I'm 5' 11'' I always thought that was about normal but now you lot have given me a complex, your either way shorter or nearly 7 foot !
I sure am! Got to head back to work for a couple of weeks before the day arrives so once I'm through that I will be like a kid!
So funny, I came on here to post exactly the same question and I see there is already a thread on it! haha! I'm 5'6 with a 29" inner leg, I'm worried about the bike being too big. My last bike was a Ducati 749 - it was generally fine on that but its a smaller bike. I checked and the seat height is 780mm on the Ducati. The blade is 820mm. I should be ok, as most people say, riding the bike is no problem, its trying to move the thing backwards that is the problem! However I would be interested in hearing about the lowering kit, can anyone link me up please?
So I went and sat on one today. Man its pretty big! The tank and whole area in front is a lot bigger than I'm used to. I can get basically the ball of both my feet on the ground at the same time, but that's about it. Will be tricky moving it backwards at all, but I should be ok. Spoke to the guy about lowering it and he said no way, it would mess with the handling. I never thought of that, would this really be a no-no? Thanks
With the greatest respect to the guy, bollox. This handling versus lowering argument applies when you are a top, fast rider who can get the most from a Blade. For you and me, it hardly applies. Getting your feet down at 0 mph is more important than being the fastest through a series of bends. Lowering it at the back will slow the steering by a fraction, but you and I wouldn't notice it. I wouldn't advocate raising the back end by much, but lowering it will do more good than harm. Lowering triangles or dogbone aren't expensive, especially compared to the damage you WILL do WHEN you drop it, coz you can't put your feet down properly..
I fitted some lowering "Dog Bones" to my 06.............did 30 miles..............needless to say I have a set here collecting dust as they were swiftly removed!!!.
I'm only 5'3" with a 27 1/2" inside leg. I bought a kit from the states for a reasonable price and can customise to fit. If you lower the rear, then you need to lower the front by approx 1/4-1/2 of the same amount. http://http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/04-07-CBR1000RR-CBR-1000RR-STEEL-Lowering-Links-Kickstand-Kick-Stand-Kit-/261264847660?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cd499332c
One quick thing to add is that it isn't always just the seat height you need tp check but also the shape and width of the seat. I have sat on "lower" bikes than the blade and struggled due to the seat width. Suppose it is the good old case of getting out there and making vrooommmmmm vroooommmm noises whilst sitting on the bike.
I feel like a giant! at 5'4. My only problem is hanging off the bike. My inner leg is pretty short and find I can not hook in with the inside of my leg. Ideally I need higher rearsets
