Seat height.

[worty28]

I'm really thinking about getting the FJ 09 in the spring.  I just sold my first bike. (2004 Vstar 650)
My question is the seat height.  I'm 5' 5" 170lbs with a 29" inseam.  I know i will not be flat foot like on my old bike but will I even be able to touch with my toes.  The closest FJ 09 around me is 3 hours away so i can't sit on one around here but my Yamaha dealer does have a FZ 09 and i sat on it and can touch very easy.  Is the FJ much higher the the FZ.
 
Thanks for the help.
Dave
 

[wessie]

Tracer is half an inch taller according to http://cycle-ergo.com/
 
Seat height is not the only thing to consider - seat width has a big effect too
 
There are solutions such as adapting the seat and you can alter the height of the forks and alter the rear dogbones.
 
Play about with the website above to get yourself a shortlist of bikes to consider.

[worty28]

Thanks for that site...

[bruceintucson]

I'm really thinking about getting the FJ 09 in the spring.  I just sold my first bike. (2004 Vstar 650) My question is the seat height.  I'm 5' 5" 170lbs with a 29" inseam.  I know i will not be flat foot like on my old bike but will I even be able to touch with my toes.  The closest FJ 09 around me is 3 hours away so i can't sit on one around here but my Yamaha dealer does have a FZ 09 and i sat on it and can touch very easy.  Is the FJ much higher the the FZ.
 
Thanks for the help.
Dave

I'm at the shorter end of a 30" inseam and it's a tall bike for me. Fortunately Mary though my height has much longer legs so in the low seat position she can almost flatfoot with her riding boots. There are lower seats made (Sargent) but IMO it's going to be pretty touchy for you with a 29" inseam. Wouldn't buy before checking it out at length.  

[timg]

This will give you some idea of the various dog bones wessie mentioned -
 

 
I ended up using the Lust ones and dropping my triple trees 8mm, and am pleased overall. I have a 30" inseam and can just flat foot, but it is in front of the foot rests, and I'm not accustomed to having my feet up there. So I'm usually on the balls of my feet behind the rests.

[stevesweetz]

I'm 5'9" and have an inseam of 29.5" (short legs). I also have fairly fat thighs which limits how much of foot I can get down. I can a decent amount of toe down with both feet, or I can flat foot one foot (and leave the other on the peg).
 
I've trained myself to mostly do the latter, which definitely takes some thought and care. You have to very cognizant of the slope of the road and make sure you always put down the foot that's on the higher side of the slope. For example, most roads on level ground are actually crowned so that they're higher in the middle slope down towards the edges of the road to assist rain run-off. On a rood like that, the left side is higher, so you should put your left foot down. This is so that you're keeping the bike as level with respect to gravity as possible. If do it the other way around and put the low side foot down you're basically going to be tipping over the bike and you'll drop it if you've been skipping out on leg day at the gym.
 
 
The other big thing to keep in mind is that you will basically have no leverage to backup the bike while sitting on it. You might already be used to this from a heavy cruiser, but never, ever pull forward into a downward sloping parking space, no matter how slight the slope. Always turn around and back in, letting gravity pull you downhill, so that you can then use the engine to leave the space going uphill. If you pull into the space forwards, you will regret it.
 
Prior to the FJ I had a relatively light and lower Honda CBR500R and I was able to walk the bike backwards up mild inclines. In my first week of ownership of the FJ-09 I pulled forward into a very slight downhill space in which I had parked my CBR500R forwards many times without trouble; with the FJ I found that I could not get out. I had to get off the bike and try to pull it uphill by the handlebars while standing at the side. That's very awkward and I came very close to dropping my brand spanking new bike. That one time was all I needed to learn that lesson.

[chuckufarley]

This will give you some idea of the various dog bones wessie mentioned - 

 
I ended up using the Lust ones and dropping my triple trees 8mm, and am pleased overall. I have a 30" inseam and can just flat foot, but it is in front of the foot rests, and I'm not accustomed to having my feet up there. So I'm usually on the balls of my feet behind the rests.
 
 
 
 
 
 

timg, 
After using the Lust Racing dog bones and dropping your triple trees did you have any issues with being able to use the stock kickstand or did you modify/replace it? I'm looking to use the Lust Racing dog bones myself and lowering the triple trees as well but am concerned that lowering it while still using the stock kickstand still in place will make it unstable or too close to it's tipping point.
 
Thanks
 
Chuck
 

[jgalloway]

I'm 5'7" with a 30" inseam. I'm not flat-foot when sitting on her, but I can touch more than my toes on both sides. The Corbin seat helped. It's more narrow in the front than stock. So if it's a planned stop, I simply slide forward and can reach the ground much better. And trust me, the Corbin seat is a mod that you will definitely want to make anyway if you plan to make any trips longer than two hours on this bike.

[worty28]

Thanks for that Steve. For that last year of me riding the cruiser i tried to make it a habit of only putting my left leg down and keeping my right on the foot boards cause i know my next bike was going to be taller.
 
I don't really want to put Lowering links on the bike. Ive read more bad thing about them then good but the FJ is the bike I want and i just may have to install them.
 
The seat was the first thing i change on my old bike. went to a mustang seat. Could drive that bike from fuel stop to fuel stop all day long. I like taking long trips of the bike so the seat will probably be the first upgrade.
 
 
 
 

[timg]

This will give you some idea of the various dog bones wessie mentioned - 
I ended up using the Lust ones and dropping my triple trees 8mm, and am pleased overall. I have a 30" inseam and can just flat foot, but it is in front of the foot rests, and I'm not accustomed to having my feet up there. So I'm usually on the balls of my feet behind the rests.
 
 
 
 
 
 

timg, 
After using the Lust Racing dog bones and dropping your triple trees did you have any issues with being able to use the stock kickstand or did you modify/replace it? I'm looking to use the Lust Racing dog bones myself and lowering the triple trees as well but am concerned that lowering it while still using the stock kickstand still in place will make it unstable or too close to it's tipping point.
 
 
 
Thanks
 
 
 
Chuck

I went through too many combinations of bones and adjustable side stands, but such is life occasionally. I tried the Soupy's and PSR adjustable stands and just wasn't satisfied with the angle or length range. I now have one from T Rex Racing, and am liking it the best. And the price isn't all that bad either. 

 
http://t-rex-racing.com/catalog.php?item=541
 
A quick note on lowering it this much - I have a short steep up angle into my driveway because of a narrow parkway, and I have to come in slowly or my cat converter will scrap a little. The first time I almost shite, thinking it was the oil drain plug (I have one of the old style ones on the bottom of the sump), but it was just the cat. Other than that, I haven't had any trouble at all with speed bumps or anything so far. I have a mazda low profile drain plug for the modification at the the next oil change.