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85+ rwhp for short guy (???)

FickleBiker

FickleBiker

I ride / I AM
Joined
Sep 16, 2008
Location
inland....
Moto(s)
Bandit 1250S & SV650
Okay, I know bikes, I mean..... I KNOW my bikes!
But that kinda confidence can get in the way of seeing past the forest and into the trees...... I'm looking for a little creative feedback here, anybody wanna give it a go?

I'm 5' 2" with virtually no inseam, I'm THAT short. I'm also an experienced rider who has been averaging 25,000 miles a year for the last 38 years. That being said, I'm also getting older, slower, less flexible, and tired of every motorcycle ride being a workout rather than a comfortable pleasure trip.

I'll accept that I will have to pay $600+ to have the suspension lowered for me (read: no dogbones, lowering links, or butchering of parts is parts).

So what kind of bike would be the BEST candidate for my consideration. I have to have a bike that handles well, stops well, and...... well, HANDLES well. That is to say, I refuse to do "cruisers". I also like power.... horsepower, but more importantly 'TORQUE'.

Does anybody have any insight, creative feedback, personal experience, or recommendations? I'm getting too old for balancing at stop lights, and too fat to ask for a boost up into the saddle anymore.

(Past bikes have included Mille, FZ1, Bonnevilles, 955RS, BMW, Duc', Guzzi, Sporty, and assorted Hondas & Yamahas.)
 
Wow, interesting question. I wonder if there's a good answer.

You've had a Bonneville. Lowered? How low could you get the seat?

With a seat swap, the Buell Blast could have a 25.5" seat height, but even with a big bore kit & performance cam, 85+ rwhp seems like asking a lot.

Would you consider a cruiser that handled better than most, like an older Magna?
 
I expect you could extract 85+ rwhp out from a Buell Lightning Low XB9s. Not sure if it's low enough tho...
 
I didn't lower my Bonneville, in fact I put better springs on it for my weight and it actually raised it a bit. But the Bonnie is sooo thin, and sooo well balanced..... and well, I'd do it again if I could have 100+ hp, belt drive, forged wheels, and liquid cooling (kinda like the Thunderbird is gonna be, but they made the damn thing a 'cruiser'...).

Blast? Oh HELL no, I want a real bike. But if somebody gave me one, I'd love to big bore it, put a good suspension on it, and make it a little commuter /slash/ (wannabe) canyon carver!!!

No.... don't wanna do Magna cruiser, but it was a cool bike in it's day.
-------------
Almost got into debt on the new Buell 1125 CR, but I haven't even seen one up close & personal yet. This, as a result of looking at the Buell Low, but Chicken Coop south of Stockton wanted $15,000 for the thing?!?!?!
 
I think the duc 696 might fill the bill.
you might also see what could be done with a BMW f800ST.
 
How about a Suzuki SV? They have a relatively low seat height to begin with, and they can be lowered pretty easily (shaved/custom seats for this bike are not uncommon). The 650 comes with about 75hp, and the 1000 has around 120. The V twin makes them very torquey (sp?) bikes too. Easy and cheap to upgrade. Cheap to buy too. You can still pick up brand new SV1000s (last production year was 2007), and they go for several thousand less than 600cc supersport. I got mine for about 7200 out the door.

The universal complaints about the SVs seem to all be about suspension. The stock setups are kinda crappy. The 650 is non adjustable. But, for a pretty small investment, the entire suspension can be replaced with almost any of the newer (2000+) GSXR models. It bolts right on, and makes all the different in the world. Everyone who has ridden my bike since my suspension conversion is amazed with how flickable it is
 
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It would be cool if the Monster 696 would work. The stock 770mm seat height is a bit more than the OP wants, but maybe it could be reduced...

With a Piaggio MP3 no need to put your foot down at all. Hopefully that holds for the Tomahawk also. That one might have enough torque...

It looks easy to find something fun for around town with no issues flat-footing at stops, but harder to find that in a canyon carver. Good luck!
 
"Lights guy".....
I'm down for the SV1000, 2003 w/upright bars would be cool! I found that the factory header system is EXACTLY where my HUGE calf reaches for the ground.... so in addition to new suspension components, I'd have to replace the entire exhaust system.

There's a blue SV with a Penske shock (for my weight) advertised in the 'for sale' section right now. I'm going there now to see if the gentleman saw my post, and to PM him.

(Anemic 650 & 695 Duc's with their $400 maintenance intervals every 6,000 miles just don't appeal to me. Besides, if you don't wanna be heard to say you own a Harley.... the trendy lemming mind-set is to say you ride a Duc' instead. I don't do well to blindly follow the dictates of trends.)
 
SO,

Im 5'4' on a good day. My inseam is shorter than most and likely shorter than most 5'4' people. My ride is a Ducati 620 MultiStrada, see avatar. I mount the bike while it is on the kick stand like its a horse. Step onto the foot peg and swing my leg over. Yea !!! mounted. Tip to the side and kick up the side stand ( the multi has an extra long tang that allows me to flip up the kick stand). The bike looks tall but is pretty light and nimble. Very well balanced. I have 0 problem doing the 1 toe stand while at a stoplight.

Since I do track days, the 620 has been lifted a bit. It can just as easily be lowered. MultiStrada.net has a few tips on how it can be lowered and how far. Some have been lowered about 2inches :wow Would not recommend it but some have done that. This feature is all thanks to Ducati's height adjuster link. So, there is 2 inch of play if you need it.

I am 42 and have been riding for the last 28 years. In pretty good shape but need a hip and knee replacement from an old AFM accident (dam that turn 2a at ButtonWillow ). The multi is my every day ride.

ps...wet clutch
 
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check out the Buell Lightning XB12Scg 103Hp 84ft lbs torque 28 1/2" seat height. meets all your specs
 
Vern'
You da man! The Duc' 620 Multi' is a cool hooligan bike for those secure enough with themselves to be seen on such a quirky little bike, I REALLY like 'em.

--- BUT ---

STOP mounting your steed via the bike on it's stand ! ! ! !

Look at what your side-stand is mounted to.... THE ENGINE CASE!

Too many horror stories out there of the case cracking/breaking from just such the stunt as yours. I got my ass politely chewed out by Donny of Modesto Ducati for sitting on his NEW HyperMotard with all of my 250 lb.s resting on it's side-stand (I, uuuh.... have shed 50 pounds since the picture below, embarrassing that it is....)

07-01-07.jpg
 
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My wife at 5' even and VERY short inseam could stand up an RC51 on her own.

I would take an RC long before anything else listed (except the SV's), especially any Buell (never see me touch one again).
 
Yea Mr. Fickle, I know.

But I have been doing it of this bike for the last year or so now and not much drama. Besides I am a few lbs lighter than you :teeth...but not much, 150ish

If I could not mount this way, I could not ride. The knee and hip just will not let me get the leg up there.

Look at all the cool stuff that you can do with the 620. It's like find Waldo...what stuff did I change from the stock 620..
MTS620Senna.jpg


ps, if not the 620, then the 1100. It is the same frame except for the bigger motor and the all important ride height adjuster already there.
 
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I'm one inch taller than you are, but also have an extremely short inseam of around 27".

One of the bikes I have would fit your criteria: a 1" lowered-the-right-way-by-the-suspension-by-Aftershocks '05 Z750S. Terribly boring bike by most peoples' standards, but it does the job well enough for me.

I see that your current ride is a Bandit 1250S; did you have to have that lowered at all?
 
FickleB --

Despite your height, you're clearly able to ride anything out there. (BTW, Dani Pedrosa is 5'2 as well.)

I think you main problem is you're getting, um, fat. Maybe it's time to lose a few pounds. Otherwise, it's cruiser or scooter time, which might not be a bad thing, as they are more choices out there nowadays...
 
D'OH! I forgot that I posted this....

Yeah, bought a Bandit (with ABS!), STICK'EM UP!

It's lower than the first generation FZ1 I logged 40,000 miles on, the bars have since been replaced with those from off the GSX650F and will be getting Genmar bar-backs. I cut the seat down, but now my legs stick out like outriggers (I knew this would happen) but I can put one leg down easier. The Bandit's seat is made up of three seat pans, so it can be converted into a taller saddle.... so it's TALL by design. As it so happens, the GSX650F seat fits the 1250S, and IT'S only one seat pan so it sits lower by one inch than the Bandit's seat.

NARROW is the key, and the Bandit is pretty narrow. I can't help it.... power is pretty important to me, but if there was a "perfect" machine for my 24" inseam that put at least 85hp to the rear wheel, I'D GO FOR IT! But there isn't, so I bought another boring "appliance" of a bike, but 85 ft.lb's of torque to the rear wheel!? and a potential of 94 ft.lb's OUT OF AN INLINE FOUR!?!! It's a pretty good bike, but I gotta learn how to ride something that doesn't have an EXUP valve and spins madly toward red line. It's all about the torque BABIEEEEeeee!!!
 
Very interesting. Maybe a 1250S is in my future after all...

FWIW, Pedrosa has people to hold the bike for him whenever he (purposely) stops. We peons don't have that luxury at every stoplight :laughing
 
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