. But I had a guy come over to look at my V65 Sabre that was all legs with a short torso. I had to chuckle after he got into the pretzel position and his knees we're up to his belly button. I talked him out of buying my bike and highly recommended a BMW 1100 / 1150 with a tall seat. He's a happy camper now and I hope to see him this summer. I'm relatively proportional but at not quite 5 ft 4 in It's still only a 27-in inseam. Brings me to another favorite topic, we men need to agree to let the ladies have the inseam measurement, and we need to switch to the out-seam measurements. Men all wear their belt right at the hip and let those short and long zippers hang as they will. But that affects your inseam drastically, whereas it doesn't change your out-seam at all. Women on the other hand wear the waistline wherever it comes up past the camel toe so some have hip huggers and some have high risers at the belly button!
Just wait until they put ME in charge, I'm going to change a whole lot of things! 😅
@@papatorr3669 lol, come the revolution brother 🙂 enjoy the ride, whatever its on, keep the rubber side down
By 'motorcycle' you mean a naked type modern bike. All of these are way too tall for my 26" inside leg. Cruisers are much lower. I have a custom bobber based Harley. I wonder how many truly short riders would agree with your selection?
hence why the Bolt and Rebel were included, the requests had all specifically said not all cruisers please, and as has been said, its not all about seat height, width plays a part too, as does the rider, ive known short riders ride bikes i wouldnt, simply because they had learned how to
Low seat is not always the best. For example, B?MW R18 has so low seat and so big engine, what caused to me pain in legs immediately. Even though it was my dream, exactly due to extremely low seat I bought other motorcycle.
i would agree, wide is not good for short legs 🙂
Triumph Bobber ?
Yep, there are many others, The Honda Shadow VLX is a great bike too. but i was trying to keep this as a varied collection to show the different types of bikes that might suit
Motorcycles for minis??
lol, in some ways, but i remember a time when i had to buy a bike with a low seat height to get myself riding again after a major injury, it meant i could ride again before i could even walk properly, which gave me the motivation to keep up the physio and get back to my other bikes. for that i will always thank that little Shadow VLX, so there are other applications 🙂
The only good bike here is the Moto Guzzi V7, I don't like the rest.
its always a case of personal opinion mate, they will suit different people, as you heard, i have my issues with the Rebel, but nevertheless, it is a great bike that should help get some newer riders on the road, and that has to be good as far as im concerned
Do something with your voice please it’s hard work
and what may i ask do you propose i do with it?
Just cut down the seat and recover it if you cannot do it there are companies that can
The frame rails arent very comfortable though lol
Ah, I believe I've heard of these things called " crew zers" somewhere. Aren't they the old barstools who've managed to survive their first 40 years or so of motorcycling buy when they've pretty much given up on excitement, thrill and wonderful things like razor sharp handling, insane wheelie type power that has the front wheel stilltrying to look up at the clouds even at speeds well over the hundred mph mark. Hey, wait a friggin minute! I've been riding for 60 or more years, and I'm contemplating possibly another BMW S 1,000 R after the last one and I parted company way too soon, just because I tried use my body to bounce a bloody great, jacked up ridiculously Jeep wagon.
I did clock up over 30,000 ks on it within just over a year because if I had a destination in mind, I might stop somewhere to dilute the excess blood in my caffeine system, sometimes a bight to eat too but, I'd always be itching to get back on that awesome and (in my opinion) so close to THE perfect motorcycle I never wanted to get off it.
I remember you saying you did some laps on, (I think the "M" version?). Either way, it was more of a pure race bike while the single R is a very civilised machine and can be ridden just purring along at low revs it actually pulls evenly with a very smooth and progressive build up in the power reaching the rear wheel starting to pull pretty well even from about 2,000 rpm and building to insanity time by the time you bet up around the 12,000 rpm red line.
I'd honestly love to see how you liked THAT bike, not the completely bonkers version. Not that I wouldn't love to have a good rip around a decent track on one, I still reckon the single R in stock config, including it's little priceless luxuries like heated grips, and my dream extra on a bike, REAL cruise control! It's a very civilised bike which I'm sure you'd really enjoy. I'm still pretty certain it would do a decent job of beating near everything else except maybe the M version. That pic of my red one that I used for the thumbnail on a recent video on the scooter just did everything perfectly and really inspired confidence.
I've got to keep restraining myself because I'd absolutely LOVE to just go buy one but, at my age, near 70 I probably should stay away from the track, mostly because I might start feeling sorry for all the good young riders, who may feel too embarrassed by me beating them at my age. We don't want to scare the new younger crowd into quitting the sport because they were embarrassed by an old fart passing them on a sharp, tight bend while drinking my coffee out of my 40 ounce giant mug that almost magically keeps it hot for most of a day. That and trimming my nails or reading a book might give them a slight chance at least. I did get used to how any harley would be miles behind in seconds. Holy crap it built up fast! I did give it everything it had and ran right to the redline till I was tucking back in after overtaking the bloody lot of them in that one pretty short segment, and I'd swear it was still acceleration yet the common consensus seems to be that 285 kph IS their max and that's what it was dropping down through AFTER I'd been off the throttle and for at least a couple of seconds.
That bike wasn't just the best bike I've ever owned. It was by FAR THE best bike I'd EVER ridden on.
Thanks for another great one there mate.
hows life mate? as usual a great story 🙂 the big superbikes are all well beyond me now 🙂 it all sank in when i realised whichever bike i was on my lap times were pretty similar, im the weak point not the bikes lol. Thats why the Nighthawk S is the one going back on the road not the Daytona 955 lol, and the BMW probably has 50HP on my Daytona lol. that and the fact my shoulders dont like the riding position since my collarbone was rebuilt 🙂 im only comfortable above the speed limit when the air supports you more lol at slow speeds it just gets painful 🙂
@@barebonesmc Damn! Yeah, this aging business sucks, BIG TIME!!! I know exactly what you mean about finding that right speed for a particular bike where the headwind gives you just the right pressure to have it where you more or less balance there, at that speed but, everybody keeps forcing you to slow down so you usually can't sustain it.
I can't remember whether you saw my last one about a normal, gentle ride down along the beachfront roads as much as possible and escape over the border down into New South Whales on the Burgman 400 for THE best, original style beef burger and PROPER chips to go with, NOT those scrawny matchstick sized horrible things . Bear in mind that I put it together in such a way that I mostly wasn't speeding and it took 38 minutes.
If you've watched it, you'll have a fair idea how it goes. It can hit 60 mph in about 5 seconds and I haven't tried it but, I'm reliably told they'll do at least 10 ks over the old imperial ton so, it zips around and has surprising punch now too. It actually is (or maybe the BMW $1,000 CC scooter who's name escapes me entirely. But, that one shouldn't be mentioned too much since it either is now, or at the time I bought my $400, made by Kymco for BMW! Aint no way I was spending BMW type money for something made by starving, underpaid and overworked Koreans.
@@lorditsprobingtime6668 being honest ive not looked at much on here recently, been out in garage lol, vstrom needed some bits doing and Nighthawk hadnt been run for a fair few years so its been recommissioning before its last MOT, it becomes a historic bike next year so no more tax and MOT lol yaaaaaayyyyyy 🙂 i had a mate who went from ZX12 to a burgman n he loved it lol. im sure it was a big Aprilia scooter that cured me of my natural hatred of them lol i actually went to look at the Tuareg and V85TT today, been contemplating them both for a while and im going to go and give them a proper test. I was pleasantly surprised how light the Guzzi felt moving it around to be honest. but what i want is the Guzzi with the suspension and wheels of the Aprilia lol the Aprilia reminded me of a heavier version of my old KLR 600, the Guzzi much more like the Vstrom, but with the advantage of shaft drive tubeless spoked rims and an air cooled pushrod engine so maintenance a breeze, the joys 🙂
Your wobbly voice is hard to understand
maybe try the subtitles then mate
Ai pictures make me unsub.
what AI pictures? there are no pictures in it
compared to your usual videos to me this video was a bit on the disingenuous side, you didn't give a single horsepower, torque or fuel mileage figure for any bike and the the whole thing sounded like you were reading straight from the manufacturers own ad copy, you did give a seat height for each bike but no one buys a bike based on the seat height, if they did everyone would be riding mopeds............
Interesting, it wasnt i can assure you, i talked about the seat heights because thats what the video was about. so that seemed the right thing to focus on, the height and the way the seat on some make them easier to flatfoot. I never even considered adding HP figures here because that wasnt what the video was about, sorry it came across to you how it did. i will look and try to understand why