Looking for some advice.My wife is a new rider with about 1500-2000 miles experience. She has taken to riding like a duck takes to water and really enjoys it.She has a '99 Sporty XL 883. The bike is top heavy and at 5'5' and 130 lbs, she struggles a lot with handling the bike from getting on it to being truly comfortable while riding. We are thinking of getting rid of the Sporty and getting her something in the bigger v-twin. Any suggestions on what to get that will help her be more comfortable and be easier for her to handle?

deluxe

I'd say either Dyna or Softy. Both have pretty good low center of gravity with low seats. Since she already rides, take her to the dealer - have her sit on every single bike she can. Then when she finds one that feels good, take that hummer for a demo. She'll find one that fits.

Got my wife a Dyna Lowrider and she loves it. She's 5' 1", so I had to do everything I could to get it lower than stock (shocks, front forks dropped 1", lowering kit, re-done seat), but you would probably not have to go to those lengths at 5' 5".

Thanks. We're going to do that this Saturday. Do you think I should look into a lowering kit also?

Does she have any trouble getting ittheLowrideroff the stand?

Eh....lowering kits seem more for look than function. I think she'll do just fine with her height. Check the Lowrider, Street Bob and Deluxe.

At 5'5" she shouldn't need to have a dyna or a deluxe lowered. Just let her sit on a bunch of different bikes and test ride whatever she can. I found that riding the models I was interested in made all the difference in making a final decision.

I had a friend who was riding a sporty that was too top heavy and she kept dropping it on turns. I told her to ride my bike just once. She did and got a Heritage Softy a couple days later!! The Deluxe, the Heritage, the Low Rider are all good bikes for women. The Deluxe is the most balanced one and easiest to pick up. You can just turn the wheel to the right and it almost picks itself up. Our upper body strength and height are condusive to these models IMO.

Good luck

You might want to read this thread also.

http://www.hdforums.com/m_3363327/tm.htm

Low Rider - I have one - previous owner was a Women - 5'2". She has a Deluxe now and wants to switch back. My Lowrider has 11" shocks - it is really low and incredibly stable - even at a stop, no less slow riding.....

Low Ridin Packer

At Myrtle this week my wife sat on a few and liked the dyna low the best.I think the deluxe seat was too wide or she might have liked it better.She is 5'6 and still could not flat foot but she has short legs,have her sit on a few and see what she likes.

My wife rides the ultimate chick bike, the Deluxe.

She's about the size of your wife, didn't get the bike lowered and hasn't had a problem.

ORIGINAL: oldgeezer

My wife rides the ultimate chick bike, the Deluxe.





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Add me to the pool that votes Lowrider or Deluxe. I think Deluxe has the lowest seat height right now but I'd let her sit on both and give it a try. See if you can demo them, if not, rent one and see how she likes it. Good luck and don't push anything on her. Let her pick otherwise you'll pay in the long run!! :D

Need I say more . . . :D.

Or for a different look, try the rocker. Same seat height as the Deluxe at 24 1/5 inches. Have a look . . .

http://www.womenridersnow.com/PublicFiles/Departmentviewer.asp?ArticleID=728