When the Bike Finally Fit Me: How Adjusting My Suspension Transformed My Ride
- Michelle Hatcher
- May 26
- 4 min read
How a Simple Suspension Tweak Transformed My Ride — and Why Every Small or Light Rider Should Rethink Their Setup
There’s something no one tells you when you start learning to ride:
Most bikes aren’t built with you in mind.
They’re built to the average “standard” rider. Someone who’s about 5’10", maybe 80 kilos, with legs long enough to flat-foot a giraffe and strong enough to bounce over potholes like they’re pebbles. You know the sort of thing.
But what if you’re not that rider?
What if you’re smaller, lighter, shorter — or just built differently? And, yeah, motorcycle manufacturers, there are a lot of us out there!
That was me. Standing next to my Kawasaki Ninja 125cc as often as I do, feeling like I need to grow an extra three inches and gain a stone just to get the most out of riding the bike.
I love riding, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was fish tailing through corners perhaps more than I should and becoming on a dot in the distance of my biker hubby if he was out in front. Something was off. After a year and almost 5K miles on the clock, it felt I wasn’t making any huge progress with my riding.
Until I changed one thing. I saw a YouTube video…
Adjusting the Suspension Changed Everything
For a long time, I thought suspension was something racers fiddled with and not something you would tamper with on a 125cc. To me, it was always something best left to track days and tuning shops — not something for someone like me, wobbling into corners on a weekend around the Forest of Dean.
But one day, after a longish ride with biker hubs, we decided to take a proper look at my suspension setup.
We adjusted to more or less make it softer and checked this with the Kawasaki owners manual. I am only around 9.5 stone and about 5ft 5in-ish so I am probably much lighter than the average 125cc biker.
But flips! It has made all the difference!
Suddenly, the bike doesn’t feel as though it is sitting that high and stiff anymore. It settled. I can manage tramlines on tarmac roads better, I don’t fish tail around corners. I can take them a little quicker as the bike feels as though it wants to stick to the road rather than leave it.
And more than that?
I feel the difference in the ride.
The Road Grip I Never Knew I Could Have
That first bend after the suspension tweak felt like magic. The tyres gripped a few of the corners I am very familiar with — the ones I know I have to slow down for.
This time, the back wheel didn’t feel as though it wanted to overtake the front one. The bike didn’t bounce (as it usually does) or push me wide. My confidence, which had been lurking somewhere between cautious and clenched, finally started to stretch its legs.
Instead of approaching corners with a braced jaw and breath held, I roll through them. I ride them.
One Size Fits All? Not Quite.
Here’s the truth: bikes are not one-size-fits-all.
We’re all different — heights, weights, limb lengths, muscle strength. So why do we assume that we should just “make do” with a factory setting?
You wouldn’t wear someone else’s shoes and expect them to feel right, would you?
Adjusting your suspension isn’t about becoming a technical wizard. It’s about making the machine fit you. And when it does, everything changes.
Balance improves. Grip increases. Trust builds. And trust, dear rider, is everything when you’re learning.
This Is for the Lighter, Smaller Riders Out There
If you’ve ever felt like the bike is just too tall, too twitchy, too unforgiving — listen to that feeling. It’s not that you’re not “built” for riding. It’s that the bike isn’t built for you — yet.
Talk to your local garage. Ask other riders. Watch some tutorials on YouTube. Make adjustments. Even small ones. Because every millimetre you bring that bike closer to your body is a millimetre closer to confidence, control, and joy.
Confidence Isn’t Just a Feeling. It’s a Setup.
You can ride with more ease. You can stop second-guessing every bend. Sometimes the difference between doubt and confidence isn’t in your head — it’s in your suspension.
And Next Up… Tyres!
Right now, my Ninja is still running hard compound tyres — fine for long wear, but not exactly known for their forgiveness. That’s the next project: switching to softer compound tyres for improved grip and feel, especially as my riding continues to evolve.
I’ll share what I learn, because this journey isn’t just about improving the bike — it’s about improving the bond between rider and machine.
💬 Final Thought
If you’re new to riding and feel like you’re constantly fighting the bike, please don’t assume it’s just you.
Sometimes, all it takes is a small change to create a massive shift in confidence.
Make the bike fit you. Own your ride. And never be afraid to ask the question:“ What can I tweak to make this work better for me?”
You deserve a ride that supports you — not scares you.
🔧 Have you adjusted your suspension or tyres as a beginner? Share your experience in the comments. Let’s help more riders feel confident on their bikes, one tweak at a time.
コメント