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| *Vultures Knob>>>Road Bike |
Best handling motorcycle for a lady? |
I had a Buell Blast 500, and still have a Honda Rebel 250. I've been down on both. I've taken the MSF safety course, and have been riding for a year. I was wondering if a slightly heavier, lower riding bike might corner better? I've been contemplating a Honda Shadow 600, which is 150 lbs heavier and 1 inch lower than the Rebel. I rode the Buell fine, as far as engine size goes, but the higher center of gravity on a sport bike requires more lean. The leaning is where I have problems. My husband was thinking lower and heavier might hug the road better without me having to lean as much. Is this a good bike to consider for my issue, or what other do you suggest? Thank you! From a survey made by cycle traders for women riders http://www.cycletrader.com/womenarticle.... Harley-Davidson 161 Honda 131 Yamaha 79 Kawasaki 52 Suzuki 50 Custom 13 BMW 8 Ducati 6 Triumph 5 Buell 5 Indian 3 Aprilla 1 Total 514 Top 20 Models Women Ride Harley-Davidson Sportster 65 Honda Shadow 57 Yamaha V-Star 32 Harley-Davidson Softail 29 Yamaha Virago 23 Kawasaki Vulcan 23 Kawasaki Ninja 18 Honda Rebel 18 Honda CBR600RR 18 Harley-Davidson Wide Glide 12 Harley-Davidson Fatboy 12 Harley-Davidson Low Rider 11 Harley-Davidson Heritage 11 Honda Valkyrie 9 Suzuki SV650S 7 Assorted Custom 7 Yamaha Venture 6 Yamaha Road Star 6 Suzuki Intruder 800 6 Honda Shadow 600 is a good choice. Sit on the Yamaha V Star 650, its heavier and low to the ground as well. Compare, then decide. My wife drove the Virago 1100 for three years and found that it was a easy as a bicycle to handle, but it was all over the road in the wind. She currently has a 2004 Suzuki Intruder 1400. it is heavy in the parking lot, but she is short and both feet touch the ground. It handles the road great. She has 54000 kms on it as we have travelled coast to coast for the past three years. I think you need to worry less about trying to lean in corners and use "push steering" to force the bike to lean. If you push the inside handle bar on a turn, it will lean the bike much harder. Lower and heavier generally means LESS cornering clearance, meaning hard parts will start touching down sooner, and in a worst-case situation, lever the back wheel off the ground. This means you will have to take corners slower than you would the Blast. Heavier also means that side-to-side transitions will be slower, and steering will be heavier. The biggest benefit more weight will give you is greater stability at freeway speeds when being passed by large vehicles. Other than that, they are more cumbersome and harder to move around (like when parking). I actually suggest getting a lighter bike, as a lighter bike will be easier to handle, and you aren't fighting as much mass. When a heavy bike starts to tip over, it tips over. When a light bike starts to tip over, you can catch it or correct much more easily. A bike with lower seat height (like most cruisers, I don't include sport bike with lowering links or shaved seats) will give you more leverage when you are stopped and around parking lots, but as I mentioned above, it also translates to less cornering clearance. Fine if you enjoy cruising, not so good if you like to ride at a moderately sporty pace. So many factors affect whether a bike feels top-heavy or not, not just the actual weight, but rake and trail numbers, whether the tank is full or empty, mass centralization, seat height, suspension settings, etc. The BMW boxers have particularly low centers of balance due to the position of the cylinders, whilst maintaining good ground clearance. I suggest heading to the dealership and trying a few on for size. Also, the SV650 has a relatively low center of balance due to the position and angle of its V-twin motor. I don't know how it comares to the Blast, but I wouldn't be surprised if it were lighter. Of course the best solution is to simply keep riding. I remember my first bike, a VF500F Interceptor which felt ridiculously top-heavy and 'tippy.' I dropped it a couple of times. After a while, you get used to it, and as a matter of fact, may come to appreciate it, as it means quicker turn-in and sharper handling. Yeah I've seen this question phrased slightly differently before. "Best handling motorcycle" is fine, but what difference does it make that you're a lady? You think the bike knows the sex of the rider, huh? The best handling motorcycle is a sportbike. You see people out on a road course on cruisers? They don't handle all that well, but are easy to get on and off of and a more comfortable riding position. You want a high angle of lean to corner well, you lean a cruiser over 1/2 as far as a sportbike and you have scratched up all the fancy chrome. You want to corner better? LEARN how to corner better, or practice or something. A fast rider on a slow bike will beat a slow rider on a fast bike EVERY time. Stop listening to your husband about bikes like RIGHT now. I ride a Yamaha Virago 700, which is probably equivalent to the Shadow 600. It handles better than the other motorcycles I've had, which had higher center of gravity. I suggest you slow down before hitting your turn. |
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