r/TwoXriders

I am 35, used to ride when i was 15 to when i was in college 24-25 ish years old. My family loves motorcycles, and I grew up going to bike rallys every holiday, sidecar passenger. I was kind of "forced" or heavily persuaded to get a license immidiately when i was old enough (all of the licenses, even up to heavy bike), and I got a bit fed up after a while.

I am just 5 feet/152 cm tall, inseam 27,5 inches/70 cm, and I am skinny and not very strong. My dad chose and bought the bike we used (my mom, my sister and I).

I could barely reach my tippy toes to the ground, I always felt a bit umfortable maneuvring the bike (a Suzuki SV650 from early 2000's), and my dad always had to maneuver it into and out of the garage for me. So i never felt independent, needed his help always.

I once fell over on a tight turn in a parking lot, broke the clutch. I felt a bit helpless sometimes.

And I had to lean forward so much on this bike! After a while, the vibrations made my crotch numb and sore, since I was leaning so much forward. I am also hypermobile, so i don't think this was a good bike for me, or..?

The only time i felt good, was once on a learning bike in a drivers school ed lesson, a cruiser type bike with a very low seat and more upright position. That was just one trip, sadly. This is also what i like on a bicycle, an upright position, cycling along calmly, no stress.

So my question is - do you think I could find joy in riding now if it is a choice, not forced on me, and I find a bike that actually fits me? I don't think my dad really took into account, what would be the most comfortable for me, as he is taller and stronger.

I wanna commute to work, which is 30 minutes each way, and theres a highway with 70 mph, and a lot of city driving and traffic jams. There are slower back roads as alternatives to the highway.

So because of the motorway, I think I would need a slightly more powerful bike.

If I got say the Honda Rebel 500 - do you think that would be more joyful and comfortable and feeling more safe and confident and able to handle things on my own? Or maybe some other bike? How much do you think ergonomics and comfort influence driving joy?

I am not into speed, i just want to be comfortable. And I like retro looking bikes like the honda rebel, that look a bit anonymous and "normal".

I quickly learned that women's gear can be very difficult to navigate but I have found that the Sedici brand is really trying to incorporate more options for women lately. I'm currently wearing the Sedici helmet, gloves, pants, and shoes and think they have been great for starter gear on a budget. The helmet offers a lot of padding and is very comfortable for one in the $300 price range while also being stylish and DOT/Snell certified. I just received the Sedici Solona leggings and think they are a great option if you can't afford the Pando leggings. At around $140 they are AA rated with included breathable hip and knee armor. They are very stretchy and high waisted so are curvy girl friendly. As for the shoes, I'm currently wearing the Sedici Sportiva boots and I can definitely see myself replacing these by next season because they are not the most protective. However for, $99 they still offer ankle armor and a sleek look. Another bonus is RevZilla/cycle gear offer added discounts for purchasing their brand with the riders preferred membership making it a great budget friendly option.

Whats cooler than two girls on a bike? Two girls on their own bike <3

Hey! I grew up riding but when I turned 18 life moved fast. I left home, moved states, went to school, got married, had kids etc..

I’m 30 now though and just got my first big girl bike!
I’m so excited and took her for a spin, i’m quite the grandma rider I’ll admit.

Anyways I posted a photo on social media and literally eveyone said things like:

“ be careful I had to stop riding because of other drivers”

“So and so died”

“I stopped driving because it’s unsafe”

“ I wouldn’t ride while I have a little kids, too much risk of dying”

And on and on…

Anyways I came to Reddit to try and find the girls group to get my excitement back!

Hopefully, I can find a group and my new area to ride with, since my husband doesn’t ride.

So I got a Honda cb300r back in February and it’s my VERY first bike and have never ridden before. Life gets busy so I haven’t had a chance to ride it yet - but my bf will take it to work sometimes so it’s ridden. Anyways I rode it for the first time today - obviously I’m learning so it was slow but by the 10th circle I had my feet off the ground a little. SUPER proud of myself and will keep practicing and learning but I am so excited 😁

Hey friends, I’m on the hunt for a leather sport jacket. I’m typically on the small/medium side however I have proportionally wide shoulders and most women’s jackets are too tight.

I have tried on the A* Stella in a S/M/L, RST S1 (mesh and leather) in a M/L and in a men’s M. As well as a couple other A* men’s jackets in a S/44. The women’s were too tight in the shoulders/arm holes until the L which was then too big everywhere else. Men’s S fits great in the shoulders and torso but sleeves were too long. Tailoring on something like that is going to be $100+ so I’m trying to avoid spending double.

I’ve already looked at damn near every brand that exists (find the list here) but it’s hard to tell online especially because most sites don’t have any women’s models *heavy eyeroll*. I’m leaning towards Furygan or Rebelhorn but I’m too indecisive and can’t try it on before buying.

So if there’s any fellow boulder shoulder girlies that have success with a specific coat let me know!
TYIA <3

As a shorter rider myself, I noticed a few things. There are many Q&A/discussion threads that come up asking for gear recommendations for petite women. Shorter/smaller riders share similar problems: sleeves too long, elbow armor sitting too low, shoulder armor floating, jackets bunching when seated, etc. I myself bought something that looked nice online but awful when put on (pointing at you, Degner FR21SJ-15K).

So I wanted to share a list of consolidated recommendations and tips for motorcycle jackets for petite ladies after looking through multiple discussions on this topic.

For petite riders, some key important points to check before your purchase:

• Shoulder armor: does it sit on your shoulder or is peaking out?
• Elbow armor: does it cover your elbow, or slide toward your forearm, or dangles around the sleeve loosely?
• Sleeve length: does it still work when your arms are forward? Does your glove fight with your sleeves? Check your glove length vs. sleeve length
• Torso length: does the jacket push up around the waist/chest when in riding position?
• Bulk: would you actually wear it for a short ride?

Multiple recommendation threads exist on the internet (and I'm sure you could also just ask AI), but here is a list of the most number of mentions from real women riders comments collected. I also personally have some gear that I would like to share.

Knox Women’s Urbane Pro MK3
Often mentioned because it works as a close-fitting armored layer, and can be worn as base or just a jacket. Good if you hate the bulky jackets look. Less good if you just want a normal outer jacket.

REV’IT Eclipse 2 Ladies
REV’IT cuts are more towards a slimmer Euro fit, and this model received many mentions from many happy owners (awesome!). But comments on fit are still sometimes quite mixed depending on shoulders and body shape so buyers should try on as much as possible.

Dainese Tempest 3 D-Dry Ladies
Dainese is often mentioned as one of the slimmer options of Euro fit, and goes down to size 38 (equivalent of XXS). Multiple comments recommended sizing up if you are of a more athletic build. I own this in size 40 (my height/weight can be found in the link). It works well for me overall: shoulders, torso length, armor placement, and winter use are all fine. But the sleeves are slightly long side.

Alpinestars Stella T-SPS Air V2
Probably the most recommended line of women's jackets - this particular model is mentioned as good for urban summer riding. More street-focused than touring, better for stop-and-go traffic. Although Euro fit once again is more suitable for smaller riders, I would still check sleeve length and shoulder/chest fit carefully.

ICON Mesh AF
Hot-weather mesh option. ICON is not always treated like a “top premium brand,” but it came up surprisingly often for having a good fit for smaller riders. It is more casual, less premium-feeling in materials though. If it is available in your area, certainly worth putting on the list.

As for Japanese brands options:

RS Taichi and Komine mesh jackets
Good to check these out if Western brand jackets feel long or boxy. And they are often quite value-for-money options and friendly for the wallet.

As Japanese sizing is generally small, they may go down even smaller sizes than western brands, but the chest/waist areas are usually tighter, so measurements still matter a lot. Many Japanese brand mesh jackets are very airy and good for summer, but they are not extremely focused on protection as a trade-off. Also, many of the models as you will see, are first designed as men's jacket, then "tweaked" for WM/WL sizes. You might not find the full range of sizes available. It is really case by case!

For full list of pointers for petite women jacket fit guide, click here:
https://hanamibike.com/fit-guides/motorcycle-jacket-fit-petite-women/

Full jacket recommendation list here:
https://hanamibike.com/fit-guides/motorcycle-jackets-petite-women/

End Note:

The whole reason I'm doing this is because I have faced difficulty in buying gear. As a beginner woman rider, there are many options on the internet, but in a real store, there was nothing for me to actually try on before committing dollars.

So I’ve been building an app to help women motorcycle riders find the best options for us more easily - by cross-checking community feedback, and supporting fit measurements, before making a relatively big purchase.

The app is still in beta and lots to work on - Women’s Motorcycle Gear Size Guide: https://hanamibike.com/women-gear-sizing-guide/

But I hope it helps women riders narrow down what to try/buy that works for them. If you have comments on how to make this more useful for you, I would really appreciate you dropping a comment or DM.

Always ride safe, and see you on the road.