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I have a Suzuki RF 600R and would like to trade DOWN. Ideas? |
I am a 5'6" (1.67m) and find the seat height of the Suzi perfect for me - however, being a female I find it is just too heavy to move around except under power - I have been seen asking for help to wheel the damn thing out of a parking space before now! I find my husband's CBR 600 has a better centre of balance & is much easier to wheel around - but is just too high for me to get my feet down when I ride it!! I quite fancy getting something a bit smaller anyway (I WILL be caught for speeding on the 600 and will get a hefty fine and a ban if I keep on riding it!!) SO - any fairly low, smaller (200 to 400cc) bikes you can recommend? I prefer the sports/touring type styling. Go to somewhere like D&K bikes in Newcastle under Lyme (stoke) and go and have a sit/ test ride on the following: Honda VFR400R NC30.....jewel like build quality, rides like a mini ducati 916, very reliable and parts no probs. (one of the best bikes built ever!) Honda RVF400 NC35.....updated version of above, even sexier and slightly better to ride plus more modern. Honda CBR400R Tri Arm or Gull arm......mini version of a fireblade but has the user freindlines of a CBR600. Kawasaki ZXR400....Oh dear the lunatic has been let out!....Manic engine (fastest and strongest of the 400s) wonderful handling but hard suspention set up....looks to die for.....the induction noise is louder than the exhaust and gets addictive....lots more fun than the Honda's and a 140mph top end. Suzuki GSXR400.....Mini hooligans bike but sort of a mini me version...not to naughty but still rides and looks crackers! great bike . I know you will want to slap me for this for take a serious look at a Yamaha XV535 Virago custom........low seat makes for super confidence inspiring handling and low speed manouverability is easy...good 535cc aircooled engine is quite torquey and sounds great through a naughty exhaust....shaft drive means no messy chains to piss about with..later ones had uprated front brake......electric reserve switch is the best invention ever, all bikes should have one, saves fumbling around for the fuel tap! about a 70-90mph realistic cruise speed so worries your licence less! Its truly a bike you grow to love, even polishing it gets to be fun....best bike I ever had. Another one to look at and comes with flush fitting panniers is the Honda Deuville. Early ones were 650cc but will be cheaper to insure than your RF....Great bikes and serious mile munchers, handle good too. those panniers are so useful you will wonder how you coped without! Source(s): I have owned all of them...currently have an RF900R, CBR750 Hurricane. MV F4 750cc, Ducati 916, Pan european and just bought another Harley Davidson. Try the 500cc bikes. Check out the 4 big brands to see if they make one in that size. i know some of them do, if not all of them. The 500cc bikes are smaller than the 600s and slower so you don't have to worry about killing yourself. It's refreshing to see somebody making a responsible dicision to trade down. I just saw a post where a girl told a guy to get an R1 for his first bike. She is going to get some new rider killed. Another possibility, if you still find the 500s too big, is to get the hight of your bike reduced. I've read that this involves lowering the front yolks down the fork legs and, typically, getting a shorter rear shock. I've never done it myself. This should cost less than changing. Making the the weight lower should be easier to manage. If you are relatively new to biking you will find this maneuvering thing will get easier with practice. An alternate approach is to consider older bikes. For example, the old Honda 400 Four was a great bike, and easy to service. There are a few examples around on the bike pages of autotrader. Riding since '75, and been 165cm all that time! Bikes have included a BMW R100RS and a Laverda1200 - both a bit on the tall side. The EX500 Ninja is a great bike, new or experienced can have fun on this bike. The Honda CB-1, not current 1989-90, is great fun and is the basis fir my race bike. My daughter bought one last December cause she knows how much fun it could be from watching me on the track. The FZR400 Yamaha and the Suzuki 400 Bandit also fit the bill for your height and speed requirement. The Kawasaki EX is the best bet because it is a current model and there are a TON of them out there. Look for the 93 or newer model as it has the more modern rubber size of 17 inch tires front and rear. I own the Gen1 model and use it as a loaner for friends and I have taught 2 women how to ride on it with excellent results. BTW, it is still a popular bike for racing in the LightWeight Sportsman class and as an UltraLight SuperBike! 35 years of riding motorcycles from 90cc to 1200cc. I keep going back to smaller displacememt bikes. Currently street ride a 1999 SV650, new of the showroom floor now with 35K on the odo! |
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