Which bike for shorter riders ?
 

I am an ex scooter boy (Lambretta) and have attended many scooter rallies, so I know a little bit about preparing for trips on an unreliable machine.
I now hope to go further afield on a real bike and was wondering which bike to go for. I want a 'dualsports' bike but I often read "not for shorter riders" in magazine reviews. Are quoted seat heights a good indication of suitability, or can I rule a bike out this way?
I am about 5'7", with an inside leg of about 30". Are there any similar sized riders out there who can share their experiences, or are you all 6 footers? I don't want to save up for a R1150GS only to find I have to carry a stepladder everywhere!
Cheers,
Owl.

Have a look at the thread at http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb...ML/000045.html

Also, get out there and visit the dealers, sit on the bikes, ask about lowering kits and thinner seats, ride the bikes, and make up your own mind which one fits you the best.

Ride heights are not a perfect way of determining whether or not you can ride a bike, as seat width plays a big role too. Even foot size matters - a womans size 5 isn't going to reach the ground as easily as a mans 11!

Your skill and experience will also help decide whether or not a one foot touchdown is adequate, or if you feel you need two feet securely planted flat.

Good luck, and let us know what you work out!

------------------
Grant Johnson

Share the Dream!
at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

G'day Owl,
I'm 5' 4" and ride a cagiva elefant 900. i always get asked how do i get on etc. but to be honest it is no problem. Mind you, at the traffic lights its 1 toe on the ground only. When I'm riding off-road there is definately a technique yoy learn fast,feet on the pegs most of the time and lots of body weight shifting- seems to work for me.
Have a look how big Gaston Rahier was when riding the jacked up BMW's in the paris-dakar years ago, his head hardly reached the top of the seat, didn't seem to stop him.
Have a go- dingofish

I'm about the same build as you - 5ft 8" with an inside leg around 29" and have been using an XR600 for six or seven years now without any real problem. Shift slightly on the seat and I can get one foot flat on the road. It also gets easier when the bike's loaded down! Just watch you don't stop on a camber and try to put your downhill foot on the ground.

Owl,

I'm 5'4 with a 27" inside leg, so fair bit shorter than yourself. I ride the new BMW f650 Dakar which is a tall bike. I can only reach the floor with one foot. This is only a problem when offroading in deep mud etc when you need to steady yourself.

As one one of the earlier responses says the height of the seat is not the only factor. Width of seat will play a part and also you will find some bikes have lower centres of gravity which made them easier to ride.

The ordinary BMWf650 gs is low and is a very capable bike. If your looking for a sports touring bike, the ZZR600 is low.

To be honest at 5"7 this is not going to limit what bikes you can ride. I have toured with luggage and my girlfriend on various sports bikes/trail bikes and do not really find the height a problem. After a bit of practice you will find that your balance and control of the bike improves and you won't notice the height.

The best thing to do is to try different bikes to see which suits you

julio

Cheers for the input and inspiration guys, I guess I'm worrying over nothing. I'll let you know how I get on (literally;-).
Julio- I had dismissed the F650gs Dakar as possibly to tall (on paper), but obviously I misjudged. Here am I trying to narrow my choice down and you just open it up again;-). As has been stated above, I really have to sit on the bikes to get any kind of idea. There's no substitute for experience.
The next stumbling block is how to get the cash together. Oh well, back to the grindstone I suppose.
Cheers,
Owl.

Owl,

You have lower the Dakar by about an inch and an half by swapping the seat with an ordinary F650GS. This can also been scooped out to make it even lower.

You can drop the forks down one notch but you need to be careful with this as I found it messes up the ride geometary and makes it front heavy.

I will be exoerimenting with mine but changing the rear shock to an Ohlins and then dropping the forks down to see how it handles.

Cheers

julio

Owl

Excuse the spelling by the way!!! was half asleep.

Julio

Owl,

Just completed 2600 miles on my Dakar from London to Czech, Bike was superb and no problems at all. Cruises at 80MPH all day long.

J

Wicked bike, although did stop in Touratech on the way back and spent far to much on extras.

julio

As another short rider (1.72cm or 5'7") I have had some experience with tall offroad bikes. Currently I ride an Africa Twin, which has a seat height of 88cm, and I can just get both toes down when stopped. Previously I had an XT600E, which was slightly shorter at 86cm, and was quite managable. The F650GS Dakar is advertised as having a seat height of 78cm, much shorter than the other two bikes.

Another consideration is weight. A light, tall bike shouldn't be much hassle at all. The Dakar weighs in at about 175kg, compared to 160kg for the XT, and 205kg for the Africa Twin. In this respect the big BMW R series GS bikes defy the logic, as they are insanely heavy (230kg!), but the really low centre-of-gravity makes them very managable.

The advice about trying various bikes is spot-on, don't rule out any bike until after you can't climb onto it!

Iain.

'01 XRV750
Manchester, United Kingdom.