Why is it a "girl's bike"?

[Roaddawg]

GoGreen, I too was looking at the sportster (especially with that deal they have...trade in after a year for full MSRP towards a new bike), but am so glad I bought the FZ6R. I'm just up the road from you, up in the Napa Valley. Just took a long ride yesterday through Sonoma, Santa Rosa and down through Calistoga into Napa on all the twisty back roads. (trying to get my 600 break-in miles) The bike was great the whole time and the weather perfect. Couldn't have gotten much better.

 

[VEGASRIDER]

I know that isn't how most of you guys think, but it's what's coming across in this whole "girl's bike vs. man's bike" debate. It's like the guy I saw at a dealership once saying he could never ride an SV because it's a "girl's bike" when he saw me de-gear in the parking lot. I told him about my buddies who race SVs (now there's like 10 of them), and that if the fact that I ride it is his reasoning for not getting one,

When Lee Park held his advanced riding class here in Las Vegas, he used his SV650. If that's what Lee Parks chooses to ride and drag knees with, it's got to be a great bike for a reason.

 

[FZ6biker]

IMHO there's no such thing as a girls bike or a guys bike I know many women who ride bigger bikes than I do , that dosent make the FZ6 I ride a lesser bike, does it ?

I think that each and everyone has a preference and choice. Hey I started of on a 100 cc lol

I like the FZ6R, its sportier and cool lookin but I still love my FZ6!!!

 

[afpreppie04]

I don't think of it as a girl's bike, although it does bug me that they always seem to aim the white ones towards females...I personally love the look of white bikes, but the FZ6R and one I saw at the shop recently, I think it was a gixxer, all have girly decals on them. Maybe when I get my normal FZ6 repainted it'll be white, hmmm.

 

[mglowe]

Yeah 'cause Hyabusas are totally small-displacement bikes, and I would never ever want a GSXR 750 as my next bike. Oh wait, I do. I guess I'm not female then.

Rob, there's something I need to talk to you about. I hated my 250 and wanted a 650, and now that I want a 750 I can no longer be a woman.

Who's Rob?

Seriously, it is all comfort. Any woman on here and any female rider will tell you that the majority of sportbikes are not made for the average woman. ...

Many are not made for the average man either.

[ranting...]

sorry, rant over..... I know that isn't how most of you guys think, but it's what's coming across in this whole "girl's bike vs. man's bike" debate.

I do hope your ranting wasn't triggered by my original post. My thought was only to convey that with smaller bikes usually comes more comfort. :surrender:

 

[keira]

Who's Rob?

Many are not made for the average man either.

I do hope your ranting wasn't triggered by my original post. My thought was only to convey that with smaller bikes usually comes more comfort. :surrender:

Rob is my husband (reiobard on here), and sportbikes typically weigh approximately 350-400lbs (top-heavy) and have a seat height of 30 inches. That makes them not proportioned for a large majority of women; with an average height of 5'4", I can't imagine that gives them much of a 30" inseam (I am 5;6", all legs and have a 30.5" inseam).

And the rant was a) hormones, and b) because I am sick of hearing about people "throwing like a girl" (meaning: he can't throw a ball right), "riding like a girl" (aka. riding slow and cautiously), riding a "chick bike" (meaning the bike is underpowered and/or ugly), or something similar. It equates begin female with being bad or lesser, and I thought that we as a human race were beyond thinking of women as lesser beings than men, but many of the things we say show me that we are not.

I also disagree that smaller=more comfort, and I will use my 250 as an example. I could only ride for a couple hours on the 250 without cramping up, as it was too small for me. My 650 is much more comfortable,a nd I find the GSX-R 750 even MORE comfortable than that. Engine size and bike size do not necessarily go hand in hand, although I will agree that a smaller woman would probably be more comfortable on a smaller bike, which needs a smaller engine to tug it. But so would a 5'4" man.

 

[Tarzanman]

First off, I read somewhere that 30% of new riders are female... that is a very good reason to produce and/or market a motorcycle to females.

The low(er compared to sportbikes) seat height and lower power are not the reason people think of the new FZ6R as a 'girl's bike'.... its a combination of those two things coupled with the funky designs that come standard on certain FZ6R colors/paint schemes.

Doesn't matter to me...its still got more oomph than my first bike had (Suzuki GS500)

 

[Bigpun]

I picked up my FZ6R on friday and rode a bike after 12 years. I was super nervous pulling out of the dealership but was really satisfied with the ease involved in riding this bike. The bike looks better than the ninja 650R and gsx650f and anyone who has seen the bike loves it.
I 100% satisfied with my investment and love the seating and handle position.

 

[Nefilim]

And the rant was a) hormones, and b) because I am sick of hearing about people "throwing like a girl" (meaning: he can't throw a ball right), "riding like a girl" (aka. riding slow and cautiously), riding a "chick bike" (meaning the bike is underpowered and/or ugly), or something similar. It equates begin female with being bad or lesser, and I thought that we as a human race were beyond thinking of women as lesser beings than men, but many of the things we say show me that we are not.

It depends on your perspective. Behaving "like a man" isn't automatically a great thing. Masculinity is almost always defined in terms of recklessness, competitiveness, and ego which are byproducts of social conditioning and testosterone.

In reality, *no one* needs a liter bike. There's just no practical purpose to actually owning one. Even the FZ6 borders over-the-top to general necessity. The only reason to get a faster bike is to show off to your friends since it's a huge compensation fest among guys over who has the best vehicle/hottest wife/biggest house/nicest yard/best grill/biggest TV. I even get it with my FZ6 from guys who don't even have bikes of their own: "Why didn't you get a FZ1/R6?"

I equate it all to pea**** feathers. Getting a stupidly fast motorcycle just shows that you aren't a chicken and that you have the money for it. Women do not experience the need to show how virile and daring they are, ergo the desire to buy something based on unnecessary ability isn't really there. This is why your insurance premiums are less than ours - women don't take as many stupid risks.

Take the Mazda Miata for example: it's the PERFECT sportscar. It's cheap, reliable, easy to maintain, fast enough, and is one of the best handling cars in the world. If you want a good sportscar to have fun with, you buy one of them - UNLESS you have masculinity issues. If that's the case, you'll go buy a Mustang GT500 which isn't nearly as good in the corners and costs twice as much just because it's shouty with a ton of showmanship - ie. pea**** feathers.

 

[Zealadin]

I would have thought the generalisations about girls bikes are just those with the lower seat heights, since (another generalisation here) women often have shorter legs.

That being said the best rider I ever saw was a young lady who turned up on a 1980's Vespa for her P's test just before the testing session, having missed the whole day due to her Vespa breaking down, and she spent 15 minutes practicing on a CBF250, and could only get a toe down on each side, and totally flogged everyone else who had been there for the entire day practicing.

Also what sane guy complains about a woman on a motorcycle riding too slow, the slower they go the more you get to check them out

Now a scooter on the other hand.... I think the non cruiser types are definately of the female variety, I mean I had to ride the one my fiancee purchased home since she is getting her license in a few weeks and some guys in their 'fully sick car' tried to chat me up at the lights halfway home.
Now I'm not sure if thats a reflection on the scooter or me, cause I've been told I am damn hot in my motorcycle gear, but I'm also a guy.

 

[Nooj]

My Missus bought an FZ6 Fazer as soon as she passed her test five years ago and is now on her second one (having written the first one off). I find her bike a bit tall for me (short legs) and also quite top-heavy, whereas the XJ6 (what you in the States know as the FZ6R) I had a go on last weekend was much more managable having a lower seat AND a lower centre of gravity. It really does make a huge difference to the feel of the bike compared to a Fazer, much more than you'd expect.

I don't know what it's like over there, but over here most (but certainly not all) women riders are shorter and more nervous than the men on bikes, so more women will buy the new Yam. Doesn't make it a 'Girls Bike' though, I have a friend called Graham who rides an FZ6 Fazer, one of the first things I thought when I started riding the XJ6 about was how much better it would suit him as he really struggles with the height and power of his FZ6.

Given the choice I would still go with the FZ6 though, it has better handling and more power and has a hooligan edge that the XJ6/FZ6R lacks, I found the limits of the new bike very quickly.

 

[Crystal]

"it would have been better off with the R6 family"

I agree. I hated that Yamaha didn't address some things that would have made the FZ6 even better. Adding cowling, a lower seat, cheaper frame with less ponies is not it.

If they offered a smaller package say a 350 or 400 sized bike along with the FZ6R I personally believe the FZ6R would be a complete flop. I think women would prefer something smaller and less intimidating.

Oh how bad that sounded, I must choose better words.

Anyway, I'm casting my vote on the size issue and the FZ6 is a tall bike.

So wrong. Most girls I know who ride think the 600 is perfect.

 

[Crystal]

So personally for me I bumped from the 250 Ninja, which was a great first bike to the FZ6-R because I wanted more power. Of all the bikes I sat on this was the most comfortable, yet still sporty. I'm not very tall and I am on my toes when sitting at a light but for me once I'm going the seat position, handlebars etc give me a perfect ride, much more comfortable then my 250 IMO. I've sat on my SO's R1 and could see myself having trouble with that due to how far the handlebars are.

And I'll say it, when I first saw the white I was against it because I didn't want to be the girl who bought the ultra girly bike. But the more I saw it the more I fell for it, and not to sound attention starved but it is nice to get respect being a female rider and people tend to notice more because of the colors. I hate when I go out with my SO and if we both are carrying helmets people automatically assume I'm on the back of his. Yamaha was smart marketing for women, and for anyone who likes white, take the damn decals off. I know the shop I bought mine at would of done that for me if I had asked

 

[FZ1inNH]

"Because I bought one for my wife!?!?" :justkidding:

After actually getting the bike and trying it out, it is a great machine! I might have to take hers once in a while just for fun... :thumbup:

 

[Ryan T]

It's a ladies bike if a lady is riding it. It's a guys bike if a guy is riding it. Screw what they say. You got what you wanted and that's all that really matters.

It's all just jealousy (smile)

 

[Crystal]

It's a ladies bike if a lady is riding it. It's a guys bike if a guy is riding it. Screw what they say. You got what you wanted and that's all that really matters.

It's all just jealousy (smile)

"Jealousy is the finest form of flattery"