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BMW Ride height
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Hello, I am 5'7" Which I consider about average height. So why is it
that I'm too short for most of BMW's motorcycles? The R1200GS is so
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Uhhhh....beggin yer pardon, but I have a 29" inseam and I ride BMW's (some
25 of 'em, all models) every day. Skill level/experience has a bit to do
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You need a new tape measure. :-) [that's a joke]
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with how tall a bike you can ride.More important though, is the fact that
between factory accessory seats and various custom seat makers, most of the
Beemers can be ridden by the vertically challenged by putting some money
into a lower seat.......then too, BMW makes an F650 that comes low from the
factory. We put a lot of virtically challenged riders on em with great
success......Beemerphile
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high off the ground that I can't even get it off the kick stand. Even
on their smallest 650GS I have to either be on my tippy toes, or only
have one foot flat on the ground.
Does Germany have a bunch of tall, big framed people? Or am I just
short for the motorcycling community? In other words, it's not the
bikes, it's just me.
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Easty,
I feel your pain. I settled on a cruiser (Honda VTX1300) partly because I
didn't feel comfortable on any other class of bike. I like being able to
easily put my feet down -- even on a left-to-right or right-to-left sloping
street.
Riding in the dirt is different, for me. I can barely touch my toes on my
dirt bike, but it doesn't bother me. Falling over in the dirt is half the
fun. On the street, I want my feet to be there when I stop.
Have you considered a cruiser?
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Yes, I'm going to have both a Cruiser and a Sport Tourer. I'm waiting
for BMW to come out with the newly face lifted R1200ST. Hopefully one
with the lowered seat height option. For the Cruiser, some form of
Harly. For the Sport bike....that's a tough call because there are so
many good ones out there offered by Buell, Honda, and Yamaha.
For now I ride my Kawasaki Sport bike.
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I'd say 'sit down, this may come as a shock' but you are already close
enough to the ground.
It's not the bikes.......
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You have little to complain about, really. There's plenty of bikes
for people your size and even shorter, but for us taller people there
really aren't that many bikes that let us stretch out. The R1200GS is
a good example of a bike that actually fits me (I test rode one earlier
this month) so I am not cramped. If I was a rich (or single) guy I'd
have one ASAP. Fantastic motor, easy to lift the front off the throttle,
you might say too easy.
People might well assume that all big bikes are a good fit for taller
people, but having owned a CB900C and a GL1200 I can tell you that
isn't the case at all. Both of those bikes would eventually cause
me discomfort because they had to be built to accomodate people who
are shorter than average, without the pegs dragging in corners, so the
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East, Go back to your BMW dealer and ask to ride an R1200GS with the low
seat. My bro-in-law is your height, and loves his GS with no more alteration
than the low seat option.You might also call around and find out which
dealer has a low seat F650 available for a test ride.You won't be
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True. If a rider can only tippie-toe a bike, skill plays a big part.
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True. My wife is a short person, 5'2" with corresponding inseam. She
rides a 1983 R65 with lowered forks, shorter rear shocks, and an old
Harley solo saddle (looks like a tractor seat) sitting right on the
frame.
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The lower seats help. My everyday R1100RT has the seat in the middle
position, the others (K75S, R100RS) don't have adjustable seats.
However, it all comes down to "what is Eastwardbound's inseam?"
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And 'who's gonna measure ?'.
Volunteers, anyone ?
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The wife says she'll use the vice-grips-with-tape-attached, clamp it on,
and let the tape dangle...
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disappointed either way .........Beemerphile
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seat-to-peg distance is too short for someone with longer legs.
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5'7 is about average for a girl, but most bikes are sized for us guys.
Don't give up though. You might want to try a Buel Blast. I hear they
sit pretty low. Or for something a bit sportier you might like a Honda
CB1. These girls love theirs'.
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