Dad looking for bike advice for tallish (5'9") daughter

[waterboy39]

Hello Ladies, I am a dad looking for bike advice.

Scroll down 4 paragraphs if you want to skip the fluff and get to my questions on CRF150F and TT-R125 L

First a bit of background. My daughter will be 15 in August and she has clearly stopped growing, she is now 5'9" 130 pounds. She is athletic and aggresive in other sports (soccer, swimming and track), but her interest in riding is only mild and I anticipate that will not change thru high school. She has been a VERY occasional recreational rider (twice a year at most) since she was about 7, but she seems to be going with us a bit more in the last year. Between her younger brother (13 now) and her they have shared many play bikes through the years: PW50, XR50, XR70, XR80 and her current bike a CRF100. He has moved off to a KX100 for trail and track.

When she rides with us we tend to split out time on very tame trails, or go to mild motocross tracks (no AMA tracks here) where she can just roll the jumps or just get a little bit of air (1 foot off the ground). I want to keep the good experiences happening and not scare her off from dirt biking.

My dilema is this: The CRF100 (as well as the XR80) has been a fantastic bike to get her used to the clutch, but she is simply too folded up on the thing. She is pretty leggy and the seat to peg relationship is just too tight (taller bars have helped a little with standing, but she is still hunched over too much). We tried a neighbor's TT-R125L over memorial day weekend and it was actually worse than the CRF100 without having the taller bars and she was just as folded up in the knees.

She sat on a CRF150F at a dealership over the weekend and it seemed to fit her better. I know the bike is heavier than the TT-R125L, but from what I seem to be hearing the weight is much more manageable than the CRF230F due to it's shorter height. The 150F has the exact same seat-to-peg and seat-to-bar relationship as the 230F since it is the same frame. I am really not too worried about to low footpegs dragging in ruts or hitting rock, if that ever happens it means we took a wrong turn somewhere.

So finally my questions:

-Any of you 5'8" - 5'10" women out there ridden a CRF150F? How did it work for you?

-Have any of you tried to modify a TT-R125L with a taller seat and bar risers? (I can get my neighbor's bike very cheap)

Please no suggestions of KDX200 (owned 2, great bike), KTM200, WR250F, or any lowered motocross bikes. I was reluctant to post since I can tell many of you here are very dedicated, commited and aggresive riders Sometimes I dream that my daughter will be someday as well, but that's just not her in the near future. Mild 4 strokes only at this point.

thanks in advance for any feedback.

Tom

Edited May 30, 2012 by waterboy39

[Jess6369]

At 5'9" she'd be good on the crf150, my buddy rides one and he's 5'10" and 160ish pounds. Too big for that bike in my opinion. Have her try out a crf230f, quite heavy but a lot more bike than the 150f. Don't go for the ttr125, its too cramped. I had a 230 and i'm only 5'7" and i could touch both feet on the ground and it was alot easier to ride in our sandy trails than the 150f and it has slightly more mx capability because of the slightly longer suspension.

[princessMX]

I am 5'8" and havent sat a crf150f or the ttr125...i went straight from an xr100 ( i know-teeny tiny, but i had never rode before) to my KDX250. Let me ask my husband what bikes he looked into for me before settling on the kdx. ?

[princessMX]

He says the ttr225 or ttr250 wouldnt be a bad option either for a more ergonomical fitting bike even though they dont have as much power as a full sized bike which is why we didnt go with one of those for me. Figured I would get the hang of the power on the kdx and having a bike that fits your frame definitly helps your skills progress in my opinion. Hope you can find her something she is comfy with power wise and for her frame. ?

[singletracmind]

I ride a TTR 125LE (5', 100 lbs). Good size for me, except a little heavy when I drop it and can't pick it up. Even with seat and handlebar adjustments I wouldn't think it would fit your 5'9" daughter. (Aviator 1's wife)

[HondaKTM]

I think the CRF150 would be a better size for her. Maybe a 230, but make sure it's not too much for her.

[Jess6369]

Honda crf230f or Yamaha ttr225...both comparable, honda is a bit better in my opinion but try them both out. the honda has a 6 speed gearbox and very mild throttle hit, it's like driving a corolla, and if you want more power, do the airbox and exhaust baffle mod. She'll get alot more out of the 230's than the 125/150 and the weight isn't too much more.

[leadfoot70ss]

and having a bike that fits your frame definitly helps your skills progress in my opinion. Hope you can find her something she is comfy with power wise and for her frame. ?

x2

Being cramped up on too small of a bike limits your skills and hinders building confidence in my opinion. But I get the fact that bigger bikes are heavier, taller, and more powerful and can be intimidating to a timid rider. But at her height, the additional weight of the bigger bikes shouldn't be as much of an issue and she will definately benefit from it fitting her frame more. If she can sit on a full-size bike and get a feel for how the seat to peg ratio differs and how she feels transitioning from sitting to standing, I think you'll be able to convince her that a bigger bike is what she will like. That's what helped me decide, I sat on a kx100, and even though it was taller than the xr100 I rode, the seat to peg distance was still too short as well as the wheel base. After I sat on a full-sized bike, I knew that I had to just deal with my fears of it feeling heavy and tall and learn throttle control.

As for which one, I have no advice, as I went from an xr100, to a borrowed ktm300 to my kdx200. And none of those bikes are what you are looking at for her. But I think the crf150f would be still too small framed for her. I have ridden our neighbor's crf150r, and I was too hunched over like I was on the xr100 to be able to ride it effectively and the shorter wheelbase didn't help either, felt unstable while standing. And my legs were all bent up when seated (too short of a seat/peg ratio for me to be comfortable). And from the specs online, the 150f weighs the same as my kdx200, and the kdx200 is the better bike between the two in my humble opinion for someone at 5'9", and I am 5'4" and 135 lbs. I made one small lap around our loop on the 150r and couldn't wait to get off the thing and back to my bigger bike.

[Hans Schmid]

Sounds like the 230 is the best choice. Though the 150f has similar dimensions, the added power of the 230 will benefit her more in the future.

[leadfoot70ss]

Sounds like the 230 is the best choice. Though the 150f has similar dimensions, the added power of the 230 will benefit her more in the future.

And the bigger wheels will make a difference on how it handles for her too.

""Almost", thats what non winners say!" <----- I like your signature originalmonk ?

[gruberyz]

Sounds like the 230 is the best choice. Though the 150f has similar dimensions, the added power of the 230 will benefit her more in the future.

Stay away from the 230F. She will hate riding if you get her one. My 5-4 wife loves her CRF150R light smooth power great suspension. My youngest daughter at 5-4 loves her woods prepped YZ125. The 230 is so heavy and has such poor suspension a woman usually hates it except on the smmothest cow trails and grass track

[Hans Schmid]

Stay away from the 230F. She will hate riding if you get her one. My 5-4 wife loves her CRF150R light smooth power great suspension. My youngest daughter at 5-4 loves her woods prepped YZ125. The 230 is so heavy and has such poor suspension a woman usually hates it except on the smmothest cow trails and grass track

I agree with you, my ex rides a 150rb and my fiancé races a YZ 125 but the OP made it pretty clear that his daughter was not riding it like David Knight. A 150rb is a great bike but in the chain of evolution for motorcycles, it doesn't seem like it will be the next one in line. The 150rb might be a little too much and the OP didn't want to lower a bike so it might put the YZ 125 out on this one also. The 230 really is the only option due to her height. Ya, it might be a turd to you and me but to her it might be the perfect bike until she figures what direction she wants to go.

Edited May 31, 2012 by originalmonk

[leadfoot70ss]

And inseam might be a bigger clincher. I have a 30" inseam at 5'4" and the crf150r was way too small all over - too small of a frame, too small wheelbase, too small of tires, but was snappy on the power which I did like. It looks like gruberyz's wife might have a longer torso and shorter inseam than me, but we are the same height, so the bike might fit us differently. Although, from the pic, it still looks as though she is seated a bit too far back for proper riding position on some terrain. That is what happens to me when on too small of a bike, to compensate, I slide back on the seat, unloading the front tire some which doesn't always lend to the best control over the bike, but I do it to give my legs some room. But add another 5" to our height, and I still think the crf150f will not be the best fit. I know nothing about the 230f, but from the specs, it is full-sized and has the larger wheels and longer wheel base, which I think she will like in the long run. A heavier, underpowered bike (as it sounds like the 230f to be) doesn't sound all that fun to me, but it might be the perfect bike to not scare her off from riding while still fitting her frame and building her skills and confidence. There is just something to be said about bigger wheels and longer wheelbase on how the bike will handle overall for her size. Best wishes on your decision.

[waterboy39]

Thank you everyone for all the feedback, I love Thumpertalk!!!

It sounds like a lot of recommendations for the CRF230F, there is a very pristine hardly ridden 2007 in our local Craigslist that I may take my daughter to go look at. I just wish I could find a woman of similar size who has actually owned one (or a 150f for that matter) to give some feedback.

I found last night that Dirt Rider did a feature on a girl Courtney Sullivan who was 5'8" and a similar build to my daughter who rode a modified CRF230F and she did not complain too much about picking it up. Maybe it is OK. I might take my 08 YZ450F out in the backyard tonight and lay it down on the lawn and see if my daughter can pick it up. It is not too much different than the 230f weight wise.

I actually test rode a CRF150R expert (big wheel) the same day I bought my son his KX100 last November. It actually has about the same rider compartment seat-to-peg dimensions as the KX100 and my daughter is folded up on that one as well. Those bikes are tall, but seat-to-peg they are not much bigger than our CRF100F.

The CRF150F has the same rider compartment as the 230F, the only real difference is swingarm, forks and wheels from a dimensional standpoint, the rider compartment is the same.

Jess, how tall are you?

Originalmonk, you are right on target, I would probably hate the 230f, but if it keeps my daughter involved in the sport and possibly eases her into something more aggressive later, then it has served it's purpose.

GruberYZ, those are some really cool pics of your wife and daughter, unfortunately my daughter is on another planet right now. Just a guess, but I'm thinking that they ride more than once or twice a year:)

thanks for the input everyone

[Jess6369]

On the 230 i was 5'7" and touched both feet on the ground, another half inch and id be almost flat footed. She won't like the 150r because she won't be ready for the snappy throttle and short wheelbase. The 230f is nice and smooth while still going pretty fast.

[cantcme]

I have a DRZ-250 for my 15-year old son, he's about 5-10 and it fits him fine. Very plush suspension and reliable.

KTM has a 150XC which might be tame enough when compared the 200. The KTM is also very light weight.

[Debi]

Is this her first bike??? reason I ask is I wouldn't spend a ton on her first bike as to make sure she will like/love riding.

The KTM 150 is a super nice bike if you go the new route but for a first bike I would go with a CRF150R or the 230 but the 230 is a heavier bike ?

If at all possible have her sit on a few bikes to see which fits her and what she likes. ?

[Debi]

Is this her first bike??? reason I ask is I wouldn't spend a ton on her first bike as to make sure she will like/love riding.

The KTM 150 is a super nice bike if you go the new route but for a first bike I would go with a CRF150R or the 230 but the 230 is a heavier bike ?

If at all possible have her sit on a few bikes to see which fits her and what she likes. ?

[gruberyz]

my wife owned the 230F for two weeks and sold hers with less than two hours on it. The test is take the 230f gently lay it on it's side and have your rider try and pick it up. Pretty eye opening

[Just_a_trail_rider]

Waterboy... I wish I was as smart as you. I rushed my daughter to a bike that was too much for her too soon and it completely killed her desire to ride. I recently sold her bike because she hadn't rode it in a few years.

It definitely sounds like your daughter is sized for a crf230. The yamaha ttr230 is a similar bike with the same mellow characteristics. buy it cheap...

One thing that people have done over the years is to put the yz85 forks and swingarm on the ttr125 to make it taller. But i think it will still be a little too small.

E-start, both feet down, mild powerband... your daughter will continue to love you....