Help!! Lanky bastard bikes to small!!

[krazy_karl]

ive just got my motorbike learners finally and am shoppin around for a sports bike... problem is im 6ft4 mayb even 5 now and well to put it bluntly i find riding 250's uncomfortable. to compound the problem more i have a partially fused spine (read big operation with titanium rods etc so cant bend heaps eg can only touch me knees not toes) so i cant really scrunch up to tuck into a cbr250rr or nethin (have tried was feelin sore after 10 min). just wondering if you guys no of anyway i can get around this and mayb suggest wat soughta sports bike i should be lookin at want sometin 4-stroke but main thing is i wanna be able to feel comfortable on the damn thing.... I know some ppl will suggest a big cruiser or dual purpose bike but i really want a sports bike plus ive already got a dirt bike i prefer to jus ride that on dirt....obviously

[vifferman]

Firstly, there is apparently an exemption available for big, lanky guys like you to ride a bike bigger than a 250, if you can't find a suitable 250. There's a thread somewhere here about someone who applied for and got this exemption. The fact you have a bad back should make it even easier for you to get this exemption. I'm not saying you should get a bike bigger than 250, just that if you can't find a suitable one, look at slightly bigger bikes too.

Secondly, I would hesitate to recommend a cruiser anyway, as they don't usually provide a good riding position. Your best bet is probably to look at 'standards' (also called "naked" bikes), as the ergonomics on these is usually pretty good, with less of a reach to the bars, footpegs positioned below your hips rather than behind (like on a faired sportsbike) or in front (like on a cruiser).
I can't recommend specific models, as I've only ridden one in the last few years, which was the Suzuki Bandit 1200, which would be too heavy/powerful for a newbie.

[soundbeltfarm]

there was a thread here about getting a bigger capacity bike while on your learners,
the guy had ther same problem as you ( too big for the smaller bikes)
he wrote a letter to somwhere and was aloowed a bigger bike.

[krazy_karl]

Sweet so do u know per chance where he wrote to im guessin ltsa?? A naked bike hmmmm.... i hadnt thought bout that to be honest... thing is i want sometin wit some poke but dont want it to be a rip-roaring beast waiting to spit me off at the first oppurtunity (wanna stay alive for a while yet). was thinkin of sometin mayb round the 400 to 600 range not sure what really falls inside that bracket tho that could be suitable for me. is there any other things they take into consideration when u apply for an exemption other than height etc wanna try an make sure i would get it..

[Monsterbishi]

Have you tried the ZZR250?

[vifferman]

Sweet so do u know per chance where he wrote to im guessin ltsa??

Yeah, I think that would be right. Go to one of the licensing agents (NZ Post, AA, or whoever) and ask, or look on the LTSA website.

A naked bike hmmmm.... i hadnt thought bout that to be honest... thing is i want sometin wit some poke but dont want it to be a rip-roaring beast waiting to spit me off at the first oppurtunity (wanna stay alive for a while yet). was thinkin of sometin mayb round the 400 to 600 range not sure what really falls inside that bracket tho that could be suitable for me.

A good place to start to see what's available is bikepoint:
http://www.bikepoint.co.nz

Just type in your criteria, and see what turns up, then go sit on some that look OK for you, see how you go.

is there any other things they take into consideration when u apply for an exemption other than height etc wanna try an make sure i would get it..

No idea, Dude, but I'd stick the spine problems in there as well as the height one.
Find a bike first.

[riffer]

Just out of left field her, but have you considered motarding a dirt bike?

There's a few of them around Welly at the moment, and they seem like quite a zippy way to get around.

[FlyingDutchMan]

Have you tried a CBR250 single r? They have a bit more space for riding. I'm 6'6" and find it quite good. On my first big trip on it I was as sore as fuck, but now that I'm positioning myself properly (straight back, elbows down, forarms level with the road, and not putting any weight on my arms) I can do a 500km trip (non-stop apart from getting petrol) and hop off as fresh as a daisy.

[Monsterbishi]

FlyingDutchMan has a point, and the generation of CBR250R before his is even bigger still.

[Jonty]

The GSX250 is also quite big, I think it has a 400 frame and you are not to far forward.

[erik]

You could try a yamaha Zeal (FZX250). I'm 6'4" and while I am pretty big for it, I do fit kinda ok. The seat position is far more upright than cbr250rr's etc.
Maybe a honda vtr250 would be good too, I'm not sure, haven't tried one.

But I think if you can find a slightly bigger capacity bike that fits you better than a 250, you'd be better off trying to do that and skip the 250cc restriction. Considering you've got your spine fused and you're tall, you should be able to use that to get them to let you have a bigger bike.

[zooter]

Old Honda VT 250f is plenty grunty enough for a learner/resticted and good riding position, Queeenstown to Blenheim stopping for gas, no worries.

[Wolf]

was thinkin of sometin mayb round the 400 to 600 range

They might not let you go as high as a 600 when you're supposed to be learning. A lot of the upright-posture naked bikes have a fair bit of zip.

I've personally found that a lot of race-style bikes are hard on my lower back but your mileage may vary - I'm around the 5'7" mark and found the RD350 felt like hell to ride any distance but a 6'4 mate of mine found it quite comfortable, probably because the extra length in his torso and arms meant he wasn't leaning forward as much as I was.

Best thing you can do is take a tour of all the shops and try out every bike you can for size, that way you'll have some useful data if you discover that you're going to need that exemption. "Well, I've looked around and the only thing I've found that doesn't feel like a session on the rack is a ..."

Find one that has a great seating posture that you can adopt without strain - because you're certainly going to put yourself to the test on longer journeys or at speed on what we laughingly call roads in this great nation of ours. What feels "acceptable" or "not to bad" on short distances can feel like torture on a lengthy ride. My CB360 I could ride all day (stopping occasionally for gas or a cigarette) but my LS400 farking near wrecked me for life just coming back from Palmerston North. I got to the point I could feel when it went over markings painted on the road. One of the few times in my life I was glad a ride was over.

[krazy_karl]

Thank you all for the replys certainly some interestin suggestions. ive ridin a gsxr250 and found that quite little to. have ridin vt250's to but again it was a little small lol and found that it didnt really have much poke. yea erik thats wat i figure to if i can get past the 250 restriction cause of my back an height etc i might as well. it seems alot of bigger bikes are strangly cheaper than the 250 equivalents to...

havnt thought bout a motard to be honest it does look like quite a bit of fun i must say and i guess bein real upright would be real good to see in traffic etc.

i know wat u mean bout gettin the sore lower back on long journeys ay it can get pretty killer sometimes. does anyone know of any real good back protectors?? i wanna try an get a set of leathers that have good armour/protection so i dont mangle myself when i inevietably take a tumble