Low seat for a GSA LC - Advice please

[Troppo]

Mine is standard, but a mate's wife has a lowered one. It looks identical to the standard bike, unless you look closely.

 

[stevie Allen]

I'd advise you not to get the low Sargent seat. It's very comfortable but it's wider and therefore it's harder to get your feet down with one of those fitted than it is with the standard BMW seat.

+1 on that bit of advice , biggest waist of money i spent , and there after sales is shite as well

 

[John-929]

Well loads of good advice here. Many thanks to all contributors. I'm having another test ride (play) later this week so I'll see how it goes. May just ride the new one for a few months after it arrives in March and see how I get on.

 

[AndyR34]

Daytona M-Star and Touratech low seat works for me...

Just my thoughts...

On my third GSA now and have tried most combinations, with my current bike (14 plate GSA TE LC) I am more comfortable than I've been on any of my previous bikes wearing Daytona M-Star boots (those lines with the extra inch instep) and the Touratech Low (Not the lowest!) Seat. I do tend to ride with either my top box or both side boxes on and keep my ESA set to rider-Only...doesn't seem to affect my on-road or `very infrequent`off-road riding.

Andy

PS. I have also become very good at reading road surfaces at junctions... looking for low points means I've become 6 foot all of a sudden. (5` 8" & 29 " inside leg).

 

[Rockred]

I think reading the road as to where to put your foot down, is 80% of the problem solved.

 

[matchlessman]

I've just got a nearly new GSA and very impressed overall, comfortable over distance and impressive engine / handling. I just struggle a bit with not long legs and big reach to the floor, compounded by the massive weight. Just worried about the overbalance and subsequent pick up.

Amazing how the weight vanishes as soon as you start rolling, then reappears when you reach a standstill with a bit of an incline...

Does anybody actually know what is the difference with a 'factory lowered' bike?
Suspension units?
Frame?
Adjustment of something?

Would it be possible to take out a bit of pre-load from the springs? (Mechanically or electronically)?

I don't need masses of ground clearance as I don't expect to do anything extreme. (I did the Off road school last year and they use ordinary GS's which have plenty of ground clearance.)

I expect I will be buying a low seat pretty soon, but lowering the bike by half an inch or so would help as well. It's confidence as much as anything.

 

[crotchrocket]

its definitely a confidence thing. I have a mostly paralysed left leg, so i lift it onto the peg and there it stays until i get off. i cant put my foot down to stop and have a kliktronic shifter for the gears, so if the bike fell left, i'd fall off. I leave the suspension in the mid-preload setting as i prefer the handling, and have my right foot flat on the ground at a stand still on most surfaces. If i straddle the bike, both heels are off the ground, so in a 'normal' situation i think my GSA would probably feel too high but I'm just used to riding it and its never an issue. I would never have bought a GSA 2 years ago, but the progression from an MT-09, to KTM 990 ADV, then a GS then a GSA has helped and built confidence along the way. I use the GSA everyday and commute into / through London week days.

 

[John-929]

Fantastic. Well done mate! Why do the rest of us shorties worry when your riding around only able to use one leg. Puts me to shame. ....plus you're absolutely right, it's all about confidence.

 

[crotchrocket]

Sorry I wasn't trying to be derogatory, that might have come off wrong i just meant that confidence is a big part of it and that if you can flat foot it one side, you'll probably be ok!

 

[Matty589]

I've just got a nearly new GSA and very impressed overall, comfortable over distance and impressive engine / handling. I just struggle a bit with not long legs and big reach to the floor, compounded by the massive weight. Just worried about the overbalance and subsequent pick up.

Amazing how the weight vanishes as soon as you start rolling, then reappears when you reach a standstill with a bit of an incline...

Does anybody actually know what is the difference with a 'factory lowered' bike?
Suspension units?
Frame?
Adjustment of something?

Would it be possible to take out a bit of pre-load from the springs? (Mechanically or electronically)?

I don't need masses of ground clearance as I don't expect to do anything extreme. (I did the Off road school last year and they use ordinary GS's which have plenty of ground clearance.)

I expect I will be buying a low seat pretty soon, but lowering the bike by half an inch or so would help as well. It's confidence as much as anything.

Suspension travel is reduced. There was a thread around about it about a year ago with the two side by side. You can clearly see the lowered chassis is closer to the wheels. I had one for a year and was glad I chose lowered. It just made everything a bit easier and a lower centre of gravity compared to standard made it great fun to chuck around