need help ... bike for short wife ...
Club Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 760
Likes: 2
From: South Carolina
I had the vvery same cahllenges with my wife and tried a Sportster 883 early on. Despite all the lowering, it was a very bad choice for her. The weight sits high in the frame, such that if it got a little off center, over it would go. She dropped it 3-4 times (always at a stop), but the experience was a bad one. She was on a Deluxe for the past few years......WAY better for her. Yes, it's heavier, but it has THE lowest seat height in the HD line-up AND the weight sits low in the frame - making it much easier to manage.
Experience (so the bike won't get too far off-center) can't be over-stated. She has to be confident & capable of managing her bike. My wife rode a Suzuki 250 for ~2yrs, the a Honda VT750 Shadow for ~2yrs, then the Deluxe (I left-out the Sportster experience since it was very brief & bad). All of this has given her confidence and hads enabled her to move to an '09 Street Glide just a month or so ago....she LOVES it and couldn't have even imagined herself on such a bike a few years ago. It's all about fit AND confidence.
One final thought about taller boots. Someone recommended these to her and we bought a pair:
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/comm...nbr=1963&atp=a
She doesn't "need" them, but they do give a bit more stability when her feet are down. They're well made and very suitable for motorcycle use (leather w/non-slip rubber sole).
I hope this helps!
Experience (so the bike won't get too far off-center) can't be over-stated. She has to be confident & capable of managing her bike. My wife rode a Suzuki 250 for ~2yrs, the a Honda VT750 Shadow for ~2yrs, then the Deluxe (I left-out the Sportster experience since it was very brief & bad). All of this has given her confidence and hads enabled her to move to an '09 Street Glide just a month or so ago....she LOVES it and couldn't have even imagined herself on such a bike a few years ago. It's all about fit AND confidence.
One final thought about taller boots. Someone recommended these to her and we bought a pair:
http://www2.victoriassecret.com/comm...nbr=1963&atp=a
She doesn't "need" them, but they do give a bit more stability when her feet are down. They're well made and very suitable for motorcycle use (leather w/non-slip rubber sole).
I hope this helps!
"Utopian Overlord"
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,180
Likes: 1
From: Union, Mississippi
I used a Mustang Tripper solo on my 1200. Made it as low as a Heritage without having to slam the suspension. I was thinking about 10.5" shocks, but I didn't want road rash on my butt.
Road Master
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 1,112
Likes: 31
From: southeast pa
I agree totally with what KKary said.. my wife started on an 883 low.. she didn't have the previous riding experience that K's wife did and she experienced the same thing.. dropped the bike two or three times.. all low speed / at a standstill handling issues. And all due to a total lack of experience. In our case, we moved her to a smaller bike, a buell blast, and the difference was nothing short of amazing. I won't bore y'all with all this again, but the short story is after spending time on the blast, she's now riding both bikes. As I posted in another thread, the only issues left is that she hates the stock seat on the 883 so the plan is to put a Mustang seat on it and go from there..
To the OP, good luck with whatever you do..
Cheers
mavrick
To the OP, good luck with whatever you do..
Cheers
mavrick
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,127
Likes: 2
From: Boonville, MO
My wife is 5 foot also and 120. Weight is something all these answers should consider. Obviously the less weight the more you can get away with slamming the suspension. The heavier the rider the less you can slam but their weight helps lower the bike. We went with a Heritage Classic, lowered the front and the back and put a Corbin reached type seat on it. Worked like a champ, great balance and low center of gravity. She loves it!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 7,611
Likes: 104
From: Southern Colorado
We met a nice young lady from CA this summer who was riding a similar bike. She had the bike lowered, front and rear and was quite happy with it. She did mention though that she was considering a Softail Deluxe. I haven't compared standing seat height of both bikes, but I have to think the Deluxe starts lower and once you've had it lowered even further it might work out better for your wife.
Good luck.
Good luck.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 2,932
Likes: 32
From: Broomfield, CO
Fat Boy Lo or a Deluxe.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 1,697
Likes: 0
From: Indiana
I bought the wife a new 1200 L in 07. She had no previous riding experience. She also had problems, beside running through a six foot chain link she was just very nervous on that bike. About a year later I bought her a 07 Heritage classic. Lowered it and had the seat shaved. The guy who did it does all kind of vehicle seats. He removed about 1 inches of the foam and added a gel pack. He shaved down the side of the seat so it would be more narrow. She can ride it for about 400 miles a day. She did that this year on vacation. She loves the seat and the bike. I can't believe the difference. Planning a trip to Cody Wy. in July 2010. The ST's are better for balance according to her. Good Luck. There has to be a million threads on this subject. Run a search.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 108
Likes: 0
From: Kansas City
Wow! great suggestions and ideas; many thanks. Like several of you mentioned, the wideth of the bike did come into play on the other softails, which is the main reason she ended up with the Sporty. I'll check out the link to adding more sole/heel to her boots, or completed new boots, along with getty some padding to that seat.
I am curious, did the mustang day-tripper work????????
I am curious, did the mustang day-tripper work????????