- This topic has 6 replies, 6 voices, and was last updated 15 years ago by Jay T.
another fat guy on a bike
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April 1, 2009 at 3:56 am #2659joker790Participant
i am looking to get a bike. i have ridden a kawa 125kx dirtbike. but i do want to take classes and all that jazz. but my question is i want something i can ride to work and once in awhile to california. i live in reno so i have a uphill battle and i communte about 15 miles to work. and live on a steep hill. i am also about 275 lbs and 5’6″. so what would be a good bike (sports bike). i was looking at a yamaha 600 but am willing and wanting to go to a smaller bike.
April 1, 2009 at 2:09 pm #17477Clay DowlingParticipantIs the standard recommendation. Check out the 250 first though. You probably wouldn’t want it for long trips, but it might be ideal for your daily commute.
The Ninjas feel big for their engine displacement, with the 500 seeming absolutely gigantic. I haven’t pulled my 750 Magna up next to one, but when I’m standing next to a Ninja it feels bigger than my Magna, even though I have the greater displacement.
April 1, 2009 at 2:26 pm #17478bigguybbrParticipantTry the FZ6R if you have your heart set on a new yami 600cc. It’s their attempt at making a beginner sport bike. The motor and transmission are pretty forgiving and it’s a real pussy cat at lower rpms and doesn’t give you a kick in the ass till about 7000. You can adjust the seat to almost an inch lower and move the handlebars aswell. At 5’6″ you may have some trouble getting your feet on the ground though.
If you are more open to other brands really do take a look at a ninja 250. The new ones are pretty sexy. I had a chance to throw a leg over my friend’s the other day and they are a bunch of fun and really nimble. The nice thing is they are also a few grand less than my FZ6R.
April 2, 2009 at 7:41 pm #17490WeaponZeroParticipantI weigh just above 300 lbs at 5’11” and ride a Suzuki SV650 (working on losing weight). It did fine for me as a starter bike but one thing I learned riding around on the MSF bikes is that any engine, even a little 250, will hardly tell the difference between your 265 lbs and a normal weight guy. The only area where your weight might become a concern is on the bike’s suspension components, which is where many 250s fall short. Still though, give them a try and don’t be afraid to go aftermarket for shocks and springs. The key here is weight. You want as light of a bike as possible to learn on because the things you master on a lighter bike (I’m talking dirtbike light, or Ninja 250 light) will carry over to riding a street bike much easier than if you had learned them on a 400+ lb street bike.
Oh and one very important thing: Being a big dude who weighs as much as a normal man plus his small yet highly attractive female passenger, taking advantage of the sporty handling capabilities of a sportbike will come a lot harder to you. I’d advise doing what I’m doing and try to shed those pounds so that you can actually ride your sportbike like a sportbike, and not like a cruiser with a rocket engine.
For everyone else, I now declare myself BBM’s unofficual “go-to guy” for information regarding a fat guy on a sportbike . Feel free to contact me at [email protected] for questions on the matter.
April 3, 2009 at 1:51 pm #17504Jay TParticipantTake the class. Then buy a motorcycle. How you ride in the class will be a factor in determining what you want to buy after the class. If from the class you determine that more around the neighborhood and parking lots for a season is what you need, get a little 300cc or less motorcycle. (Sometimes that is the best idea for the first 1/2 or full season, anyway.) If you do really well and think you will be ok to do the Ca. trips on 2 lane, you may want to consider the larger motorcycle (up to 600CC). Take the class first.
April 14, 2009 at 6:44 am #17739SunyJimParticipantI’m a big guy, about the same height and weight as you. I was more into the cruisers than sportbikes, but the 250cc’s from the MSF (well gearing up course in Canada actually) was just too small to consider. I looked at 650 savage, and 650 vstar, but wanted cheaper, so I ended up with an older 1985 750cc shadow cruiser, it was in mint shape, well kept, a bit high on the milage, but looked after.
Its been great to learn on…. and it’s got a lot of speed there if I want it. it’s nearly double the HP of the newer 750cc shadows.
But it all really comes down to you and your control. I’m an older guy now 38, and I just took it REALLY easy as i learned, got better, tried a passenger, tried some highway, and now I feel really comfortable on the bike. I don’t have a problem scraping the pegs into the twisties, and even doing that with a passenger on the bike.April 14, 2009 at 6:50 pm #17757Jay TParticipantwill give you the look you desire and the HP to do the things you desire. I still say take the class FIRST.
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