Height makes a diff?

[fisco]

Does the riders height make a difference in bike control?

Watching, David Knight and James, it seems that they are able to control rear wheel traction a little better. Preventing the bike from lifting too easily.

Are there any important considerations to mind, if you are a taller/shorter rider than average?

 

[FruDaddy]

It seems that "vertically challenged" riders have a bit of an advantage these days.

 

[Moose]

i actually wish i was shorter. being tall hurts...bumped my head on the door frame and my grandparents house today. growing pains kill a lot too.

some say taller people have advantage in the whoops. but who knows.

 

[Octane250F]

Taller riders might have an advantage in terms of being able to put their feet down flat, but look at RC and Bubba, they arent very tall at all and they seem to do pretty well.

 

[squeaky]

I think it not only depends on your height but what you're riding. I'm 5'5" and for a while I rode a WR250F. When I was cruising through the easy, wide trails I found that I had no issue when it came to handling the bike. As soon as I hit something a tad more difficult then I felt I was at a disadvantage because of my height; however, I feel that weight and strength play a role also. I may have been able to handle that same bike if I was heavier and stronger.

Now I ride a TTR125 which is great for my height, weight, and strength. I can control the bike much better than I ever could the WR. So, perhaps height does play a role in bike control but I think that weight and strength play a more important role than height.

 

[Octane250F]

I dunno about weight, but Id definetely say that strength helps. It takes a lot of strength to control a 200-250 pound dirtbike, especially in a slowspeed technical section.
I personally think that Yamaha bikes are tall. Last year I sat on a CRF250R when the local Honda dealer has open house and it just felt so little compared to the YZ 250F I had at the time. Id say that Honda sat at least 2" lower than my Yammie did.

 

[skyhigh230]

it matters on the bike; if your on a bike too big for you your going to have less control take me as example
my old bike- a Honda CRF230F seat hight 34.1 inches
my current bike- a kawasaki KX100 seat hight 32.1 inches
my hight- 5'3
on my crf i felt small and it was hard to control and turn ect.
on my kawasaki i could basicly manhandle the bike and whip it around and it was alot lighter for more control- it felt weird for the first week of riding it i felt cramped on it but now its more of a controlling feeling i am now really flying around turns and wheeling across straight aways compared to i couldnt even do a wheelie on my honda...oh by the way im not a short man im turning 14 on the 28th

 

[FruDaddy]

Sorry skyhigh, but there are other factors involved here (not just height). The weight of the 230 made it hard to change directions on it. Also, the rake of the forks made turning more difficult. You should now consider that the 100 is a lot more powerful, yet lighter, so the acceleration is a lot better. You have basically gone from a mini van to a sports car.

 

[MuddyBuddy]

I'm just over 5'4" weigh 125. I have a DRZ250 and a KX100. I got the 100 for woods riding because the DRZ was killing me with its weight (275 lbs) in technical sections. I'm not sure about the height being so much of an issue because I could usually get a foot down in time, but I couldn't save it once it got off center and down we'd go. The 100 does feel small, but in the woods if feels perfect and I can go about twice as fast as I could on the DRZ. It's actually kind of nice having a bike that I can manhandle and throw around instead of the other way around.

 

[zero_it]

IMHO...height is usually an advantage/disadvantage only when you and your bike are mis-matched one way or the other. If you're too short for the bike, then you better not ever get stuck or start to tip over, you're going to struggle. If you're too tall for your steed, then god help you and your bashed in kneecaps. It's worth the time, effort and $$ to get a decent ride height out of your bike to fit your in-seam. While riding, a generous in-seam is helpful for getting your weight back and the range of motion in your knees is additive to the bike's suspension travel. As mentioned previously, strength, balance and riding ability all play a huge part in this slippery question. Anyone remember seeing little Mike Alessi piloting a KTM 525 (rather successfully) a few years ago? Because of all the crazy obstacles and situations you can get into, I think being too short can become more of an issue in the woods than on a track.

 

[150rguy]

I rode my dads bike (250) and it had more power than my bike but the power felt basicaly the same, but It was way harder to control. On jumps if my back end went to the side it was harder to get straight again than it is on my 150.

 

[83MX80]

im 5' 6" 150lbs i feel that i could throw around a kx250 once i get used to the power, it kinda scared me since it was the first 250 i've ever ridden but it was blast to ride..