Bikes for the vertically challenged

I don’t know how tall or otherwise people are around here but it’s a common topic of conversation in our house. If you’re one of those naturally lowered people you may be interested in this.

I’m a bit sceptical about the Hayabusa being ‘low’.

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I am not very tall (5ft4) and do look for lower bikes - but have found as my confidence has increased, I don’t let it become such a big consideration any more. I am more comfortable almost flat foot on the Street Triple (I have the LRH) than toes down on the Honda as I do have to think about where I stop and which foot to put down much more carefully (and jump off to push it backwards to park as I can’t get enough traction to paddle it!). I do have relatively long legs for my height though and a shorter torso.

What I have found as important as seat height is width - Helmut’s Nightstorm has a very low seat, but the width of it means that I can just about get my tip toes onto the floor and I can’t comfortably reach the bars at all, even sat all the way forwards. Similarly, the Tuono seat is about 20mm lower than my Honda but is wider, meaning I can only just about get tip toes to the floor. This is, however, all academic as there is no way Helmut would let me loose on his bikes :rofl:.

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Yep, I’d also be suspicious that a seat height of 810 or 825mm are great for shorter riders. With confidence you can manage them for sure but not ideal for newer shorter drivers.
It’s nice to have the comfort blanket of being able to put both feet flat on the ground when you are starting off.

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Spot on about the importance of being able to flat-foot when you’re a new rider. Rachel has a short inside leg and struggles with a lot of bikes, including her Streetfighter, but her confidence has grown as she’s done more and more miles. The Street Triple was perfect as a first ‘big’ bike.Even now she says how easy it is to ride, and a lot of that is down to how relaxed she is in the saddle.

I’ve been riding for a long time and height doesn’t bother me too much other than the lack of convenience trying to paddle the bike about, as you say. I’m 5’11" so I’m fortunate that most bikes ‘fit’ me. Hypermotards being a notable exception, then I’m back to toes on the ground only. What feels weird to me when I ride the 848 is how I’m perched on the bike. It’s noticeable even compared to my MV, which is quite compact.

It’s a piece of advice every new rider should get - never mind the seat hieight, feel the width. The Hayabusa isn’t the tallest bike but it might as well be because of the geometry. There’s no substitute for sitting on all the bikes you might like to ride. Also, it’s fun. :slight_smile:

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Also, how soft is the suspension! My Tiger 900 Rally Pro has a seat height (on the low setting) of 860mm. My Speed Triple seat is 830mm. Although I can’t quite flat foot either (32inch legs) I can get both feet down enough to be comfortable coming to a halt.

My feet are not that much different on the ground despite the 30mm difference in seat height. Partly seat width and partly because the Tiger lowers when I sit on it. The much more stiffly sprung Speed Triple doesn’t.

It’s why you have to try them - there’s more to it than the headline seat height number.

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That is exactly how I feel!

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How the f*ck do they think us short arses are going to keep the BMW K1600 and Indian Dark Horse upright when they weigh over 350 kgs each. You’d have to be some sort of body building midget…

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My sons hired me a Harley Road King in New Zealand. Seat height was fine, but my little legs had a right battle with the kickstand, which is the length of a line prop :slightly_smiling_face: