Motorcycles for Shorter People

One of the activities I do with my free time is offer motorcycle instruction. I offer people riding lessons, ride with new riders and offer feedback and tips on good riding technique. I coach people on motorcycle maintenance and repairs, and have even had a couple motorcycle projects belonging to friends in my dining room over the winter. (the best part of living alone is being able to bring bikes inside!)

The last people I interacted with were on the short side. By that, I mean one of them was shy of 5' tall. The other just over 5'. That's short for motorcycles. For perspective, that means you can't flat foot a Grom.

I am average height and ride a BMW R1200GS Adventure. It's a tall heavy bike. I can't get both feed solidly on the ground, so it's certainly an option for people. But I worked up to this- when I got this bike I had years of experience under my belt and I had just ridden a similar heigh KLR-650 for the year prior. The KLR is skinnier and lighter than a 1200 GS, and that helped me master the nuances of only using one leg to stabilize a bike. Even at that, the bike was challenging to operate at first. After 5 years it's second nature, but at first it was quite daunting. For new riders, being able to get both feet solidly down is very helpful.

In working with the two people around 5', I realized a few things- primarily that seat height isn't the most important factor. There are other attributes in play- like width, weight, and how the bike carries it's weight. Some bikes just feel heavier because of the shape of the bars, where the fuel is, and where the center of gravity sits. Looking only at seat height is a mistake, it's best to go and sit on a bike you are considering purchasing and consider other factors.

Great example- A Harley Softail Slim has a 25.9" seat height. Neither of my 5' tall people could get both feet to touch at the same time, because the bike is so wide where the operator sits. The primary sticks out on one side and the exhaust sticks out on the other side. And at 700 lbs gassed up, that's a lot to handle with just the ball of one foot.

Contrast that against The Suzuki Intruder / Boulevard S50 (it changed names mid-life). It has a seat height of 27.6", almost 2" taller than the Slim. But it is a much skinnier bike and both my short people could get both feet flat on it.
That's a big difference between one foot barely down and both feet flat. Combine that with the Intruder's weight that is 250 lbs less and the bike is multitudes easier to handle than that Harley with a lower seat height.

Pay attention to pipes as well- some bikes, like that Intruder or lots of Triumphs, have pipes tucked up against or under the frame rails. Other bikes, like V-Stars and Harleys, have exhaust higher up which ads to the width. That can make a real difference.

Lastly, weight is a huge factor. If you can only get the balls of your feet down, 300 lbs is easy to handle still. 600 lbs is not. So shorter dual sports like the Yamaha XT-250 may work great for you- the seat is listed at being over 30", but it is very skinny and very light.

With that said, this is my list of bikes that are comfortable For short folks.
Suzuki Intruder / Boulevard S50
Suzuki Savage / Boulevard S40
Kawasaki Vulcan S 650
Kawasaki Vulcan 500
Triumph Speedmaster / America (last generation)
Triumph Bobber (current generation)
Indian Scout / Bobber
Honda Rebel 500
Kawasaki Ninja 250 / 300 / 400
Moto Guzzi V7
Yamaha SR400
Suzuki TU250
BMW G650GS / F650GS (the single cylinder model)

There are lots of great choices on that list. I've owned 3 of them and have ridden 7. They are all quality motorcycles. Every bike on this list is a blast in it's own way, and lots more fun than a 250 cruiser like a V-Star 250 or last gen Honda Rebel 250. If you aren't carrying a passenger, an Intruder is all the bike you really need and you can find them in great shape for $2,500. If you want street cred with the Harley crowd, a Indian Scout will smoke any Sportster and look better doing it. Or nab a Triumph and keep up with Harleys just fine.

The Vulcan S 650 is a great bargain for a new fuel injected bike. It uses the same engine as the Z-650 and Ninja 650 and has plenty of power. You can find them for $5k new in my area and they are getting easier to find used as well.

Bikes that are often recommended for short people that really don't work well for short people include:

• Harley Sportster (exhaust gets in the way, carries it's weight high)
• Yamaha Bolt (the rocker cover bites into the thigh of short people and it carries like a Sportster)
• Metric cruisers that look like Harleys- V-Star 650, Suzuki Boulevard C50 and C90, Kawasaki Vulcan 900, Honda Shadow 750, etc. These bikes are all wide at the seat and have tanks that are fat between the thighs.
• 600cc Sport bikes. Inline 4's are wide and it is harder to get a foot down when you are bent over.
• Anything over 600 lbs.

If you are a shorter person who is looking for a motorcycle, I hope this helps! If there is another model you are considering let me know and I can offer my thoughts if I or any of my short friends have experience with it.