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Opinions on what bike to get the wife

I'm 5'7" also and was told by my friends early on who knew me that I would not like a sportster for long, to just buy the bike I wanted and learn on that bike. :s Good advice for me. I have sat on a lot of bikes and I haven't noticed any in particular that were a problem for me to touch. Some would have to be tweaked a bit more than others, but that goes for a lot of bikes.

I started with my deuce, but I can ride my husband's electra-glide okay too, (though he won't let me tweak it to fit me). The key is the in-seam, I'm 5'7" but I have a 32" in-seam. I really think that at 5'7", she can get any bike she wants and make it fit her. :s

Remember, want pix when you guys get her bike. :s

One more thing, I did think my brother's super glide had a really great ride too! I had my two choices down to the deuce & the dyna low rider, but my deuce talked to me. :D
 
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Thanks all...
We went down to the dealer ship this evening and she sat on several bikes. (Not going to ride any until the class is done) She really like the feel of the Delux. It would need a little tweeking, maybe, but thought it felt the most comfortable to her.
 
I think that all bikes will need a bit of tweaking to get the fit right. :s Look for overall comfort. If she is generally comfortable, you can always adjust the handlebars a bit, turn the levers up or down & such. You are doing the right thing by sitting on lots and lots of bikes. (That worked for me).
 
My wife picked up a sportster as her starter, she is about 5' 7" and 200 lbs give or take. After a year she is ready to move up she is looking at a Heritage or street glide, my thought is should have started out with one of these. The Heritage would work better for her. Test ride and go with what she feels comfortable on.
 
After she finishes her training class, have her take a lot of test rides on different models, she should get a fair idea of what is going to suit her best. I started on a Sportster but gave it up after 6 months.
 
Trapshooter said:
OK, I've talked to the local shops, searched and read this forum and others to gain some very valuable information. She is 5' 7" 130 lbs, so not real big but not exceptionally small either. She has had some riding experience several years back and is currently enrolled in the rider certification classes. She is very excited about getting back in the seat and riding on her own. Guess she’s saying she's tired of looking at my head all the time!

Any hooo... what I've learned so far....
I figured a smaller Sportster model would be the natural choice, but form what I'm gathering from the research a bigger Softail model with a lower center of gravity is a much better choice even tho it's a much heavier bike. So, what I'm looking for is some real world experience, maybe even from some of the women riders on here, as to what makes the most sense. By the way, I've suggested maybe a metric bike for a while...she want's nothing to do with that. She wants a HARLEY! :newsmile093:

Thanks in advance for any input you might have...
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My buds wife has a fat boy. She is about 110 and bout 5-4. My vote is for the soft tail model. Most of them are much lower than a sporty and ballance a lot better. IMO, sportys are not for women, just too tall and top heavy.
 
My wife really likes her dyna lowrider. She was mentally intimidated by "bigger" bikes, but wanted something that was heavier than a sportster in dealing with wind blast. She is 5'6" and 130lbs.

I don't think a sportster is a good bike for a beginner. Just my opinion.
 
Thanks to everyone for the information! We will continue to set on bikes and evaluate what feels the most comfortable. While at the dealership one of the guys made a comment that made a lot of sense. He said, "Don't worry so much about how it feels while holding it up, that can be fixed. Look for the one that feels the most comfortable in the riding position. After all, that is where 99% of your time will be spent." So, holding the bikes up so she could set in a riding position, I think, is a very good idea untill she can actually put them to the test.

Thanks again everyone. Once the class is completed this search will move from the "what's out there" stage to the "let's ride them and let me make a decision" stage. I can't wait!! :bigsmiley11:
 
Just so you know, I wouldn't 'rush' the process, I know it is exciting, but I looked at bikes from October until March before one really tickled my fancy. I had never ridden a Harley, (well, I did get to ride my husband's wide glide for about 4 miles in California one year, but that didn't really count IMO).

The sales guy was correct in what he told you. :s Just goes to shoe that all sales guys aren't bad. :) I had my heart set on the V-Rod originally. I sat on a bunch of them. Then one day I was talking to a sales guy about the V-Rod and he told me how much fun it was to ride, how great it handled at 130 mph, but, it wasn't that great at 30 mph. So I asked him a few more questions and he explained to me how the bike was designed for high speeds so to speak, and that if you weren't planning on running fast all the time, that there were better choices. :D Oh, he would have sold me one, but I really appreciated the fact that he was honest about the bike, that it may not be the best choice for a first bike. However, with that being said, the deuce may not be the best choice for the first bike either, but it was The One that grabbed my attention and wouldn't let go. She will know when she finds the right one. After 5 years, and as much as I think I want a Road King someday, for now, my deuce is still the right bike for me.

Enjoy the hunt!
 
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