Attention Short Riders: How to Lower Any Motorcycle

Face pressed against the window at the local dealership, fog covering the window from your breath. You close your eyes and dream of wind blowing past your helmet as you rocket down the highway, curvy roads for miles on your brand new motorcycle.

Then you open your eyes to realize you're very short, looking at a very tall motorcycle. You're 5' 5" and staring at a KTM Super Duke with a stock seat height of 32.9 inches, and you're cursed with a 28 inch inseam. Seems completely incompatible doesn't it? But all is not lost - there's still hope.

How to Lower Any Motorcycle

Ride Smarter, Not Taller

The first, easiest, and cheapest method involves you as the rider and your comfort level. Very short riders are sometimes forced to rest on one leg at a stop. It's a myth that you have to be flat-footed on both feet at every stop, in order to ride a motorcycle.

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Depending on the size of the bike you can also lean it over to the side and balance it. These are imperfect methods, but with confidence and practice they can become second nature. For some riders this is never comfortable so we move on to other options.

Check It Out

Most bikes suspensions come set up for a 180 pound rider. That's assuming they're even set up properly when shipped and delivered new. If the bike is set up for a rider that's heavier than you, it will ride taller and make it harder for a shorter rider to reach the ground. The springs don't sag to their proper height under load and hold the rider up in the air. Before you make any parts changes or other permanent adjustments, check your suspension sag. This will help riders who are close to touching both feet and will certainly improve the ride overall regardless of height changes. (For additional information, Touratech also did a great article on checking suspension sag.)

Lower Your Butt

One option that I personally love is lowering the seat. This gives riders a better reach to the ground, improves the comfort of the seat and riders can tailor it to fit their backsides. In many cases riders are going to replace the seat anyway for comfort, so this step makes even more sense.

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The great thing about this method is you can shave the front portion of the seat to make it thinner at the nose. This makes it easier to touch the ground because your legs don't have to be as spread apart to wrap around the bike. The seat can be wider where you sit leaving plenty of comfort. It's less intrusive than many of the other options.