First bike/scooter recommendations for 6'5" son

[Hohn]

My son is getting his license and is interested in two wheels vs four. However, he's very tall for his age and most small bikes and scooters are a joke for someone six and a half feet tall.

Is there a bike with a small engine but a large FRAME out there? Alas, it seems a large frame means you need to step up in engine size.

I'm thinking a dual sport or adventure bike is probably his best option. Think V-strom or DR650 in Suzukis, or KLR Kawasaki.

 

[skyactiv]

Big CC Dual sport motorcycles are tall but have a short cockpit. So while reaching the ground wont be an issue on something like a Honda XR 650L, it's short cockpit still isn't ideal for someone his height.

 

[loneryder]

No. There aren't any motorcycles that he will not be too big for. I am 6'2" and rode the biggest Harley made. It was barely big enough. Long rides would get tiring pretty quickly. They are just not made for tall guys. Fat guys either. Most of the fat guys on bikes overload their max weight allowances. Your son can certainly ride any motorcycle but he won't be comfortable for long.

 

[JoelB]

The Burgman 200 was the biggest scooter I ever sat on under 300cc. Not much smaller than the 400 in body size.

But I've ridden a ton of miles on a Honda PCX 150 and I'm 6'4". It's more about what you're willing to live with.

 

[Ausfahrt]

I am the same height but obviously much older than your son. I started out on a 1974 Suzukii TS185 but I would recommend the Honda CRF300L. Here are some specs.

The Honda CRF300L features a 286cc single-cylinder, liquid-cooled engine, producing 27 horsepower and 19.6 lb-ft of torque. It has a seat height of 34.7 inches, a wet weight of 142 kg, and offers 10.2 inches of front and rear suspension travel, making it suitable for both on-road and off-road riding.

 

[JimPghPA]

Get a trail bike motorcycle with street legal lights. They are the correct size for tall people. And beginners are way ahead of the learning curve if they spend the majority of the first couple years almost always off road. There's no cars to deal with while learning to ride off road.

Proper engine size will depend on the person's weight. A good general rule of thumb is about one cc per person's pound of weight + / - up to about 50 cc.

Too much engine will get them in trouble easier, too little will be slow and also wear out the engine quicker.

 

[02SE]

See if there is an MSF class he can take in your area. Having been an instructor in the past, not everyone should ride. That's rare in my experience, but I still encountered those who were destined to be a danger to themselves. Some people also realized it just wasn't what they thought it would be.

So I'd start there to see if riding is something he really wants to do.

 

[IndyIan]

Has he ridden much at all? If not, IMO he still need a few dozen hours on something low power to make a few mistakes on and learn some muscle memory. You can get riser bars, and dropper pegs, high foam seats, to expand the cockpit a bit, for most off road or dual sport bikes. A CRF 300L would be a great bike to learn on.

 

[JimPghPA]

I weighed 210 Lbs when I had my 175 street and trail 2 cycle 1964 Yamaha bach in the 70's. We had a blast abusing that machine on local trails for several years. It was a little under powered sometimes, but most times it had enough power.

Now days almost all are 4 cycle, have caught up with today's hp per cc of 4 cycle being equal or greater than the hp per cc we had from 2 cycle engines made in the 60's and 70's.

 

[barbersurgeon]

https://www.kawasaki.com/en-us/motorcycle/versys/adventure-touring/versys-x-300

 

[rstcso]

And beginners are way ahead of the learning curve if they spend the majority of the first couple years almost always off road. There's no cars to deal with while learning to ride off road.

I can't agree more that a person should learn to ride a dirt bike before getting a street bike. You learn so many skills that are normal in the dirt, that when on the street, can and will kill you if you don't know how to handle it, e.g. locking up wheels, sliding sideways due to locked up wheels, or even due to debris on a road, etc.

 

[rstcso]

And at 6' 5", make sure you get something he can grow into.

 

[KrisZ]

Forget a scooter, start looking at motorcycles in the 250-500cc range.

 

[Bud_One]

 

[Finklejag]

Bud_one beat me to it. The XR 150L. Most dealers have them because they don’t sell well. You should be able to get some money off.

 

[KrisZ]

Bud_one beat me to it. The XR 150L. Most dealers have them because they don’t sell well. You should be able to get some money off.

Not sure if I would go for it. If it's hard to sell, it will be even harder to re-sell, which will likely happen quite quickly with such a measly displacement. 150cc is like a 10-13 year old boy territory not a 6.5ft teenager.

I would go for something used instead of new. Plenty of affordable and well kept examples. It will give the new rider an opportunity to learn about maintenance and small repairs.

 

[FZ1]

My son is getting his license and is interested in two wheels vs four. However, he's very tall for his age and most small bikes and scooters are a joke for someone six and a half feet tall.

Is there a bike with a small engine but a large FRAME out there? Alas, it seems a large frame means you need to step up in engine size.

I'm thinking a dual sport or adventure bike is probably his best option. Think V-strom or DR650 in Suzukis, or KLR Kawasaki.

You gotta go to the bike shop and see what fits.

 

[Bonz]

You gotta go to the bike shop and see what fits.

Your son is on the taller side of things. Me as well at 6'11". I am sure any bike itself seems/looks small under him. By changing foot pegs, building up the seat taller, different bars with more rise/wider, all can make a comfortable riding cockpit for a taller person. I look like a grasshopper riding a flea on my ZRX1200, but the riding position is comfortable.

With that said, a 650cc bike whether a thumper like a KLR/DR or a twin like the VStrom/Versys, is not a small engined bike. Royal Enfield Himalayan, Versys 300, Honda CB500X would be other options that could be worth a look.

A "measly" 150 cc for a kid is not to be looked down on. Get a safety course on the books. Interested in resale value or success for your son? Honda 150 makes a ton of sense. Who cares if you can't resell it for what you bought it for, your son will keep the rubber side down and learn some skills. He's gotta make it through the learning process on the road in one piece, and the right wrist is along with wide eyes and young teenage brain don't necessarily mean they all work at the same time when they should.