short rider seat/lowering question

[phoenixtexas]

I'm 5'6" with a 1996 R1100R with the stock seat at its lowest, still a tad high. What's the best and most cost-effective lowering route? A low seat? Shocks? Any suggestions or directions to go sincerely appreciated.

[89423]

Hi Short Rider,
I have a 1999 R1100RT and am a full almost 5'8" when I stretch. When I put the seat in the lowest position (you know the mechanism that adjusts seat height under the seat) I also removed the rubber bumpers and I beleive I got it about a 1/2 inch lower that way. Also when I got new boots a while back they had fairly thick soles versus my old ones. The new ones were Cruiser Boots. The Corbin seat did not help my feet reach the ground any better, in fact it made things a trifle worse. But I grinned and learned to live with standing on my tiptoes at the stop signs because the seat is so much more comfortable that the stocker. Good luck! One more thing. I am overweight and have tried growing taller cause I cannot lose weight. Neither works.

C ya, Dale Johnson

[BklynPete]

I'm 5'6" with a 1996 R1100R with the stock seat at its lowest, still a tad high. What's the best and most cost-effective lowering route? A low seat? Shocks? Any suggestions or directions to go sincerely appreciated.


I am 5'6" too, with a 27" inseam. I had a R1100R before I bought my current 1100RT. What i did was to go to a seat ulphosterer and had him cut some foam out and replace the seat cover. my present bike, i put on a Rick Mayer seat that was cut down to give me more reach to the ground. i'm still on the balls of my feet, but with 76k miles on the bike, it's ok for me. I have works performance shocks, but I didn't get the shorter ones because I didn't want it to effect the handling of the bike. I did adjust the shocks a bit lower, but not enough to where it grounds too much on corners. If you do get shorter shocks, you'll have a harder time putting the bike on the center stand, unless you carry a piece of wood with you to give you more leverage.

Pete

[phoenixtexas]

Pete: Thanks for the excellent tips. You're right about the center stand with shorter shocks, also the side stand is affected. Not a good idea unless you invest a lot of money in not only shocks but modified stands. We're exactly the same size, and I'm also on the balls of my feet. An inch or so will get me flat-footed. The stock shocks don't appear to be adjustable up or down (the front one anyway). I'll take the seat to a good local upholsterer and get his input. Worst comes to worst, see if I can find a low seat somewhere. Ride safe.

[BklynPete]

Pete: Thanks for the excellent tips. You're right about the center stand with shorter shocks, also the side stand is affected. Not a good idea unless you invest a lot of money in not only shocks but modified stands. We're exactly the same size, and I'm also on the balls of my feet. An inch or so will get me flat-footed. The stock shocks don't appear to be adjustable up or down (the front one anyway). I'll take the seat to a good local upholsterer and get his input. Worst comes to worst, see if I can find a low seat somewhere. Ride safe.


i just thought of something that i read awhile back. if you take your seat to an upholsterer, maybe have him cut out a bit more foam and add a gel pad, then recover. it may make life more bearable. :thumb

pete