Seat Height

Coyote Chris

Coyote Chris

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Joined
Aug 25, 2011
Messages
3,718
Location
Spokane
Bike
10 Red NT 14 FJR, 17 XT
A number of my friends have issues with seat height on many bikes. I am 6 ft two inches and I have issues with how tall seat heights are now. I have no idea what the focus group thinking is here. Triumph and BMW at least have addressed the issue by having two different seat height frames on a few of their bikes. I sat on a Triumph 800 triple adventure touring bike with a lowered frame and it felt wonderful. And it had an easy to change seat height ajustment also. But no centerstand available.

I have no idea what the factory thinking is here. Taller bikes are harder to put on the center stand, have a taller CG which makes them more unstable at slow speeds, and are just plain a PITA to get on and off.
For an industry who needs older riders and women riders, they sure seem to slight these groups. People talk about ground clearance and larger wheels do XY and Z when you are racing your Super 10 over the Baja...
Are they that our of touch with how their bikes are really being used?
 
Chris, they have to make bikes taller these days because I'm finding out the ground is a lot farther down than it used to be when I was younger. And Phil told me there's more gravity now too.

They make ladders taller now too. There isn't enough room on the short ones for all the safety stickers now required.

Seriously the motorcycle industry is way behind the bicycle industry in ergonomics. You can get bicycles with different frame sizes, different length top tubes and handle bar stems with different heights and length of reach, and they all have easily adjustable seats. I can straddle and paddle my Tiger OK, but it is about at my limit of comfort. I do like the relaxed knee angle the tall bikes allow.

Motorcycle marketing people are pretty smart, but I agree they sure don't seem to be putting out bikes like WE think make sense.
 
What often befuddled me was that I never saw any 6' tall Japanese test riders across the pond when I worked for the Big H. They were all 5'6"-5'8" so what's with the towering inferno seat heights?
 
Yes can’t agree more. At 5’8” and 30 inseam even NT is too tall. Anyone know of way to lower seat height?
 
Brad said:
Yes can’t agree more. At 5’8” and 30 inseam even NT is too tall. Anyone know of way to lower seat height?
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I've got a Russell DayLong saddle which doesn't help the reach to the ground much, but I lowered the bike after my last knee replacement and that helped a lot. I had a bunch of trouble after lowering it because my sidestand was too long. A friend shortened it, but not enough and I kept dropping the bike as I got on. He shortened it some more and now it's OK. I carry a wooden ramp made out of 2"X8" that helps me get it on the center stand. Before I lowered it, I had peg-lowerers on the bike. I worried about dragging pegs after lowering the bike, but found out that removing the peg lowerers was OK for my knees and gave me more cornering clearance than I'd had before lowering the bike.
 
Phil Tarman said:
I've got a Russell DayLong saddle which doesn't help the reach to the ground much, but I lowered the bike after my last knee replacement and that helped a lot. I had a bunch of trouble after lowering it because my sidestand was too long. A friend shortened it, but not enough and I kept dropping the bike as I got on. He shortened it some more and now it's OK. I carry a wooden ramp made out of 2"X8" that helps me get it on the center stand. Before I lowered it, I had peg-lowerers on the bike. I worried about dragging pegs after lowering the bike, but found out that removing the peg lowerers was OK for my knees and gave me more cornering clearance than I'd had before lowering the bike.
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Thanks the Russell seat should be more comfortable than stock
 
I've had two Russells now; one on my two '99 Kawasaki Concours, and one on my NT. I've got about 120,000 miles on Russells, including four or five Saddle Sore 1Ks, a BB 1500-in-36, and a Bun Burner Gold, plus my 80-day, 21,000-mile Epic Ride and I've NEVER had any pain or discomfort in my buttockal area. Russells are outstanding, IMNSHO.
 
I'm 5'8" and 28" inseam and while it would be nice to flat foot all bikes, just not possible. If I can get one foot down flat then I'm good and I can have one flat and one on the front of my foot so stable enough... The Goldwing and Valkyrie were the only ones I could flat foot the most but even those I don't think was 100%.

I just got in line to have Terry Adcox do a seat for the Tracer - prob mid-Sept - and it will be like putting the Tracer seat in the high position vs low as it is now. I've ridden with it in the high position and it's not bad so I'll live with it... a nice seat is worth it as that's where you are 100% of the time.. The bike is so light-feeling that at stops I don't really feel like it will be an issue, it almost feels like a toy.
 
Phil Tarman said:
I've had two Russells now; one on my two '99 Kawasaki Concours, and one on my NT. I've got about 120,000 miles on Russells, including four or five Saddle Sore 1Ks, a BB 1500-in-36, and a Bun Burner Gold, plus my 80-day, 21,000-mile Epic Ride and I've NEVER had any pain or discomfort in my buttockal area. Russells are outstanding, IMNSHO.
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Thanks I will look into those. How do you like your concours ?
 
On the NT you can lower the seat height by approx 1/2" by removing the rubber bumpers under the seat.
 
Brad asked how I liked my Concours. Brad, remember that my two Connies were the nearly ancient C10 model, first introduced in 1986 and produced with remarkably few changes until 2006. That said, they were great. Mine had cruise control (the Audiovox sold first by JC Whitney that were actuated by vacuum), and other farkles that made them work for me. They were comfortable, powerful, reliable and handled well, but they were heavy and maybe even more top heavy than the NT, especially when the 7.5 gallon tank was full. It was weight that moved me away from them after Honda began importing the NT in 2010. I figured I could give up 30 or so hp to also lose 100 lbs of weight. I've been happy I made the move to the NT.
 
I haven’t bought an NT yet but have narrowed it down to that or a ctx1300. I had a st1300 until I totaled it on a deer last fall. The ST was heavy and especially top heavy and a little tall for me. The NT would be lighter but not shorter so would be an improvement at least in height.

The CTX weighs about the same as the st but at least can get my feet firmly flat to manage the weight at stop or low speed.

Only time I dropped the st besides on the deer was standing nearly dead still in the garage and got a little to much lean and down we went the day I got it home.

The concours seems like a bike I would like but only motorcycle dealer in 100 miles is a Honda dealer who I like and would prefer to stay with a Honda for that reason.
So need to test drive the NT and the CTX to see which works best

Thanks for your insight. It saves a lot of time spinning my wheels
 
Brad said:
I haven’t bought an NT yet but have narrowed it down to that or a ctx1300. I had a st1300 until I totaled it on a deer last fall. The ST was heavy and especially top heavy and a little tall for me. The NT would be lighter but not shorter so would be an improvement at least in height.

The CTX weighs about the same as the st but at least can get my feet firmly flat to manage the weight at stop or low speed.

Only time I dropped the st besides on the deer was standing nearly dead still in the garage and got a little to much lean and down we went the day I got it home.

The concours seems like a bike I would like but only motorcycle dealer in 100 miles is a Honda dealer who I like and would prefer to stay with a Honda for that reason.
So need to test drive the NT and the CTX to see which works best

Thanks for your insight. It saves a lot of time spinning my wheels
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A CTX for sale on the STO site:

Bike For Sale - 2014 CTX1300 Deluxe Ion Blue in Iowa | Bikes For Sale

2014 Honda CTX1300A After waiting through most of the usual non-riding season in this area when bikes really don't sell so well I'm putting this one back on the market. This is an Ion Blue USA Deluxe version with the Audio controls and speakers, BT audio connect for both helmet headset and/or...
www.st-owners.com www.st-owners.com
 
The NT seat height is more manageable than the older C10 Concours. That is a main reason I changed to it. I was getting that uneasy feeling with the connie that sooner or later I would fall over with it in a parking lot when my foot would get some loose gravel or something under it.

Brad
 
ARKNT said:
The NT seat height is more manageable than the older C10 Concours. That is a main reason I changed to it. I was getting that uneasy feeling with the connie that sooner or later I would fall over with it in a parking lot when my foot would get some loose gravel or something under it.

Brad
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I cherish all those years I toured on my C10 and never layed her over. But the FJR is topheavy too and I have sliders, canyon cages, and roll bars. Havent dumped her yet...yet.... (y)
 
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