SBN :: New Riders :: too short for a sportbike?

I've seen a few articles on lowering sportbikes to fit shorter riders (and not just women), but I was wracking my brain trying to think of a good, stock motorcycle for a short person who doesn't want a cruiser. Just about everything sporty requires you to be 5'9" thru 6'2"- if you're smaller or larger than this, you just won't fit. I wonder if the Japanese OE's made a sportbike for shorter riders, would it sell well? Or would it be perceived as a "chick's bike" so the dudes would not buy it?

Tom

That's an interesting question. My guess is that it would be perceived as a "chick bike", and let's face it, despite their cries to the contrary, chicks just don't make up a very large segment of the industry. Just look at the Buell Blast. Now I'll grant you that thing was a piece o'shite in most ways....but when was the last time you saw one on the street?

It would be cool if enough "short people" (chicks!) bought bikes to justify the manufacturers building shorter bikes. I've got believe the OEMs have done research into this, and if there truly was a significant market, we'd be seeing such bikes by now.