Modern Vespa

all this talk of lowering seats and raised boots for short women who wish to ride a 250 reminds me of how the same issue exists for short guys in the motorcycle world:

when out shopping for gear for my wife both of us sat on a bunch of bikes to get a better idea of what feels right, what feels too big, etc. below are my thoughts just from swinging a leg over the following bikes (no actual riding took place ). i'm 173 cm/5' 8" for reference.

Triumph Street Triple: felt light and very manageable. 368 lbs, 31.5" seat height. (the Street Triple R isn't much different but there wasn't one in the showroom: 367 lbs, 31.6" seat height.)

Triumph Speed Triple: looked awesome with that short tail and single sided swingarm. also felt manageable but i could perceive its extra "bigness". heh. 416 lbs, 32.1" seat height.

Moto Guzzi Griso 1200 8V. long, not very tall, wide. felt a bit strange, actually. 489 lbs, 31.5" seat height.

BMW R 1200 GS non-A. felt tall, massive, but proportional. probably a bit much! 504 lbs, 33.5" seat height. i was up on my toes but could move the bike about reasonably easily, and could flat foot with one foot only if i shifted my hips.

BMW F 800 GS. also felt tall but perhaps within the realm of possibility. less wide than the R1200GS, surely. 455 lbs, 34.5" seat height.

BMW R 1200 RT. massive. felt like a low seat after hopping off the crazy-tall GS bikes. definitely bigger than i wish to go: i wouldn't want to catch that much weight at every stoplight, and at this point i'm more inclined to hop in a car for truly long distance touring. 571 lbs, 33.0" seat height.

BMW K 1300 GT. felt much like the R 1200 RT. bigger than i wish to go. pretty for sure, but oh so big. 635 lbs, 33.1" seat height.

BMW K 1200 LT. didn't even swing a leg over as it was on its centerstand in a corner. gold wing-esque huge. wow. not my bag at this point in the game. 853 lbs. 31.5" seat height.

yours truly:



i don't remember if this was the F 800 GS or the R 1200 GS. same difference.

I sat on a Moto Guzzi V7 Classic several months ago and it reminded me of motorcycles in the late 60's and 70's: Low, lightweight and simple when compared to the newer bikes that are available today. I'm not sure of the seat height but it's low when compared to others.

yeah, the triumph bonneville is a similar one, too, and even ducati makes a "classic" model. problem is that neither me nor my wife are particularly fond of retro for retro's sake and aren't taken with the big headlight/chrome/bench seat look.

If seat height is an issue, the cruisers are the bikes to get. Some of those are insanely low.

thanks for the suggestion.

i can handle a 31, 32, even 33" seat height as long as the bike isn't too much of a porker. i'd rather have a 32" seat on a sporting bike than a 29" seat on a laid-back feet-forward cruiser. i like turns--that's kind of the whole point of this enterprise!

Couple of BMWs you didn't mention may be worth considering:

F800S & ST can be configured with lowered suspension and/or lower seat for ~31 to 33" seat height range. This bike has fared well against the venerable Honda Interceptor, a bike I've always admired (owned 2 of them)

F650GS (which oddly has an almost identical 800cc Rotax engine as the F800GS) and suspension/seat options offering ~30" to 33" seat height range. Looks are definitely BMWish, but they've grown on me.

The F series caught my attention. They are a little un-BMR-like. Prices approach reason. They use a very nice Rotax twin engine and chain/belt drives and they are comparatively light.

I've test ridden most of the F800 series bikes and find them to be good handling bikes, even with stock suspension.

The real surprise was the F650GS, which (despite its Enduro look) is a great street bike. With a 19" front wheel/wider front tire, light weight (~440lbs wet), "standard" ergos, nice weight distribution (tank under seat) and street oriented tires, it is a comfortable all-day corner carving Standard, masquerading as an Enduro.

I think BMW is marketing beyond its traditional "tall guy pipe and slippers" crowd and reaching out to a more diverse customer base.

thanks for the tips. on another board i also had the F 800 ST recommended. when i'm an attending around 2014 and am actually in the market i'll take a look at them