Inside Leg :o)

[Catalyst]

Hi Guy's and Girls,

I'm seriously looking at buying a GS in the very near future. Infact I test rode a GS on Saturday... I was supposed to test a GSA too but ran out of time as I arrived late... Now here's the thing... I'm 5' 8" with a 30" inside leg... I can only just get my toes on the ground when sat astride the GSA.. The guy in the dealer ship said I was to short for the GSA and that I'd find it a real handful... I'm going to test ride one next weekend, but in the meantime wondered if there were any other shorties out there and would love to hear how you get on (no pun intended)
One of the mechanics said the salesman only said that as he was trying to shift the GS's...
Look forward to hearing your replies...
Richard..
PS I gues it would sit lower when fully ladened?

 

[GSmonkey]

Best thing to do is ask for a test ride with the low seat and make your own mind up. There are certainly quite a few non six footers that ride the GSA.

They do sit slightly lower when fully laden, but ideally you'd dial that out with the pre-load adjuster.

+welcome to the site

 

[Mutley]

It's all down to confidence

If you read a few threads on here you'll find that being short is a common worry. There are, however, plenty of us that are a little under tall and we still ride the big GS's (I'm 5' 7" with a 29" inside leg and I ride an 1150 GSA )

Two things can be done:

First there are a number of 'low' seat options ex-factory and aftermarket. Plus you can set the pre-load on the rear shock to low so it sinks once you are on. (I believe that fitting a standard seat on the low setting on a GSA makes the 1200 GSA even lower for example)

Second you just have to be a bit more carefull where you pull up and how you park.

In the end these are not Jap plastic sports bikes and the odd gentle roll over will do them no harm

 

[Wizard]

5'8 ish, 29" ish inside leg, 1200Adv lowered to about the same height as a 1200, ride it off road. Drop it in the muck often enough, but it's a bike, not an ornament

 

[Summer]

Female, five foot five tall with 29inch inside leg (I think) and riding an 1150gs with standard seat set on lower setting and fine
Hubby also riding an 1150gs on standard seat on standard setting, he is five foot 8, have no idea of inside leg though sorry
Sat on a 1200 last wk at the ace belongin to Dee Tee and that felt fine for height too but the GSA looks massive to me, never sat on one of them so cant comment.

 

[Catalyst]

Thanks...

Thanks for the replies... so it looks lie a GSA could be on the cards then... Interested to hear more about this after market seat.. can anyone point me at a web site?

PS .. .when I sat on the GSA I was told the seat was in the lowest position.

 

[Summer]

You should talk to Ragnar mate, he is no taller than myself and rides the 1200ADV and god knows how he does it, I've a lot of admiration for him, he probably can advise more on what seat set up he has

Found this for you :
http://www.motorbike-seats.co.uk/

 

[Wizard]

1200GA Adv seat options

Standard Adv seat
Standard 1200GS seat (20 - 40ish mm lower than Adv seat)
Low 1200GS seat ( 60mm ish lower than Adv seat)

There's also a plethora of aftermarket seats and seat modifiers, plus you can drop the whole bike by fitting Ohlins, Wilbers etc. shocks for a standard 1200GS.

How deep's your wallet?

 

[littleredrooster]

Bloody hell! I wish my inside-leg measurement was 30"!
29" trousers are too long on me and I ride (and don't fall off) a 1200GS, often fully-loaded and with the missus on the back.

It's a question of confidence as much as owt else, TBH. (...and remembering to look before you put your foot down).

 

[Ragnar]

You should talk to Ragnar mate, he is no taller than myself and rides the 1200ADV and god knows how he does it, I've a lot of admiration for him, he probably can advise more on what seat set up he has

Thanks for the glowing recommendation H

I'm 5'6", 30" inside leg. I ride a 1200 GSA and all I've done is have the regular 1200 GS seat on the lower of the two settings put on for free by the dealer (otherwise I wasn't going to buy the bike was I ). Rear shock was originally set to absolute bottom, but once it settled down after a few hundred miles I increased it to 5 clicks. My boots give me a little extra boost, but not that much.

Best advice I can give Catalyst is what I say to everyone else, get yourself down to a dealer and just ask them to put a regular seat on a GSA so you can try it out. Make sure the suspension is wound down too. Depending on what you've ridden previously it may still feel high/uncomfortable e.g. if you've only ridden sportsbikes before. You will get used to it - You just need to be mindful of the extra height for the first couple of weeks. If height is still an issue, you might even try the BMW low seat.

Hope this helps,
David.

 

[Catalyst]

Thanks again

Thanks to all for the replies and insight...

I'm talking to Dealers today.. looking for a deal on a GSA... I'll also ask to test one with a standard GS1200 seat (thanks Ragnar)... It begs the question as to why the seat is different on a GSA? and by how much?

Thanks again for all your help!!! These types of site are invalueable in this respect for us newbies... certainly puts me in a stronger position when talking to dealers...

Cheers,

Richard.

 

[Geordie Steve]

Just my 2p worth...

I notice that a lot of riders suggest setting the rear preload to low in order to make the bike more manageable at low speed/standstill...

Well that's fair enough, but I've found that it makes the bike handle like a bit of a pig at higher speeds! I ride mine with the preload at its highest setting and the difference is amazing - it totally transforms the feel of the bike.

Just something to bear in mind... if I were you I'd look at the low BMW seat option first.