135 lb. female on an FJR?

[oldryder]

been taking cross country road trips with my daughters for serveral years on a GL1500. Finally, in '09 one of them is old enough to ride her own bike.

I'm wondering if it's too much to expect for her to ride my '05 FJR; then I can take the other daughter on the wing.

Older daughter is about 5'7" 135 lbs. she can handle a GS750 suzuki with no problem.

intersted in comments. thx in advance for anyt help.

 

[beacher]

Hey oldryder, your daughter must be pretty special for you to be considering this, and since this is your bike, and you're familiar with it. . . I take it your daughter has long legs? I'm only 10 lbs. heavier than her and about the same height, but short-legged (and being a guy, probably have more upper body strength, and I still managed to have mine come over on me) and you know that the bike is a "leetle" top heavy at rest. I'd be sure and caution her about that, and then do it a couple more times, and when you're out together, watch to make sure that your "landing strip" is level for her. Obviously, you trust her on a bike, so. . . Go For It! Wish my dad had been more like you!

 

[Panman]

Ask her what she thinks! Have her sit on it and see how comfertable she is with it sitting still. We have some small ladys riding the FJR, small guys also. If she thinks she might want to try it find a big parking lot have her ride it arond and ask her what she thinks again. If she is not ready hopefully she will tell you.

You can always put a wind screen on the GS and give her more time.

You know your daughter better than I is she the comfident type or over comfident type?

Most of all if she does scratch the FJR remember who your baby really is!

 

[oldryder]

thx for responses. my son already "scratched" it when he backed into it this summer with his car. I was going to repaint it this winter but given the possibility my daughter might be riding it next summer I'm thinking maybe I should wait a year.

sounds like it's a reasonable idea given that I need to accept the fact that she might dump it in a parking lot. GS750 has been a good trainer because I could put a big "crash bar" on it that mounts to the frame (if you're old enough you know what I mean) so dumping it does little or no damage.

 

[Fred W]

I would say it is too much bike for her. It is a pretty unique woman that is able to handle a bike this heavy. There are several on here that can, but I would not thrust my daughter into that position. There are lots of LD capable, smaller, lighter Sport touring bikes that you could pick up for less than half the price of an FJR.

My VFR would be a perfect choice for a smaller person like your daughter. You can buy the 5th gens (like mine) for around $4k. Put another $500 into it for a new set of Givi hardbags and that would be a perfect mount for your daughter for cross country travel. When you get done with the adventure you can easily sell it for what you have into it as they really are not depreciating anymore. But I bet you'd have a hard tme getting it out of her hands...

 

[MEM]

I'm 5'4.5" and 127 pounds (add some pounds for my ATGATT). I've dropped my FJR twice - once practising slow-speed turns a few days before I took the ERC - and was one of the few who took the course without dropping. Like all of the vertically challenged people who report on this forum, I have to carefully scope out where I stop and park my bike and I've had a number of close calls but managed to recover. I've had my bike lowered; if you do this, be sure to have the sidestand adjusted to give you appropriate lean angle. Yeah, it's a huge bike and I LOVE it :yahoo:

 

[jzzmusician]

I think Fred is giving some good advice. I'm 5'9, 150 lbs and consider (for my skill level) the FJR to be at the out limits of heavy and manageable.

Bob

 

[MEM]

I think Fred is giving some good advice. I'm 5'9, 150 lbs and consider (for my skill level) the FJR to be at the out limits of heavy and manageable.
Bob

Obviously, I don't know your skill level but practice, practice, practice goes a long way in upgrading a skill or improving technique. I'm improving all the time on the FJR and find it much more maneuverable than my old 800cc cruiser.

 

[fjrob1300]

Having ridden with MEM I can vouch for her that she can handle the bike with expertize.

Size is only a state of mind.

Note to Mary Ellen: I love you new profile pic!

 

[Potential]

Her height is irrelevant; the fact that she's a young teenager suggests to me she should absolutely not be on an FJR and personally I'd be wary letting any teenager on any streetbike.

 

[dsmack]

Her height is irrelevant; the fact that she's a young teenager suggests to me she should absolutely not be on an FJR and personally I'd be wary letting any teenager on any streetbike.

... so she's probably happy that you're NOT her dad!

Lighten up Francis. You seem to have not noticed that this is going to be a family outing with all riding together on an extended trip. Not her meeting up with her "biker babe buddies" and placing the entirety of society at risk with her (inevitable) hooliganism!

Jeez.

Just sayin...

Don

 

[Potential]

Yeah a teenage child of mine would hate me. But it's more about learning the rules of the road, traffic patterns, things to watch out for, etc., in a car before you take to the streets on a bike.

 

[FJRocket]

If she's comfortable on the FJR, and she's already comfortable riding the GS750, she should be fine. Sounds like she may be fairly young and inexperienced, but it also sounds like you're gonna be looking out for her while she gets "orientated". The fact that you're asking tells us a lot about how you are approaching your daughter's transition.

You know there's only about 100 pounds difference between the GS750 and the FJR. 100 pounds is a lot, but it's probably (hopefully) situated a little lower on the FJR than on the 750.

I think inseam, balance, skill and common sense have a lot more to do with it than height, weight and upper body strength.

Sounds like it's going to be a great family affair! Ya'll go out and have a great time.

 

[BkrK12]

Why do you have to wait for the trip to find out. Why not let her try the FJR out locally - before you put her in a position to be hundreds of miles from home and scared out of her wits. Is there some reason she can't have several months to familiarize herself with the characteristics of the bike well before you go on the road?

 

[dbvolfan]

Yeah, I'd be worried more about the seat height/fit since it sounds as if she can probably handle the riding part. My wife is 5'5-5'-6 and 135 and while she can ride the FJR and loves it, her feet are a little too stretched to make it safe for stopping and going (IMO)She 'can' do it but she basically has to stretch her toes out to balance the bike when at a standstill. She wont flat out admit it b/c she really wants my FJR (and I would love to have an excuse to get another one) but she is definitly not used to the seat height.

That said, I have toyed with the option of lowering the bike a tad with a different seat. If she could get 3 more inches I think she would be set.

 

[user 6393]

I'm 5'6" and have NO troubles wth this model.

 

[MEM]

Having ridden with MEM I can vouch for her that she can handle the bike with expertize.
Size is only a state of mind.

Note to Mary Ellen: I love you new profile pic!

Thanks, Rob (on both counts)

 

[Checkswrecks]

Yeah, I'd be worried more about the seat height/fit since it sounds as if she can probably handle the riding part. My wife is 5'5-5'-6 and 135 and while she can ride the FJR and loves it, her feet are a little too stretched to make it safe for stopping and going (IMO)She 'can' do it but she basically has to stretch her toes out to balance the bike when at a standstill. She wont flat out admit it b/c she really wants my FJR (and I would love to have an excuse to get another one) but she is definitly not used to the seat height.
That said, I have toyed with the option of lowering the bike a tad with a different seat. If she could get 3 more inches I think she would be set.

[SIZE=12pt]Only three inches? Here's 4+![/SIZE]

 

[wheatonFJR]

Having ridden with MEM I can vouch for her that she can handle the bike with expertize.
Size is only a state of mind.

Note to Mary Ellen: I love you new profile pic!

Thanks, Rob (on both counts)

I think I'm gonna hang out with barb and mary ellen...canadian chicks Rock!! :clapping: