The motorcycle gives a feeling of absolute freedom, becoming a passion and an integral part of life.
If you are wondering “should I buy a motorcycle,” then this article is for you. If you are an absolute beginner who has just received a category “A” license, then experienced experts advise limiting yourself to three types of bikes:
- cruisers;
- classics;
- road.
These are ideal options for those who want to learn how to accurately “place” a motorcycle into a turn, master control of the gas handles and brake levers.
Enduro, sportbikes and other classes should be included in a separate category. These two-wheeled monsters require some skill to control and pack a lot of power.
What to choose for a city newcomer
Yamaha YBR 125 - this model became the starting point for many who eventually switched to more powerful bikes. Popularly called an “ebrik”, it is a lightweight, low-power motorcycle (125 cm3 and just over 100 kg), friendly for beginners, and easy to learn to operate. This is a very affordable “iron” horse, which is also unpretentious in maintenance.
One of the disadvantages is that if your height is more than 180 cm, then after ten kilometers your legs will start to hurt due to the unnatural position of your body. It is also worth mentioning its unassuming appearance, which for some is also an important drawback. If we consider 125 cc units, then the Yamaha YBR 125 is the ideal choice for a first motorcycle. It is unrivaled both in terms of reliability/controllability and operating costs. All that is needed is periodic maintenance of the chain.
If the appearance of the bike is very important, then pay attention to the Honda CB 400 SF. It's also a lightweight, easy-to-handle bike. This is the main model in the fleet of Japanese driving schools.
The Kawasaki W650 is an excellent choice for a beginner who has mastered 125cc well.
Travel models
Long trips involve transporting some luggage. For these purposes, use touring bikes that have a large luggage compartment and additional compartments for carrying things, increased suspension travel for a comfortable ride and increased ground clearance. Purchase options:
- Kawasaki VN 1700 Vulcan;
- Honda NT650V Deauville;
- Honda GOLD WING 1800;
- Yamaha XTZ 1200 SUPER TENERE.
Choosing a motorcycle for those who are more experienced
Once you've mastered a road bike and gained the right level of confidence, you'll probably want something more powerful, sporty and solid.
Choppers are often confused with cruisers. But in reality, choppers have an extended fork and a rigid rear suspension. This “limousine” in the world of cars is designed for leisurely movement on high-quality road surfaces. The chopper is a heavy unit with limited maneuverability. But these “horses” are loved for their style and charisma. They are able to stand out in any traffic flow, attracting glances around.
Sports bike - the choice of this motorcycle is justified for riding on the track. Many people do not recommend using them in the urban jungle. Unlimited speed capabilities can play a bad joke on a “hot” driver. But if you are capable of self-control, you will become one of the most noticeable road users.
When purchasing a chopper or sportbike, you must initially add a separate budget for maintenance. Compared to cruisers or the same road bikes, maintenance costs will be many times higher. But for this you get a two-wheeled racing car.
If you want to become the owner of a real all-terrain vehicle without stopping at the end of the asphalt surface, then your choice is enduro. All-terrain models have increased suspension travel, low weight and maximum maneuverability. This allows you to overcome the most rocky slopes and muddy areas. On the highway, such a bike will be ineffective due to the small tank volume.
October 2, 2012
Selection of a motorcycle by height
Print version
My friend has some qualities bordering on fanaticism. One of them is persistence. She wants to ride a motorcycle, despite the risks, injuries, etc. But with her height of 156 cm, it is extremely difficult to find a suitable bike. And not just “ moto”
“but special.
Like, it was “ not a chopper, it has disc brakes, a round headlight, it’s pretty and all that
.”
You can scour the internet looking for the right recommendation until you get old. Moreover, recommendations are not always correct. For example, she skated her first season on a Suzuki GSF 250 Bandit. No matter what the motorcycle gurus say, this is not a bike for a beginner, and certainly not for a girl. The gist of the article: I found a couple of sites with which you can choose a bike to suit your height and desires. But there are nuances...
Seat height
The first site is a kind of reference book on the main parameters of a motorcycle. There are 11,500 bikes and scooters in the catalog, but there is no normal search according to their parameters! Website address: findmoto.ru. There is reason to believe that this site is a plagiarist whose victim is www.bikez.com.
The search on the site is sparse, it’s not fun to look through it all. I wrote a parser that scraped all the information from the site :), put the extraction in the database and now through the parameter filter you can find the bike models you are interested in.
Filter options
Reference
Select all” buttons in the list of types
" and "
Reset all
", because It assumes that you are interested in specific types of motorcycles, not the entire motorcycle industry. In addition, selected types can be included or excluded from the query. It's enough.
«No type
" - these are those bikes for which the type is not specified even on findmoto.ru, i.e. it could be anything.
It is not necessary to set the seat height and engine displacement. Only the maximum/minimum value can be specified. If a fuzzy condition for volume is specified (minimum only, maximum only), the result will also include bikes with an unknown engine volume.
As a result of the request, you receive: a link to the description of the bike (the number is the saddle height in cm), then the model, year, type of motorcycle and engine size (if known). The model can be obtained in abbreviated form, without indicating the company. This in some cases reduces traffic and response time.
The found companies are listed in the result header. By clearing the appropriate boxes, you can remove from the results blocks of companies whose motorcycles are not of interest to you.
Ergonomics
After playing with the filter and choosing suitable motorcycle models, it would be a good idea to try them on. Go to cycle-ergo.com. This is a Krutan English-language project. After choosing a model and specifying your measurements, you can check out how approximately you will look on the bike. I tested some models for myself and a friend - they are approximately the same. Thanks to this site, we gave up a couple of bikes because... Her feet can’t reach the footrests, although the height of the saddle is normal.
For those who don’t understand English, I’ll tell you how to work with this site. Click the big button “ + Add a Motocycle”
".
Select a company/model. The picture of the bike will load. To the right of it are three settings blocks. Open the middle one, “ Options
”.
We enable the first parameter “ Use metric values?”
".
This will give the metric SI. The second option, “ Put feet on ground?”
" translates as "
Put your feet on the ground?
".
A very useful parameter for trying on :). Lastly, Arm straightness
is the straightening of the arms as a percentage.
Your dimensions are set in the lower block, “ Rider Dimensions
”.
Height
- height in cm,
Inseam
- height from the ground to the crotch minus 1-2cm. You can also change the position of the steering wheel and the height of the saddle, but this is customization, which is not available to everyone.
When you move your mouse through the list of models, sometimes several lines are highlighted at once. This is not a glitch, these are bikes with the same ergonomic parameters. By choosing any of them, you will most likely get the same picture. Don’t be surprised, the site is designed for riding a bike, and not a gallery of the motorcycle industry. Let me explain with an example: choosing a Honda Shadow 600, VT600, VLX600 and Steed will give the same picture - a rider on the “Shadow”.
Actually, that's all you need to know. To add another bike to the selection, click on the same button “ + Add a Motocycle”
» Site feature: select several models, then slowly turn the mouse wheel.
The result will be “morphing” - a smooth transition from one model to another. Also useful for comparison. Another useful thing: right in the picture you can see the bend angle of the knees - knee angle
, and the tilt of the body -
forward lean
.
Below - the height of the saddle in inches - seat height
.
If instead of a picture you get the text “ Too short to reach the foot pegs
”, it literally means “
too short to reach the foot pegs
”.
There is a FAQ on the site. For those who are curious, I translate (free translation):
- What is “preferred arm straightness”?
This means how bent your arms usually are while riding. 100% means completely straight arms, 70% will be too bent, for example when you lean forward while eating (facing the tank, in short ). Typically this parameter is left unchanged. - How to measure an inseam?
This seam is measured from the crotch along the inside of the leg to the bottom of the ankle.
It usually matches the length of your pants. Here I will explain. Jeans are usually measured in two directions: In the waist circumference “W” - waist (belt) and in the length of the leg along the inner seam “L” from “lenght” (length). This size is called " inseam
". We take the trousers and look at the label, something like “W: 32 L: 32”. - Why does “your” saddle height differ from that stated by the manufacturer?
The site calculates the height of the saddle from its center to the ground.
Manufacturers calculate this height from the bottom of the saddle, which is often far from reality. They also often state saddle height, which can be when a rider of unknown weight sits on the bike, squeezing the suspension, which is erroneous. Despite this, in some cases our site may also make mistakes in the fit, placing the rider too high/low. Report a bug to us, blah blah blah.. - How to accurately select a bike on this site?
Sufficient accuracy is achieved by comparing the fit on several bikes (for example, see what the body angle will be on different bikes). Of course there is some margin of error, partly due to the rough design of the mannequin, but also because the website is only as accurate as the picture of the bike allows. Such pictures often have perspective distortions, the steering wheel is not positioned straight, etc. But errors obtained for these reasons do not have a strong impact on the result. On the other hand, estimating the reach of the ground with the feet is not entirely accurate in the general case. Many factors influence this assessment, the site cannot know about them. For example, the thickness of the rider's thighs, the exact shape of the saddle, the amount of suspension compression when the rider sits on the bike (which depends on the bike, the suspension adjustment and the rider's weight).
Still, “it’s better than nothing,” although unreliable.
[1oo%, EoF] Similar materials:
How to buy a motorcycle at an auction in Japan
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Criteria for choosing your first motorcycle based on height, fit and other parameters
Our short guide will provide strategic assistance in choosing a motorcycle. Consider it before you make a purchase and register your motorcycle:
a convenient program for selecting a motorcycle based on many parameters: https://cycle-ergo.com
- height: sit on the bike, ensuring that you can stand firmly on your feet when standing;
- weight: try rolling the bike for a few meters using your legs. Also do this procedure while standing to the side. If both options are given with great difficulty, then the choice of motorcycle should be opted for a lighter model;
- landing: sit in the saddle of the “iron” horse for at least 5 minutes, taking the working position of your arms and legs. If during this time you become uncomfortable, you will have to consider another option;
- engine capacity: the maximum recommended cubic capacity for beginners is 650 cm3. If you feel like a more experienced driver, then you can consider more powerful models.
Try on a motorcycle without leaving home
Warning: this article is a duplicate of my personal article and you may have already read it. However, the administration said to do doubles, so I do them. Sorry.
Today I will speak with a somewhat unusual topic - I want to talk about how to try on a motorcycle without leaving the couch.
We will talk about the cycle-ergo website, so most motorcyclists can pass by - you already know it without me. But if you don’t know this site, don’t know English, want to try the bike on yourself for purchase or just see how it is, then go ahead!
So, you must meet any of the following requirements to continue:
- You have an idea about the class of motorcycles that you need, you have chosen several models and know what the manufacturer calls them (yes, the site does not understand “ruff”, “vyfer”, “shadovka” and “well, that mud messer like Vasya’s”)
- You just want to put a figure on a motorcycle and laugh at it.
STEP 1 - LOGGED IN
We go to the website https://cycle-ergo.com/ - yes, this is advertising to some extent, but how will we work with the site if I don’t tell you which one?)
This is what the site looks like.
STEP 2 - SELECTING A MOTORCYCLE
No time to explain, press the red button !
The selection of the desired model will open. It's simple - just click on the brand and a list of models opens. You can scroll through the list or select through the search.
Let's say you are a beginner chopper. There is no motorcycle yet, but there is already a leather jacket, the hour has struck, you can’t stop us, and so on.
But you are not the smallest man, unlike the amount of money. (I don’t want to offend the female part of the audience, but as an example I took a Euro-height man... it happened that way).
OK, we have a figure on a motorcycle. But this is not you yet. You need to adjust your figure to suit you (or make it disproportionate and make you laugh).
STEP 3 - SELECTING A DRIVER
What are the Height and Inseam parameters and where should I specify them? The site has already thought for you, everything is not as complicated as it seems. Click on Options:
The first parameter, when clicking Yes, will convert us to the metric system. Just what you need!
The second option will place the figure's feet on the ground, as if the person is standing and not riding.
The third one will center the picture on the seat. Needed for comparison
The last one is responsible for bending the elbow.
Let's set up our motorcyclist:
Height - growth. Everything is simple here.
Inseam - length along the inner seam. This means that you take a ruler, a centimeter, a tape measure and measure the distance from your bells from the seam between the legs of your pants to the ground.
Well, not yet the Wolf from “Well, wait a minute!”, but it looks like this bike will be a little too small for our motorcyclist. Maybe look for something more?
STEP 4 - FIT COMPARISON
Press the red button again to add a motorcycle or change the model by changing it from above.
Already better. By the way, if you didn’t change the model, but pressed the red button again, you should have two motorcycles:
And now, if you scroll the wheel, you can not only switch between them, but also superimpose them on top of each other to understand what has changed:
Hmm, not very clear. Our driver blurs. Remember the seat center button? It's time to press it:
It’s immediately obvious that on a larger bike the legs are straighter and the knees don’t point towards the ears. But the arms also became higher.
But let's say you have short legs. Really short. How will the system deal with this?
This error means that your legs are not long enough to reach the footrests. It's sad, apparently this bike is too big.
But why do we need the 3rd option? Feet on the ground?
I just put our little guy behind the wheel of a big all-terrain tourer from BMW. He has a much more “road” landing, that is, his legs should be bent. In general, they are still bent, but this is where we need the 3rd option. We put his feet on the ground...
No, we don't. They don't get it. Obviously, this person should not take such a motorcycle - it will not hold it.
STEP 5 - FINE TUNING
And finally, let’s return to our normal-legged man. Watch him hit 140 on Steed:
A few words about the numbers below:
Forward lean: leaning forward. I've now leaned the rider as far as possible at a not-so-impressive 23 degrees.
Owners of sports bikes grin contemptuously - for them, 140 is somewhere in 2nd gear, well, maybe 3rd.
(sorry for the glitches in the pictures, the site adjusts it that way)
So we'll put our driver in a super sport and see the typical "shrimp" riding position. Let's try to straighten it out?
Even if you straighten your arms completely, the angle will be greater than on Steed with a full tilt - a different landing.
But let's continue.
Knee angle : bend of the knee. A smaller number means a larger fold.
Hip angle : hip angle. Same principle.
We're done with the driver, let's move on.
STEP 6 - PASSENGER
Our driver probably has a girlfriend. How will it look on a motorcycle? The Passager Info button is responsible for exactly this, the settings are the same.
CONCLUSIONS
This site will be useful for fitting an arbitrary person to an arbitrary motorcycle. It will help you understand how much it fits there or does not fit.
Don't expect the site to answer for you whether it will be convenient for you or not.
That's all I wanted to say. Thank you for your attention.
PS Yao Ming is a Chinese basketball player who completed his professional career. Height - 229 cm.
