Make your motorcycle fit you! There are many ways to do this, but in this tidbits I am going to talk about seat height. You tall riders don’t know the problems we shorter riders have, not only with getting on and off the bike but coming to stops and various riding situations. I remember when Cyndy was riding her Ducati 748R on a very windy day, and when she stopped at the top of an off ramp the wind gusted and blew her over. You just can’t be as stable holding the bike up on your tip toes. I used to battle with the Honda engineers, when I was a Product Research Engineer in the eighties, because all of the bikes were frankly too tall for shorter riders.
Well, now a days not only are the bikes more user friendly for us shorter ones, but they can easily lowered for even shorter riders. Unless you are a road racer and need every bit of the abundance of ground clearance today’s bikes have, you can lower your bike and never notice a ground clearance issue. If you lower it a lot you have to be aware of speed bumps, and may have to have your kickstand shortened. Both Cyndy and I have lowered most of our bikes and never had a problem. We just put 1” lower shocks on Cyndy’s new Triumph Speed Twin, and it is awesome. You just can’t beat the sense of security and ease of handling your motorcycle will have if you make it fit you. Of course there are a myriad of things to adjust and possibly change, like adjusting levers and pegs, seats, windshields and more that will make your ride perfect for you. If you lower it improperly there can be safety issues, so definitely consult a professional.
We here at So Cal Motorcycles are very experienced with making your bike work great for you, so just come see us.
