can i even ride one of these?

sharno · Full Member Joined: May 01, 2009 Posts: 13

so i am a total noob i have my motorcycle license but no bike cuz im poor lol. but lately i have been really geting into these bikes cuz of their low cost and their awesome look. so to the question: can i even ride one of these bikes ? i am 6' 1" 270 lbs but i am not an overweight 270 i only wear a size 40 pants im just stocky and i guess muscle makes up for the weight (even though you cant see it if you looked at me LOL) can these bikes suit me ? will i fit on one ? im gonna put a link to a bike i really like and if i can i want to build one similar also i like the back 2 basix bike from holland and many others in that kind of style and the fong bros bike thats on ebay right now with the brown frame is awesome i think. well anyways ill quit blabbing. thanks for reading. Justin

www.xs650.nl/cpg/displ...m=2&pos=79

jayel · Posted: May 1, 2009, 9:15 pm Post subject: Re: can i even ride one of these?

depends on how long your legs are with that seating posistion, those mid posistion foot pegs will put your knees up and you'll be leaned forward, see if you can find one to sit on to check out

sharno · Full Member Joined: May 01, 2009 Posts: 13

yeah ill have to see if anyone in florida has one lol. but i do like the leaned forward look with drag bars but ill have to try it out. i really want to build one of these with my wife's dad, he has the know how to do all this (hes building a drag race car right now). i guess if i built one and i didnt end up liking it i could sell it for a liitle more than what i put in to it lol.

ghostyder · Posted: May 3, 2009, 3:10 am Post subject: Re: can i even ride one of these?

im 6'1" and i fit on mine but the bike definately is small. at 270 its gonna look like a moped with you on it unless you stretch it some. lol

sharno · Full Member Joined: May 01, 2009 Posts: 13

haha yeah i might think about doing that, by stretching it that means putting on a longer hardtail and maybe longer forks right ?

Joseph · Full Member Joined: May 22, 2007 Posts: 767 Location: NY

I'm 6'1" and ride an 80special as long as you have forward pegs you should be ok.

drifter · Posted: May 3, 2009, 5:03 pm Post subject: Re: can i even ride one of these?

I'm only 5'11" but I'm right at 250lbs and I ride a 78 Special. No problems. Runs strong and quick and will run highway speed with no effort.

Dave

xs1961 · Posted: May 3, 2009, 8:59 pm Post subject: Re: can i even ride one of these?

I'm 6'2..I really want to build one like that but Im concerned about the riding position..I cant ride feet forward like a knobhead chophead ..

sharno · Full Member Joined: May 01, 2009 Posts: 13

yeah i just cant believe how little these guys are spending on building these bikes!

anyone know what a bike like the one in the link would cost to build not including the price of the bike ?

s008ess · Full Member Joined: Apr 09, 2009 Posts: 48 Location: Ohio

I am 6'2 around 220 and use forward controls and mini apes. That works best for me and my size. It is a pretty comfortable ride. As for cost, it just depends on how extreme of a change you are looking to do. I have about $1500 in mine with the cost of the bike. That said I did alot of the work myself with what I read here on this site and bought used parts from Ebay. The most expensive part was the hardtail I had made by a company that appears to have gone by the wayside. Best of luck on your build, it was one of the greatest accomplishments of my life! Be sure to document your build as you go on this site. There are several folks here with great ideas and invaluable advice.

jrscott9 · Full Member Joined: Apr 19, 2009 Posts: 12

6'1" and around 200 lbs. The frame is a 5" stretch with fwd controls. It fits me perfect! Sorry the pic is a bit dark.

sharno · Full Member Joined: May 01, 2009 Posts: 13

yeah 1500 is a sweet deal! yeah i hope i can start within the next few months, im hoping my wifes dad will help with funding it lol even though its not a lot i dont have a lot to spare haha.

and that bike looks sweet about how much $$ into it and do you think it would be okay to run drag bars instead of apes?

jrscott9 · Full Member Joined: Apr 19, 2009 Posts: 12

thanks bro, ive got 2,200 in it now, including the bike. as far as the bars go, i think its all on personal taste and comfort. I personally love apes, but think drag bars are sweet as well. I guess youll just have to try one or the other out and see what you think. Im running 18" apes and the fit is perfect for me.

BubbaKahuna · Posted: May 6, 2009, 11:26 pm Post subject: Re: can i even ride one of these?

jrscott9, I lightened your picture up a little for you.

Cheers,
- JJ

sharno · Full Member Joined: May 01, 2009 Posts: 13

yeah i appreciate the look of the apes and think they look cool, im just not a huge fan of them for myself butt i have never tried them so maybe my mind will change, i just love the look of the drag bars and how low some of them are

jrscott9 · Full Member Joined: Apr 19, 2009 Posts: 12

Thanks Bubba! Sorry I'm just too lazy to do that myself Very Happy

TwistedLeather · Posted: June 11, 2009, 5:45 pm Post subject: Re: can i even ride one of these?

I'm just 6' tall and a measly 160 lbs, but I've found through many many years of riding that the apes are extremely comfortable and for me, they offer better manuverability at pretty much any speed. My trick is to pick bars that don't put my hands higher than my shoulders at rest. I've tried the taller ones and my hands go to sleep every time.

jrscott9 wrote:

Thanks Bubba! Sorry I'm just too lazy to do that myself Very Happy

Mathil

I am 6'5, 230 lbs. I'm a big boy.

I can ride a stock '80 special no problem. From my experience, riding any bike with mids shouldn't be a problem for you. You can always sit on a chair, place your feet as high up as you comfortably can, and then measure the space from your chair bottom to the place your feet rested. Just make sure you build your seat in higher than that.

As long as you stay in that seated knees up position things look relatively normal. Once you get into forward controls and sticking out your 4 foot long legs things start looking goofy.

LDO107

sharno wrote:

yeah ill have to see if anyone in florida has one lol. but i do like the leaned forward look with drag bars but ill have to try it out. i really want to build one of these with my wife's dad, he has the know how to do all this (hes building a drag race car right now). i guess if i built one and i didnt end up liking it i could sell it for a liitle more than what i put in to it lol.

Where in Florida you at?

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