What sport bike for the taller bloke?

[Gibbo89]

im trying to help a mate look for a bike. he is looking at 250cc bikes as he is just getting into bikes and hasn't got his bike license yet.

but this can just be a thread for any taller biker that wants some options.

this particular person is 6 ft 5. he does not like the crusiers or the dual purpose.

he has tried a few bikes and the suzuki bandit felt ok... and he is also looking for a hyosung gt250 to sit on aswell. have i missed any physically big 250cc sports bikes? naked ones tend to give taller people more room with the more relaxed riding position.

on a side note, is there a special exemption for tall people that may fit a 400cc bike for example?

and yes, i have thought about just slapping some 250cc stickers on a bigger bike, but that is going to be the last resort...

[SMOKEU]

The 250cc Hornets are fairly big for a 250 I think.

[Gibbo89]

The 250cc Hornets are fairly big for a 250 I think.

yeah good option, the vtr wasnt the best for him, nor the cbr.

[SMOKEU]

I'm over 6 foot tall and I find my CBR quite comfortable to ride. My ass does get a bit sore after riding the Honda for over an hour at a time. A 5 minute rest seems to solve that problem, however.


*Waits for someone to come along and make a joke about a Honda rider getting a sore ass*

[Gibbo89]

I'm over 6 foot tall and I find my CBR quite comfortable to ride. My ass does get a bit sore after riding the Honda for over an hour at a time. A 5 minute rest seems to solve that problem, however.


*Waits for someone to come along and make a joke about a Honda rider getting a sore ass*

yeah, seeing him on the cbr though, it just doesn't look right eh. hopefully someone can enlighten me on the hornet compared to the bandit now...

and in regards to your arse being sore, most kbers know your a keen honda supporter by now. but i'm sure someone will feel obliged

[YellowDog]

A mate of mine whom is 6'7" had a custom seat made by a local apolsterer for his bandit so that he didn't have to sit so far forward. He bought a second hand seat off eBay and got the guy to measure him so the seat could be redisigned with the arse part to be approx. 14cm further back. Cost him 3 hours labour, some foam and some PVC to recover it. After a few weeks he got the guy to made some comfort related changes and also to use as tougher foam infill.

It's no good for a pillion, but he doesn't care at all, 'cos he can now ride comfortably.

[schrodingers cat]

Custom seat and rearsets. Choose by colour...

[Gibbo89]

A mate of mine whom is 6'7" had a custom seat made by a local apolsterer for his bandit so that he didn't have to sit so far forward. He bought a second hand seat off eBay and got the guy to measure him so the seat could be redisigned with the arse part to be approx. 14cm further back. Cost him 3 hours labour, some foam and some PVC to recover it. After a few weeks he got the guy to made some comfort related changes and also to use as tougher foam infill.

It's no good for a pillion, but he doesn't care at all, 'cos he can now ride comfortably.

thanks for the input.

[spajohn]

and yes, i have thought about just slapping some 250cc stickers on a bigger bike, but that is going to be the last resort...

I'm just under 6'5" and learnt on a Balius ZR250. The more naked the bike the easier it is for us taller folk...avoid your CBR's etc. The Hornet option sounds like it could work.

Good luck.

[st00ji]

im pretty sure you can get a licence exemption for a larger bike if you really want to. the hyosungs do appear to be physically larger, but then you are stuck riding a hyosung :innocent:

[tamarillo]

can he at least try a good dual purpose with road tyres? he wil be so much more comfortable and better off to learn - from a tall one.

[breakaway]

If he has a relatively spotless history (not many tickets, no dangerous/careless charges), then you may be able to apply on an exemption.

This involves writing a letter to NZTA and telling them how you think it's safer for you and other road users if you are allowed a bigger bike (600/650, don't try for a 1000 heh).

[Gibbo89]

can he at least try a good dual purpose with road tyres? he wil be so much more comfortable and better off to learn - from a tall one.

im sure he would try it, but wants a naked sports for summer riding on the open road i guess.

[Gibbo89]

If he has a relatively spotless history (not many tickets, no dangerous/careless charges), then you may be able to apply on an exemption.

This involves writing a letter to NZTA and telling them how you think it's safer for you and other road users if you are allowed a bigger bike (600/650, don't try for a 1000 heh).

yeah, he was told that you can also send in a photo next to a 250 to prove the case, then another photo next to a 400 or 600

[Gibbo89]

I'm just under 6'5" and learnt on a Balius ZR250. The more naked the bike the easier it is for us taller folk...avoid your CBR's etc. The Hornet option sounds like it could work.

Good luck.

yeah i had a look online at the bandit specs and hornet specs, the seat height is slightly taller on the bandit. but im not sure what it is measured to.

[CHOPPA]

Ktm exc250!

[TOTO]

Hyosung GT 250

[Gibbo89]

Hyosung GT 250

yeah, had a look at emoto. they are all sold out at the mo and are awaiting new stock etc. might needa look on trademe. 2nd hand is probly the way to go anyway.

[scracha]

Hyobag is the physically largest 250 AFAIK. Seriously though, dual sports bikes are soooooooo much better for us tall folks.

[Grasshopperus]

I'm 6"1 and found that the zxr250 was a lot more comfortable for me than the cbr25-. But for a 6"5 guy?

[Gibbo89]

I'm 6"1 and found that the zxr250 was a lot more comfortable for me than the cbr25-. But for a 6"5 guy?

yeah, 6 ft 5 is a bit of a unit :gob:

[Gibbo89]

Hyobag is the physically largest 250 AFAIK. Seriously though, dual sports bikes are soooooooo much better for us tall folks.

yeah he might need to consider going for a dual if the hyo isnt good for him, or an exemption might be needed

[easyrider]

For exemption you will need to write a letter with supporting photos. I had 3 photos taken, one sitting on a small 250cc and a couple of other bigger triumphs. I would get the photos of the larger bikes taken on a cruiser, even if it isn't you mates intention to get one. The look of the riding style enforces the point of larger/more manageable.

Make sure he gets a bike he likes, not just fits. You can always change seat height and rearsets. I ended up getting a VFR400 NC30 with my exemption. It was pretty much the same size as a cbr 250, haha but it was worth it for the fun and epic maneuverability! Loved that thing but I did look too big for it.

[carbonhed]

Used to go riding with a guy who had a Hyo GT250R... it was bigger than my 675... by quite a margin. On the other hand I've been riding with a large guy on a Ninja 250 and it looked like a little bike with a very big big guy on it... in a not cool kind of way.

[Grasshopperus]

For exemption you will need to write a letter with supporting photos. I had 3 photos taken, one sitting on a small 250cc and a couple of other bigger triumphs. .

I would recommend you superimpose a cbr250 in front of the marshmallow man to make your point.

[boman]

In Relation to the Bandit 250. I am 6ft and it was small for me. But it was only for a short period of time, so I didn't care.:yes:

[ops.normal]

Hi all

I'm riding on an NZTA exemption - as others have said, a letter and supporting photos - take photos of the 250 from head height and of the bigger bikes from waist height to reinforce your point :)

NZTA have a power to weight ratio they apply to bikes to check you're not getting something too quick - a VFR400 works, as does the GS500F that I'm now on (6'3 so not quite as tall).

*they are extremely reluctant to let you ride anything bigger than a 500*

Cheers

[Gibbo89]

Hi all

I'm riding on an NZTA exemption - as others have said, a letter and supporting photos - take photos of the 250 from head height and of the bigger bikes from waist height to reinforce your point :)

NZTA have a power to weight ratio they apply to bikes to check you're not getting something too quick - a VFR400 works, as does the GS500F that I'm now on (6'3 so not quite as tall).

*they are extremely reluctant to let you ride anything bigger than a 500*

Cheers

thanks man, you might wanna change the current bike thing in your profile to say you now ride a 500. hope your enjoying it.

[R1madness]

We help plenty of people apply for the exemption. Tell your mate to come in and see me and i will talk him thru the process and might be able to come up with some options for him. There is a list available but its mostly older models however we can translate it to current models and provide LTSA with the specs to show compliance within the new proposed regulations. Yes the photos help too. A lot of the imports are 400s and there are some quite good bikes to consider, how about a SV400? Just like a SV650 but single disk 400cc. Ducati 400ss? Like a 750ss. MotoGuzzi V40Targa (looks like a mk5 LeMans 1000).