Big Guy New to Bikes? Please Help!!

T

Tyler91

New member
Forum Sponsor
Hello! I plan to get my Motorcycle Beginners soon. I have my Class 5 Beginners and all i need to do is take the Bike beginners test. Anyway my question is.. What kind of Motorcycle would fit someone like me? i am 23 years old. i am 350lbs and i am 6"8. I always wanted the sport type bikes, but i am thinking i would be to tall/heavy? Thoughts? :D
 
Pretty much most/all bikes will take your weight. For size you should go to some bike shops and just sit on everything, see what feels comfortable. Dual sports often have high seat heights, which might be good. There are definitely some sport-oriented options too.
 
Yeah dual sport all the way.
Maybe KLR650 as a low cost learner machine

I hate to send you down the cruiser road but that at least gives your legs some stretch.
Friend was 6' 7" and near your weight and was okay on a KLR.
There are ways to make the seat higher and the pegs lower.

You are not alone out there

http://www.motorcycle.com/top10/top-10-motorcycles-tall-riders-adventure-bikes.html

http://www.motorcycle.com/top10/top-10-best-cruisers-for-tall-people.html

I suspect the value for money would be in the KLR and they are bullet proof. You can buy for $3-4k, ride for a couple of years until you are 25 and then insurance should drop and you might have a wider range.
Getting off the pavement a bit even on gravel is very good training for a new rider and a dual sport gives you a much wider choice of roads in Ontario and the KLR would even get you to PA.

The dual sports have the suspension to deal with the weight ( I get a nice sag on mine to reach the ground :D ) and KLR has lots of after market choices to raise bars, raise seat and lowwer pegs and alter suspension.

Killer is in Ontario insurance goes by CC.
IN Australia the KLR is a learner machine.
But it is a well proven design ( 20 years without a substantial change and then for the last 7 not much difference ) and it's designed to handle a fully loaded marine.

MZ-Militaer1.jpg


you might be very popular on certain kinds of rides due to your "heavy lift" capability.

klr650-stuck-in-mud.jpg


This is the same year I ride in Australi event to the colour. It's got some deccent upgrades but zilch mileage. Mine has 50k km with never a hiccup ...it has started in the worst conditions.

$_27.JPG


http://www.kijiji.ca/v-motorcycle-other/barrie/klr/1071800773?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Suspect someone got in over their head. From what I can see i's got some good stuff on it and most important the doohickey is done.

Bark busters, frame sliders and nice with highway pegs to let you stretch out.
Top box mounting.
I emailed the guy for a list of bits that he put on that might not mean a lot to you as a new rider.
For instance the frame slider protects the bike in a fall, bark busters protect you hands and the brake/clutch

The seat design of the KLR lets you slide back without a sharp butt rest which can cramp your legs.
Cheap enough - ride for two years - sell for $2k

•••• heard back from the owner - and a good top case with it....that's a $$ farkle and very useful.


Hi yes lockable box flashing brake light seat braded brake lines crash bars skid plate fork brace bark busters folding mirrors 1"lowerd low front fender beter air flow to the rad new tires fome air filter adjust ed carb will install a new batt dident ride last year bad hip

Good deal for someone OP.
 
Last edited:
At your size, adventure touring and dual sport bikes would probably be the only ones comfortable enough. Sport bikes and cruisers will make you feel VERY squished. You're in a tough spot because with your age and being a beginner, insurance will be the biggest hurdle for you. I would suggest looking at an older Suzuki V-Strom 650, a Kawasaki KLR 650 (as mentioned by MacDoc), or a Honda XR650 etc. The V-Strom is a very forgiving and easy bike to ride if you give it the respect it deserves when you are starting out and it will satisfy for years. It already has a 32.9" seat height and has options for an even higher seat. I have the opposite problem. At 5'8" I can't reach the ground with either foot on all of these bikes when they are fully upright unless I hang off one side or the other!

Good luck with your search.
 
Oh, I'm not alone. I'm also 6'6"-6'7"... Not big choice of bikes here. I couldn't fit any cruiser. It is only looks big but most of them just build for average dwarfs. Absolutely no space for legs. With pure sport I'm also not feel comfortable. It looks like a bear on a baby tricycle :). Only luck I have with adventure bikes. It is high enough and have good sitting position. Try Kawi Versys 650 of 1000 and klr650, Suzuki Vstrom and BMW GS or F.

P.S. bike isnt a problem but gear.....
 
Tyler91 said:
Hello! I plan to get my Motorcycle Beginners soon. I have my Class 5 Beginners and all i need to do is take the Bike beginners test. Anyway my question is.. What kind of Motorcycle would fit someone like me? i am 23 years old. i am 350lbs and i am 6"8. I always wanted the sport type bikes, but i am thinking i would be to tall/heavy? Thoughts? :D
Click to expand...

In a several years when insurance maybe your friend, and your riding skills improve and you have some $$$ to spend, check out the Hayabusa, the K1300S and ZX14 . These hypersports will fit you well.
 
Also, regardless of what bike you get, look into beefing up the suspension for your weight. It is THE best money you will spend on a motorcycle, because the bike will feel that much better.
 
+ 1 on the suspension work. As others have said, a V-Strom 650 can be a great first bike for a bigger guy. It was my first (and I'm not quite as tall or heavy as you), and I put 38,000 kms on it before trading up.
 
also this website: http://cycle-ergo.com/

punch in your height and inseam, and see what you'd look like on the various bikes mentioned here.
 
Hey OP, does your contract as an NFL offensive lineman permit motorcycle riding in the off season? :lmao:
 
MacDoc said:
Yeah dual sport all the way.
Maybe KLR650 as a low cost learner machine

I hate to send you down the cruiser road but that at least gives your legs some stretch.
Friend was 6' 7" and near your weight and was okay on a KLR.
There are ways to make the seat higher and the pegs lower.

You are not alone out there

http://www.motorcycle.com/top10/top-10-motorcycles-tall-riders-adventure-bikes.html

http://www.motorcycle.com/top10/top-10-best-cruisers-for-tall-people.html

I suspect the value for money would be in the KLR and they are bullet proof. You can buy for $3-4k, ride for a couple of years until you are 25 and then insurance should drop and you might have a wider range.
Getting off the pavement a bit even on gravel is very good training for a new rider and a dual sport gives you a much wider choice of roads in Ontario and the KLR would even get you to PA.

The dual sports have the suspension to deal with the weight ( I get a nice sag on mine to reach the ground :D ) and KLR has lots of after market choices to raise bars, raise seat and lowwer pegs and alter suspension.

Killer is in Ontario insurance goes by CC.
IN Australia the KLR is a learner machine.
But it is a well proven design ( 20 years without a substantial change and then for the last 7 not much difference ) and it's designed to handle a fully loaded marine.

MZ-Militaer1.jpg


you might be very popular on certain kinds of rides due to your "heavy lift" capability.

klr650-stuck-in-mud.jpg


This is the same year I ride in Australi event to the colour. It's got some deccent upgrades but zilch mileage. Mine has 50k km with never a hiccup ...it has started in the worst conditions.

$_27.JPG


http://www.kijiji.ca/v-motorcycle-other/barrie/klr/1071800773?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true

Suspect someone got in over their head. From what I can see i's got some good stuff on it and most important the doohickey is done.

Bark busters, frame sliders and nice with highway pegs to let you stretch out.
Top box mounting.
I emailed the guy for a list of bits that he put on that might not mean a lot to you as a new rider.
For instance the frame slider protects the bike in a fall, bark busters protect you hands and the brake/clutch

The seat design of the KLR lets you slide back without a sharp butt rest which can cramp your legs.
Cheap enough - ride for two years - sell for $2k

•••• heard back from the owner - and a good top case with it....that's a $$ farkle and very useful.


Hi yes lockable box flashing brake light seat braded brake lines crash bars skid plate fork brace bark busters folding mirrors 1"lowerd low front fender beter air flow to the rad new tires fome air filter adjust ed carb will install a new batt dident ride last year bad hip

Good deal for someone OP.
Click to expand...

kiwi said:
In a several years when insurance maybe your friend, and your riding skills improve and you have some $$$ to spend, check out the Hayabusa, the K1300S and ZX14 . These hypersports will fit you well.
Click to expand...

^^^^^^ Very good advice. The only thing I will add is once you've become good at riding, you might look @ upgrading to a 1200cc dual sport like the R12GSA or similar if you want to stay in that type of motorcycle category.

Cheers!
 
I'm not too far off of your size, and I agree it's hard to find a bike that fits... I ended up with a '99 BMW F650, lots of leg room and plenty of torque to get me moving. As other have suggested, have a look at the KLR 650; although the seat isn't the most comfortable, it's decent for learning, and there are things you can do to make it more comfortable.

Finding gear that fits can be a challenge too... I've found Joe Rocket to have the best options, and they have tall sizes too.
 
Busa and ZX14 are good for the bigger guys, but I cant recommend them as a starter bike.
 
Taller riders are always pointed to dual sport bikes. Yes, they have a high seat height, but that has little to do with comfort for taller riders. Trust me, bad suggestion.
The important measure is seat to peg distance, which affects knee and hip angle.

At 6'8", you are in the top 0.1% of height and no one makes a bike to fit that height.

You will have to buy a custom seat, with extra height, and lower footpegs. To gain back corner clearance, dog bone links to raise the bike. At 380 lbs, you need to make sure whatever bike has enough preload, but you likely need a custom shock and stiffer fork springs.

Some solutions can get weird....


http://www.kijiji.ca/v-sport-bikes/...ly/1070379381?enableSearchNavigationFlag=true
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom