Ridley Speedster

Much More Than Novelty

First of all I have to say that these bikes are very very fun to ride. Can they be a beginner bike? Heck yes! They are so easy to ride its almost a crime. Here's the scoop:

They have a very short seat height. Short enough for the most vertically challenged but tall enough for average size people, such as myself. I have a 32 inch inseam and I did not feel cramped much at all. They have a quality fit and finish and there is a very apparent custom feel to the bikes.

To start the bikes you just turn on the key, put your foot on the rear brake (safety feature, will not start w/o your foot on the rear brake) and hit the starter. It starts up with a rumble that you would never expect from looking at the little bike. I expected lawn mower, I got Harley. The bikes are extremely light weight and low to the ground. It seems that beginner drops will be much less likely with this bike, its just too light, low and stable. If it did go down, I would expect minimal damage due to the light weight and the wide platform footrests, acting as crash guards for the tank and motor. Only the handlebars and maybe blinkers would touch the ground. It would be very easy to pick up if dropped.

OK, once its started and I get over the shock of the sound, I twist the throttle and get shocked again. The little twins are torquey and quick. I rode the lesser horsepower model. But it pulled with no problems.

One thing to note is that there is zero engine braking. You HAVE to use the brakes to slow down. This was an alarming experience to learn because the guy didn't tell me about that. I found out myself as a car pulled out not far in front of us. But I got the thing stopped without much problems. That would be my only gripe about the bike. The brakes are small and not nearly as strong as I am used to. They work adequately but they will need some getting used to if its not your first bike.

Farther down the road I started getting a feel for the ride quality. Its a short wheelbase machine so it is very quick steering but is not unstable due to the fact that it is so low to the ground. The low center of gravity balances out the twitchiness of the short wheelbase. Although, it is still a very sharp handling little bike. The seating position is very comfy and neutral. You do not have much lean angle, being a cruiser type and having very wide foot platforms. The ride is also rather bouncy but seems to smooth out as you cruise a little faster.

They also have a mid size bike that is being released this summer. It looks like a big bike but the seat height is the same as the small Ridleys. It is fully automatic as well with a beefed up motor. They took the mid sized bike out with me as well so I could see it on the road. I did not get to ride it yet because they had an exclusive first ride and write up with a major motorcycle mag on that bike. They invited me back to ride it next month. The 6 foot plus tall rider on that bike looked very comfy, not cramped at all.

I was all smiles when we finished the ride. Having been around much bigger bikes all my life, even my KE100 seemed bigger, although not as heavy, the bike screamed novelty to me. But to a person who buys this as their first bike, I don't think that novelty factor will be a big issue.

Everyone loves these bikes and they are the center of attention. I have seen them around OKC on poker runs and Hot Rod shows. I have seen them in Sturgis as well, they always get swarmed with people wanting to check them out.

So, who buys them?...Women love them, both beginner and experienced. They are perfect for women. Older men love them. They get tired of having to use a clutch and want something simple. Well-to-do guys love them for the novelty factor. Anyone with a physical problem that may hinder them from operating a clutch will love them.

Ridley has over 50 dealerships across the country but any Harley or major brand dealership can work on them. Most of the parts, electrical, etc... are universal and most any experienced mechanic can work on them. If the bike ends up at a non-Ridley dealership, Ridley will happily take phone calls from any dealership that may have one in for any kind of service and answer questions. The drive belts and pulleys can be inexpensively serviced by the owner if need be. The pulleys and belts have been manufactured with low cost in mind and they pulley system is near bullet proof anyway.

What's the drawbacks that I can see? These are simply my opinions....They are expensive. They have that novelty factor, this is good and bad at the same time. I believe the brakes will have to be maintained often if the bike is ridden often. I just don't see the little things holding up with as much use as they will get. I also don't think this is a big deal as you will just need to replace pads more often. Although everything else is pretty maintenance free. They are automatic, this is good and bad at the same time as well. Some folks will argue that automatic bikes take the fun out of motorcycling or that it is not true motorcycling...I thought the bike was very fun. They also said the same things about automatic transmissions in cars when they first came out, instead the automatics opened doors for tons of new drivers. Did I mention the bikes are expensive? Upwards to $8000 to $10,000 dollars depending on the model. You would have to be very committed to the bike if you buy one.

The next logical step for Ridley is to make full sized bike with a larger, more powerful motor. Yes, they will be automatic too. The midsize bike that is coming out now has the same sized motor as the small ones just a little more power has been squeezed out of them. They are longer and wider but retain the same short seat height, They have a VERY customized look that completely shatters the novelty factor because it looks like a regular sized bike instead of a mini bike. They only characteristic the mid sized bike retains is that it is automatic. Ridley does not care to compete with Harley or other big twin makers. They are and will continue to be the automatic bike company.