Give a tall man some short advice

caferay

caferay

Been Around the Block
I'm shopping right now for a project bike. Canada is optimal for this, as we have some unique models that were never sold in the US and overall mileages are short, despite >20-30 years old.
Scanning the ads seems to reveal a common theme of chopped seats, lowering, it seems that a lot of riders have short legs. I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum at 6"3" with a 35 1/2 inseam.

Fabrication can address some of this, but do you guys have any model advice on a project bike for a taller rider?
 
lol. good advice..I guess. I have a CB400f and I'm 6 ft 1, though I wish it was slightly bigger...it works.
I asked this question on another forum, and it comes to preference, ...coz the guys put up some pics on some small bikes and it didn't look weird!!!!
 
Islandstar said:
lol. good advice..I guess. I have a CB400f and I'm 6 ft 1, though I wish it was slightly bigger...it works.
I asked this question on another forum, and it comes to preference, ...coz the guys put up some pics on some small bikes and it didn't look weird!!!!
Click to expand...

I am 6' and ride a 400f I think its a great size for me, but if I were 6' 3" and all legs it might suck :D
 
I have a 1972 CL450 complete. Many new parts, needs pistons and boring. Runs. One cylinder smokes a bit. It sits tall for a smaller cc bike. 2000 takes it. Near Toronto. original shop manual and parts manual come with it.
 
SONICJK said:
Stay away from anything under 500 cc's haha
Click to expand...

I've never understood two things about motorcycle design: why small engine bikes have ergonomics for smaller riders, and why bike ergonomics are not adjustable, as with a car.
Imagine if your new car had only one seat position and you had to grab wrenches to get it to fit you.

The Japanese manufacturers started this trend, with the idea that new riders have small bikes, and you "progress" to bigger and more expensive bikes. This all got screwed up when power progression was logarithmic, while time was linear.

This has changed recently, the Hyosung 250 has the exact same ergonomics as the 650. This is to deal with the reality that an 18-22 year old will just never be able to be insured on a large displacement bike.

I followed this path up to a 900, but my Seca 400 was by far the most fun to ride.

At this point, I'm thinking BMW R-series.
 
6ft 3 might be a bit too much for the smaller bikes, when I get home I'll try to post some of the pic that were posted
 
Its damn near impossible to answer this question outside of saying "don't buy a small bike". Haha... You need to go and physically sit on these bikes and see it they feel to YOU. When I had my XS chopper, it felt great to me. My brother in law (about 5" taller than me) couldn't ride it more than a block without it becoming uncomfortable, while my co-worker who was the same size as him said it felt fine. That said, any old Japanese bike smaller than a 500 will likely be too cramped for you. But, sometimes that will chamge depwnding on your end-game. Rearsets, different bars, etc. can all drastically change how a bike feels to the rider.
 
caferay said:
I'm shopping right now for a project bike. Canada is optimal for this, as we have some unique models that were never sold in the US and overall mileages are short, despite >20-30 years old.
Scanning the ads seems to reveal a common theme of chopped seats, lowering, it seems that a lot of riders have short legs. I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum at 6"3" with a 35 1/2 inseam.

Fabrication can address some of this, but do you guys have any model advice on a project bike for a taller rider?
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm 6'2" and the only bikes that feel "uncomfortable" are 125s. Otherwise everything else just feels small. In fact even my Magna 700 feels slightly small. I have a friend that's 6'7" and he rides a GS850, and doesn't seem to bother him. The only bike I've felt small in comparison to is an XR650, or a goldwing.

I'd be more concerned about speed of the bike for your weight. I'm 175, and a 250 feels grunty enough for me.

With that said, you can never go wrong with a CB750 8)
 
Suzuki GS's are pretty roomy bikes - and still kinda reasonably priced compared to CB750's.

Not sure about the 550 size, but 650 and up are all pretty "large" bikes.

And DOHC CB's are larger than the SOHC's.
 
That's relatively accurate, but take it with a grain of salt. No one sits on a bike at full posture, plus, everybody's fat.
 
I'm super tall and I'm on my second DOHC CB750. They seem to fit me well. Anything smaller is like riding a children's bike.
 
Islandstar said:
Than you're not looking at any "small" bikes. Buy whatever you want.
Click to expand...

I guess you didn't quite read the thread. Someone who is 6'3" or taller is in the 99th percentile of height. Most "big"bikes are designed for people 5'10" or shorter, closer to Asian ergonomics. So, I wish I could just buy whatever I want, but I don;t want to end up pretzel'd on a bike like many riders I see out there, because I'm not aiming for something to put in my garage or a trailer.

It looks like the logical answer is the BMW R series, as most people complain about the saddle height. I've got a line on a R65LS.

Tall-man.jpg
 
It's all in what you make of it. I ride a CB360 and a GS750. Both are comfortable in (very) different ways. Im 6'4 with a 34" inseam.
 
I'll echo VZ and Twistekeys, personal preference and try bikes out. I am 6'2" and like smaller bikes. I was riding around a little TS50, which was a little comical, but I have a CB160 with café seat and rear sets that feels fine to ride around town (although my friends might think it's funny). And I have a CB350F and CB400F -- both are big enough and fine. CB550 is a great in-between bike, can do freeway speeds but still pretty nimble (comparatively).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DTT Light or Dark

  • DTT Light
    • www.jadusmotorcycleparts.com
    www.lostapostle.ca/
    www.sparckmoto.com

    Spread the Love

    Back
    Top Bottom