Motorcycles – Does Size Matter?
Motorcycle Accident Attorney; Finding the right bike, right size and right type that is good for you.
Recently I found myself deep in garage talk with some great women riders discussing type of bikes, their size and the various topics that pertained to the type of bikes that suited their ride needs and skill level.
Sadly some did not have the best experience.
I’ve always had an open mind for learning blended with the curious desire to hear others experiences and I’d like to share Catherine’s story…
Catherine aka Cat, is an adventurous soul, who in 2004 after many years of being a passenger bought her first bike a Yamaha 650 V-Star. She thought was a great bike, but then she went on to tell some something I do hear often, what she really wanted was a Harley. So later that year she went on the get a Harley, a 1200 Sportster, another great bike.
I appreciated her honestly as she explained to me, “it was too much bike for my humble beginning, but I was thrilled and went hog wild with all the Harley paraphernalia! February 2005, brought a beautiful 70 degree day in Pennsylvania and I just had to get out and ride! I took off with some of my friends. On the way back, at the end of the day when I was tired I misjudge a patch of cinders that was laying across the road in a curve and crashed! The inexperienced rider in me, did not quite understand what was happening and the tired brain did everything that was not supposed to be done! Instead of
riding the slide, I tried to correct the fall, and ended up smashing the bike into the guard rail, doing a flip over the bike into the field with my leg pinned between the bike and the guard rail…. ya, not a pretty sight. Almost lost my leg, spent a month in the hospital and had to do a lot of rehab to get back to a somewhat normal life. But…………. I still ride! Crazy? Ya maybe but I love to ride and so I went looking for a more suitable bike for my endeavors. I ended up on a BMW F650GS Single, I now ride the F650GS (800cc) twin which has taken my up to Prudhoe Bay, AK along the famed Dalton Highway, across Canada from Vancouver to St. Anthony, NF and through out most of the lower 48! So, yes size does matter but so does training and care in where you ride, how you ride and when you ride. I’ve taken several “off road” classes to be able to ride that big BMW in the dirt and gravel and had I started off with a smaller more manageable bike I think I might not have lost control of my bike on that February day….”
Cat learned first hand that the proper instruction for your skill level and motorcycle is the key to safety. I concur with her on taking the Motorcycle Safety Class, take it twice, three times if you need. Find another rider to be your mentor that won’t push you to do more than what you are comfortable with, but will help you gain confidence and practice what you learned in the MSR class.
Have fun, respect the machine and ride as much as you can.
Ride ON!
Brenda Fox


Size…depends…. what matters is how you practice the MSF skills.
You did take a rider’s course, right? You do practice when you go out, right?
I will say a Sportster is H-D’s version of a sport bike. sorta. It’s not a baby cruiser. It’s smaller and cheaper, but not really a first bike.
Yes, you can start with whatever bike you like, but riding a used small (250-500 cc or so)bike for a year will let you grow faster as a rider. Since it’s used, no worry if you drop it, and you can sell it the next year and get something else.
A “standard” bike is way easier to ride, something like a Suzuki SFV 650, a Moto Guzzi V7, a Yamaha FX600, or a Honda NT700V are examples.
the biggest thing with me is…can I reach the ground comfortably? Riding the bike is no problem. Pulling into a gas station with slippery oil and other gunk at the gas pump, putting a foot down, and not being able to hold the bike up is!
Since biker aren’t a “macho” thing with ladies, but more of a “if it ain’t pretty I ain’t riding it” thing, you don’t HAVE to get a Harley..until you really feel ready/or really want one. There are other great bikes.
Funny, guys will spend thousands of $$$ on wheels for their 2 or 4 wheelers, but when you tell them their car/bike is “pretty” they have a fit. That’s ok, I love telling guys that my guns also have to be “pretty”, just like their wheels! I have a pink/white zebra stripe pistol, and a pink/green/brown camo carbine…
Oh, and don’t try to ride a skinny front wheel bike over a wet park road “patched” with shale aka slate. Dang stuff is very slippery. My front wheel likes to dig into the gravel and rocks… so it dug into the shale and stopped. I went fall down go boom. Bike fell down, too. It didn’t get wrinkled, but I did chip a bone in my ankle. Oh poo.
Not my first fall( all in deep gravel), and pbly won’t be my last.
One of these days I’ll get a real touring bike,(maybe a F650GS!) but for now my 03 Softail Deuce will have to do.
Everyone take care and ride safe.
mary
Mary you are SO RIGHT
Its about gaining skills, proper instruction, a bike for your skill level is key.
You mention some EXCELLENT suggestions for bikes to start out on. Suzuki SFV 650 is the fall back to bike I always recommend and the other bikes you suggested are right up there with it.
Appreciate your input – thank you
“fellow softail deuce owner”
Ride ON!
Brenda
RT @TopsyRT: Motorcycles – Does Size Matter? http://t.co/yXGglb1T
People are so quick to buy into the hype. What’s wrong with riding what fits you and nothing more? Why be such lemmings and let yourself be intimidated by others? What fits me = Honda Rebel 250. 330# is all that my 5’0″ 120# self needs or wants. Why would I want to endanger myself and others by riding something above my capabilities just so I can “be cool like the rest”? Nope. I’m fine just where I am, and I love my Rebel.
Ride ON Sara!
You’re on a great bike, you have the self esteem to roll with what works for YOU and that is cooler than being “be cool like the rest.”