A question for sport bike riders....

[darkchild]

Get whichever bike you want, then lower it. I'm 6'2 and my R1 was made for people my height, gave it to my little brother who is 5'4 and all he did was lower it, now it's perfect for him and way too small for me.

[Russell James]

Just get a fast Harley.

[SS 376]

Originally Posted by MikeSVX

I had a 2009 Gladius (SV650F) between the Honda and my current bike. They really great handling bikes with good lowend torque, but they don't have the speed of the inline sport bikes. They're a little like riding a light dirt bike. They're really fun and easy to toss around in the corners, but no juice for any kind of straights. Suzuki, also, drop the line-up in the U.S. I think 2010 was the last year for all their V-twin SV bikes.

True, but OP has been off the saddle for a while... A literbike or even a modern 600 is a lot of bike for the street plus I think twins are more fun (take that any way you want).

[crazyduc996]

A "fast Harley" would that not be an oxymoron!!!! Sorry..

All kidding aside, I would get what everbike really floats your boat the most, every bike has its own little quirks.. I personally ride Ducatis, but that is my preference for the low end grunt out of the corners and excellent cornering, I am 6'2" 260lbs and I need the help out of the corners against the faster down the straights modern liter bikes, they handle pretty well, I just prefer the characteristics of my Duc..

Personal preference is always key, then you can raise or lower to your liking, unless you are tracking it then I don't think you would want to lower it by much if at all..

Mike

[Russell James]

Depends on which Harley, and how you mod it.

Most people think they are slow, until they ride a modded one. Even stock now, they have a lot of power. Big bore kit, stroker crank, cams, some head work, and it's 3rd gear wheelie time. The Fatboy I have now is at 110 hp to the rear tire. Not crotch rocket fast, it's more of a thundering torque thing with modded Harleys. Kind of like a big block muscle car, vs a modded import four banger. Both might have 700 hp, but I'll take the old school muscle any day. I wouldn't ride a sport bike if it was given to me. Way back in the 80s I did have a Yamaha V65 Magna though, that was an incredible bike. Tons of power, and cruiser comfort.

[C586]

Originally Posted by darkchild

Get whichever bike you want, then lower it. I'm 6'2 and my R1 was made for people my height, gave it to my little brother who is 5'4 and all he did was lower it, now it's perfect for him and way too small for me.

Was it his first bike?? If you ride a bike then lower it and ride it again you will see how much it ruins the bike handling wise. I'd never recommend lowering a bike.

[Russell James]

Originally Posted by C586

Was it his first bike?? If you ride a bike then lower it and ride it again you will see how much it ruins the bike handling wise. I'd never recommend lowering a bike.

All depends on the bike. Some have lowering kits from the factory that work perfect. Just lose a bit of cornering angle. Unless your planning knee dragging race cornering not a big deal for a cruiser bike. For an all out race bike that is going to be laid over in the turns, maybe an issue.

I sold a friend one of my used Harleys a few years ago. I was flat footed on it, he was tip toe'd. He put in the factory lowering springs in the forks and a shorter rear shock, both factory accessories and it was now perfect for him. In real hard lay over cornering, the foot boards scraped a hair earlier than before. But not a big deal, a properly designed bike can scrape a bit, and not cause a problem. On HD's the footboards fold up when they scrape a bit, the loud noise warns you that you leaned too far. Kind of like HD's kick stands. If you accidentally leave it down, on your first left turn it will scrape and self kick it back up. I've seen plenty of other foreign bikes toss the rider instead.

With lowering, whatever brand... check with the dealer and see if the factory offers lowering kits. If it does, I wouldn't sweat it, lower it if it makes it more comfortable. Then recheck the lean angles and be careful as you get use to the new ground clearance on corners.

[LikaRokBowTie]

Thanks for the replys everyone,got busy and just now able to get back here.So I did ask about lowering the bike and was told there would be a negative effect on the handling as some have stated and I've looked at almost every bike out there,I live not to far from the mts.and see a lot of bikes headed into the mts.on the really nice wknds.and you need sharp handling for the esses and switchbacks up there it would be nice but I guess I'll have to pass on the newer sport bikes or buy a decent older bike hopefully never wrecked and make it like new again

[iCandi]

I love the sport bikes too, and, at 5'3", seat height is always an issue for me. I had a '98 ZX-6R and currently have a '01 750 gixxer with a shaved down seat. I'm still not flat footed on it, and wearing my leathers and Sidi boots makes it that much harder to even get both feet to touch. When I check out bikes and seat height I usually see how well I can get 1 foot down and stay balanced, as the other foot is usually on the brake anyways (or at least my toes are!). Heck, I will even slide myself over slightly on the seat to get my 1 foot down better, if I have to! I guess my point is that when I come to a stop, it is very seldom that I will try to put both feet down. Not sure if that helps you out, but I would recommend trying them out again and just put your 1 foot down. I have also found that the GSX-R's seem to fit me better as to seat height.

[C586]

Watch bike races. There is a guy that's 5 foot. He has to get off the bike to hold it up and his knee is on the seat. Don't write off riding. I'm 5'5" and I had my 07 gsxr at stock height. I just shaved my seat wore leather work boots with a Dr.schols insert. Shaving the seat will get you over an inch. Like was stated about factory lowering kits are ok but as you found sport bikes don't really offer that. Find a local motorcycle forum and explain your situation. Maybe somebody will let you sit on their bike. Most wont but some will. A bike is more of a baby to riders than a car is to a gear head. But don't give up. Soon you will see the tach pass 16000 rpm. . It's a great feeling. I took my gsxr to 17600 all the time.

[ATX211]

I am not sure what kind of budget you are looking at, but here are a few ideas on seat height.

Yamaha FZ8 - 32.1 inches
Yamaha R6 - 33.5 inches
Ducati Monster - 30.3 inches
Harley V-ROD - 25.6 inches

I had a 2005 R6 and it was not excessively tall, but I do not know about the newer ones. That 05 was a tank though, in a good way. Reliable as anything I've had. And before you scoff at the V-ROD, I would go take a look at them. They are by no means a street bike, but far from an old pokey cruiser. Really comfortable too. I got rid of mine when the kid came a long, and still miss it. I find them for sale gently used all over.

As for the FZ8, it is more of a "Street Fighter" style of bike, and I test drove one, but you may have a complaint on seat height on that one. The Ducati Monster is a serious workhorse though. Two of the guys I used to ride with had Monsters, and swore by them. Would not ride anything else. I have ridden one of theirs, but never owned. Fun to ride, and at 30.3 it is one of the lower seats I saw when I was searching.

[MikeSVX]

The V-Rod was basically built as a drag bike. It can run with the street bikes on the highways, but isn't as good in the corners.

[tc Bosnian]

if you like something quick that sits low, i know its not a crotch rocket but you can get the suzuki boulevard 1800 do some research on them. they are quick and mod friendly!! i miss my so much

[darkchild]

600cc sport bikes are a lot shorter than 1000cc sport bikes.