Hi Rowle,
I can answer all your questions for you
First off, we'll get the myth's and the things that are irrelevant out of the way
Height - has absolutely nothing to do with can you get your foot down / flat - Your inside leg & weight are the determining factors
You may have a short body, and long legs, or short legs and a long body - both can give you the same height, only one will get you to the floor
To give you a comparison.
I'm a hobbit, short and stout, fat, chubby, call it what you will but i've got more round the middle than i'd like
I weight 14 stone 7lbs odd, so a compact unit and run a 28/29 inside leg (depending where the tape went, and how high i screamed lol)
So now you have a reference point
First Generation bikes (Hexhead)
Stock heights GS & GSA Seat heights Std & Low (others available by other manufacturers), but generally std or low
The std seat has two positions high and low the low seat is non adjustable
Suspension rear adjustable for preload via an adjuster unit - Front i think only damping
With a stock GS and std seat on low settings, your going to be on tiptoes, flat foot only by hanging an arse cheek off one side
winding the rear spring preload off, will get you a bit lower but thats it
Low seat and preload off, will get you onto the balls of your feet, flatfoot one side or other without having to slide a cheek off the seat
be aware, that you still need to be aware of road camber, - potholes when you stop,
(GSA is way higher, i couldnt get my feet anywhere near the ground with a stock seat set low )
You can fit aftermarket suspension I did Wilburs 30mm lowered, front & rear & low seat
Balls of the feet both side, and flat foot on one side or the other without shifting in the seat
However you need to lower the centre & side stands as well
If you put the stock seat back on, your back to tiptoes
Twincam sholud be the same
LC models
GSLC -
Comes with stock suspension, & factory lowered 30mm front and rear, & all seats low, std &high have a 2 stage setting
so you get low seat (high / low) std seat (high / low) high seat (high / low)
I have factory low bike & low seat (set to low position)
Dont get your hopes up though
for some obscure reason they made the bike wider, so the 30mm height drop is lost in the widening
Its not that bad though - with ESA suspesion set to single rider & soft, you can flatfoot one side or the other with a small seat movement.
but both feet is tiptoes / balls at best
You can get an ultralow seat, takes another 30mm out of the height, and gives you balls both sides and flatfoot either side
so will work for shorter riders
The GSA again is taller, so i avoided that option
Hope that helps
