Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Hello everyone! I am a new rider who just passed the MSF course on Mother's Day. Yeah!! Happy Mother's Day to me. I am 5'1" inches tall, weighing 105 on a real good day and I ride a 2004 Yamaha V-Star Classic 650cc motorcycle. I purchased it used from a private owner and it only had 927 miles on it because they love Harleys. I have a lot of questions but I will start here first.

My legs are very short and when I sit on my bike my feet just barely touche the ground. The seat is not uncomfortable but it is wide and I feel if the seat was narrower and lower I could flat foot better. When I come to a stop I find myself on my toes, especially the right foot. I also have a problem holding the bike with the rear brake because I just don't have enough leverage with my little short legs. I would like to know if there is a lower and narrower seat that I could get that would give me that extra length. I do not want to lower the bike and by the way I do have a sissy bar. My other question is about hand grips. I am looking for some smaller hand grips. The previous owner put on the Kuryakan grips, which look great but, they feel a little large. I have been riding and practicing as much as I can because I already know that because of my size I am at a disadvantage or at least that is the way I feel right now. If you think that the bike is too much for me please say so. I have ridden a few hundred miles and the bike is really beautiful because the previous owner really dressed it up and the only thing I added were the engine guard, new saddlebags and pullback risers. I look forwards to hearing from my fellow riders and it is great to finally be a part of a unique group of people, the Motorcycle Riders.

I thank you in advance for your help.

minicup

Sorry, cant answer any of your questions, but wanted to say welcome. I am taking the MSF course in a couple weeks myself, and I dont have a bike yet. But I'm sure there are many knowledgeable people here to help out.

Hi minicup. I don't know of a specific brand aftermarket seat maker that makes a narrower seat for the V-Star, but you might want to check with some of them. Many will do custom seats tailored to your needs. One of the most well-known is Corbin. Is there a reason you don't want to lower the suspension? With your weight, you could probably drop it a bit and still never have to worry about bottoming out. As for the grips, just stop by your local moto-shop and pick out the ones you like the best, that way you can feel them and see which will fit your hand.

Although a bit on the heavy side, the 650 V-star is not a bad beginner bike. In your case though, you should deffinitely set it up to fit you better. You have very limited control at slower speeds because the bike doesn't fit you. If you really like it and would rather get your skills built up on something else than modify it too much, you can find something like a used Honda Rebel 250 or a Yamaha 250 Virago fairly cheap, and both would have a lower seat and be a good deal lighter than your V-star.

Good luck, and welcome to TMW!

Welcome to TMW.

Get some platform shoes. I'm kidding. You certainly are petite.

Yes, there are smaller grips available. You can probably have the seat shaved down to make it smaller.

Welcome to the site, I am a new rider my self so I can't give you any good advice. BUt welcome to the site, Be safe and ride at your pace.