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Lowered Bikes for Ladies....

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I

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Discussion Starter · #1 ·
Hi all,

I'm a new rider and saw an old post about lowered bikes for women... I did a lot of research and sat on what seemed like a million bikes... I settled on a Ninja 400R...it has a custom lowering kit plus the lowered seat... I'm 5'2" and i am on the balls of my feet... I also sat on the CBR 150 (apparently the 250 is similar in seat height) and it was the same fit as the 400R...

My bike's still in a crate til I get my M2 in May...I can't wait!
 
spooph

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#11 ·
K, Icecat, let me try and redeem myself from derailing your thread.... Since nobody is addressing the original issue, I'll just do some constructive commenting here to try and cover for our silent female members:

Zartan has her bike lowered, and I think Kurt's wife has her 250 lowered (or am I way off base here). There are many different styles of lowering links, some adjustable, some more so than others. The main thing you want to keep in mind is lowering the front as much as the rear to keep the bike level, front-to-back, otherwise you change the steering geometry, and you might not like it.

Let me also share some stories which I've been a part of in our local riding group: A lady I work with rode an SV650, had it lowered, but didn't lower the front accordingly and ended up crashing. Aside the fact that her bike wasn't as well maintained as it should be, she became a much better rider when she raised it back up.... She just got a ZX-10R and has lowered it properly. She really likes it....

What is this custom lowering kit you speak of? Does it include the lowering links, a kick stand, and maybe something to do with the front forks?
 
I

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Discussion Starter · #13 ·
Not quite sure, the dealer is very reputable and the bike looks pretty even. Haven't ridden it yet as it's still crated...still too cold to get it on the road... The bike I sat on was part of the two bikes they had out for the new lady riders, so I'm guessing they won't screw around with it and will do it right. Another dealer who I almost bought from was saying that the lowering links had to be bought from an aftermarket supplier and they weren't sure it would fit. My dealer said they had to go to a local supplier to have the links custom made to make them fit.

So I guess I will find out when I get it in 2 weeks. I will ask about the front forks though - thanks for the advice. There is no way I could ride with w/o it being lowered, just too damn short to manage otherwise.... ;)
 
Jezebel250

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#17 ·
Icecat said:
Not quite sure, the dealer is very reputable and the bike looks pretty even. Haven't ridden it yet as it's still crated...still too cold to get it on the road... The bike I sat on was part of the two bikes they had out for the new lady riders, so I'm guessing they won't screw around with it and will do it right. Another dealer who I almost bought from was saying that the lowering links had to be bought from an aftermarket supplier and they weren't sure it would fit. My dealer said they had to go to a local supplier to have the links custom made to make them fit.

So I guess I will find out when I get it in 2 weeks. I will ask about the front forks though - thanks for the advice. There is no way I could ride with w/o it being lowered, just too damn short to manage otherwise.... ;)
Click to expand...
Another shorty here (5'0, 98lbs) with a lowered ninja 250- since no one mentioned it i thought i would - pay very close attention to the underside of your rear fender. If the bike is lowered, the suspension pre-load needs to be adjusted accordingly - if not, when you hit a bump in the road, the tire could touch the fender - and in some cases cause you to lock up and crash.

I lowered mine 2.5" (in the seat), and the tire touched the fender when I hit a bump - so I had to increase my preload all the way to 6.

(if you want more of an explanation, I just posted more info on my blog about it: Lowering your Ninja 250R – 2008 | Riding Jezebel)

Ohh, also: KICKSTAND! You'll need a shorter one, or your bike will be too upright and may tip when parked on even a slight incline!
 
I

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Discussion Starter · #19 ·
Hi folks,

sorry I've been MIA so I missed some of this stuff.

There is no lowering kit available through Kawasaki, so the dealer used a custom kit from a local supplier. I was given the original parts back. I do have the Kawasaki lowered seat though.

As for adjustments, the Dealer had me sit on the bike to check to make sure it fit well and I had the front shocks "lowered" slightly for comfort, but that's it. No issues regarding the suspension or the rear fender when I hit potholes or bumps. It looks like the Dealer took that into account. The suspension is stiff so it's not an issue.

I now have over 1600kms on the bike and it's officially broken in so I can drive at whatever speed or rpm I want.

For Filmmonkey, Ottawa Good Time Centre was smart marketing this lowered bike for women and shorter men...too bad the Toronto dealers like Kahuna Powersport haven't figured that out yet. I have more pics if you want to see the bike.

Cheers to all.

Icecat
 
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