getting on a trail bike for short people

Postby **SLR** » Sun Jan 12, 2014 10:48 pm

This might seem a daft question: At a grand total height of 5 foot 5 I am looking at getting a trail bike, however riding a tall bike is not my concern as I long as i can get one foot down. My question about get on and off a trail bike in the first place. For my Triumph speed triple I use the side stand to get on and off and can touch the ground on tip toes. Can you use do the same on a trail bike assuming the ground is firm enough or what do the shorter riders do? I did sit on a WRF and again because of the sag I could only just touch the ground however I could not get off the thing! maybe cause I am old and not so flexible! I was looking at a ttr and getting it lowered a bit after i sell the Triumph in a few months time.

Postby **Dave** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 7:17 am

Yes you can use the side stand to do that so its like dismounting a horse witj stirrups. But the selecgion of firm groind is mostly lacking and KTM side stands are about as strong as soggy cardboard.

Lowering links on WRFs make them almost as low as a Serrow (excellent bike) i think so thata good place to start. Balance the bike by dropping the yokes in the forks as well if you.do that.

Postby **Treloen** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 2:10 pm

I'm 5'6", so have had similar issues. Although you can touch the ground on tiptoe on a nice flat bit of tarmac, the reality is when you're out on the lanes (or doing enduros), you find that every time you need to stop, or just have a quick dab to balance yourself, the ground is uneven or there's a dip or rut to contend with, and you end up toppling over, which not only makes you look a numpty, it gets exhausting picking the bike back up if it happens frequently.
I got a lowering link for my WR from here: http://www.motorcycleloweringlinks.com/ ... ering-link
It makes the bike much easier to ride, not just because you have a quick dab when you need to, but it also lowers the the centre of gravity, making it feel far more stable. The only down side that I can see, is if you eat lots of pies and like doing jumps, you will find the rear suspension bottoming out - not an issue for us fit young chaps though!

Postby **Raleigh Chopper** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 7:20 pm

Yes, I am a short bum as well. I started on a TTR but instead of a lowering kit I carved a lump out of the seat lowering the seat height by a couple of inches. The advantage of this is that the original ground clearance is kept.The disadvantage is the seat is uncomfortable but when trail riding you are standing most of the time. Lowering kits are fine but you lose ground clearance and when in deep ruts your foot pegs/feet can hit the ground.
As for climbing on the bike while on the stand, this is a no no on Ktm's or Husky's, as Dave says the stand will break. They are designed to be used once your off the bike and anyway as previously said the ground will often not be firm enough.
The TTR is a good bike to start on with its smooth power, but it is heavy and top heavy at that, so being a beginner and short, it's not the best combination. I would definitely suggest obtaining the lightest bike you can so when it does start to topple you have less mass to keep upright.

Postby **Beerbelly** » Tue Jan 14, 2014 7:47 pm

Serow...

Postby **Beerbelly** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 8:26 am

Chopper you got the freeride right? that one seems to be nice and small too?

Postby **Raleigh Chopper** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:21 pm

Yep Charlie I have the Freeride, it is small and light- 99kgs.Its made a real difference to my riding using a lighter bike or maybe it's just because it's orange :lol:

Postby **Beerbelly** » Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:33 pm

Was nice looking and a lot smaller than I thought it would be. If I was any shorter one to consider... I thought it was white?

Postby **SLR** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 6:17 am

Thank you for the replies; plenty to think about.

Postby **Weet-rider** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 8:12 am

Honda CRF250L, another one to consider.
Sat on one in a showroom the other day and it's compactness and low seat height struck me.
Not a 'true' Jap Honda but a Honda never the less and apart from the silencer and rad scoops being a bit vulnerable looks tough enough for the trails if a little heavy maybe.
New prices seem vfm and been around long enough now to pick up second hand too.

Postby **Beerbelly** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 9:04 am

The crf250l is a nice bike but extremely heavy.... Weighs some 140kg. It's a dual sport...

Postby **SLR** » Thu Jan 16, 2014 2:53 pm

That brings me back to the title of my question!!!

Last year I wanted to have a go at Trail riding so looked around for companies for a day’s outing. The first used Kawasaki KLX 25O the seat height 890mm was way too tall (seat height almost chest height on me!). The next company used CRF250L and with a seat height of 875mm I could not get on the bike. The last company I tried was Trailworld who use AJP and they said that I would get on a PR3 that had a seat height of 840mm. So last summer I booked a day and although it was a bit of a struggle I could just get on and off the bike unassisted. Once on the bike I was flat footed. I did have a fantastic day and absolutely loved it. Although after around 100 miles I had trouble getting off and was walking like John Wayne.

So this year I thought I would like to do more of it and get rid of one of my road bikes (or both) and get a trial bike, but the question for me being short, old and maybe not as flexible as I was a few years ago what to get. The main barrier seems to be getting on and more importantly getting off the bike as I did not realise how much the suspension rises as you try and get off. Hope my ramblings make sense. I thought that I cannot be they only one short of stature that would like to go trial riding.

Short Legs Rob

South London & Surrey's Trail Riders Fellowship