F800GS with 30" inseam?

I'm 5'5-1/2" with an inseam of 28 - 29 inches (depending on how I measure). I have an F800GS, but if I could redo it, I'd go for the lower F650.

Most of the time, being able to touch the ground securely is not all that important. But sometimes it means a lot, not while riding, but while getting on and off. You use a lot more acrobatics with shorter legs.

I have the Hyperpro 50mm lowering springs and a shortened sidestand. It helps a lot, but is not as good a solution as replacing the fork cartridges and shock with more normal ones that can be disassembled to add spacers to shorten the travel. However, that costs over 4 times the Hyperpros. The main downside to progressive lowering springs is that the extra sag created amplifies road camber when parking. When the slope is downwards to the left, the weight transfers more onto the sidestand, the suspension extends, and the bike leans even more. In the other direction, I need to lean the bike to the right for enough clearance to lower the sidestand. I have to slide my butt over to the right edge of the seat, the suspension again extends, taking away my lowered seat height, and my left leg is too short to put the sidestand down before my ankle gets pushed away from the sidestand by the footpeg. Been stuck there for a little while a couple of times. I can choose to get on and off with the sidestand still up, which is normal with my lighter dirt bike. Just know that every so often, a boot gets tangled or something similar, and it gets precarious.

Mainly off road, 2-4 inches of uneven ground can be problematic. If the grass is a foot tall, you can't see depressions. You put a foot down and find only air as the bike leans further and gets very heavy on that side. Time to eject. Shortly after I got the bike, it stalled and fell over in my front yard. I tore some shoulder muscles trying to hold it up, and then it yanked me down where my ribs stopped against my elbow and bruised them. It might just be that I'm now a bit older, and my muscles are weaker and tear easier. Lesson learned - keep your feet on the pegs like a trials bike until you have to eject like a fighter pilot - but don't try to save it when it's falling over.

I've practiced starting off from standing alongside the bike. It's more than a bit awkward releasing the clutch and twisting the throttle (which at the moment is almost out of reach) with the bike pulling away from you while you are pulling yourself forward, chest down leg up, etc. It takes me a good 2 to 4 bike lengths before I'm actually controlling the bike and watching out ahead. Not a very good style for small parking lots. It works, but I stopped doing it.

None of these things mean much with a 250 lb dirt bike. I always get off and on with the (much weaker) sidestand retracted. Compared to the F800gs, it is 3 times easier to hold up when leaning, and no strain if I have to pick it up after dropping it. No one or the bike cares much if the bike gets dropped, there is rarely a car or other bike close enough to fall onto, and never a bike with a perfect paint job and gleaming chrome.

Yeah, I admit to having inseam envy. Just ignore those "never ever dropped my motorcycle types." That's not going to be you!

Did you cut your oem side stand or have something aftermarket? I have the same problems with it.

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I cut the OEM sidestand.

I played with different thickness boards under the tires to raise the bike until it looked okay. Then I marked and cut the sidestand at the level of the top of the boards.

I made up a steel plate about twice the original area, (should have gone 3 times bigger). I made it to be as small as possible where it needs to clear the ground when being lowered. I welded on the plate.

Tested F800GS today which had a seat from Top Selleries (French).
Was even lower then the BMW LOW seat, so that is what I need.

anybody has experience with those maybe ..?

I have a similar problem and didn't want to start a new thread. I'm actively shopping for an f650gs and found two that I like. One is bone stock with 6k miles and the other is factory lowered with crash bars and in the color I most want with 4k miles (and is $700 cheaper). So my question is kind of the opposite. If I bought the factory lowered bike, how difficult would it be to get it to stock height?

(I'm 5'9" w/ a 30" inseam)

I searched and searched and then asked. Then I searched again and found the answer to my question. Looks like I'll buy the less colorful, slightly more mileage, slightly more expensive option because buying a new shock and new fork tubes, side stand and center stand just seems like more than $700 savings (and you can't ride a color).

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=21515393&postcount=32

You're confusing me. :huh

That thread you posted refers to raising a 650 to 800 height, not a lowered 650 to a regular 650 height. I thought the lowered 650 just had the fork tubes repositioned higher in the triples and had a different rear shock. No centre stand and a shortened side stand.

Well, you can raise the front to normal height for free. As for the rear shock, I wonder if the overall eye to eye length is the same as a regular but with a shorter spring? I have the stock, regular height springs available, just sitting in the garage. The side stand can be lengthened and a regulat centre stand installed. Used ones do surface.

Alternately, there is always someone trying to convert their bike up or down in the flea market.

Color is important to some. If you're going to get a bike you may as well like it.

How do you like them apples..? :

I have lost about 40 pounds the last year.
I came across an F800GS in whilst on a weekend in Eiffel region Germany, which had a BMW low seat. - The one that did not fit me a year ago. Hence my post earlier in this topic.

The guy asked me to try and sit on it, which I did.
And it worked - The low seat from Top Selleries ( which I thought was lower dan BMW low seat) was NOT lower, confirmed height by that company : 850mm = the BMW low seat.

By losing the 40 pounds, quite some fat has dissappeared from my rear end it seems, which puts my croutch lower on the bike!!

So I am fully dedicated looking for that 2nd hand 800 GS now !!

Top tip ( if applicable) : loose some extra pounds in the ass section

BR / Omen

30" inseam here. Just got my '14 F800GS with a low seat. Both heals are just off the ground. Captain Morgan works well. Same exact height as my Honda 250 xrl. Still getting used to it but loving it so far. Demo'd a GSA too high and no low seat available. Not interchangeable.

8gsa comes with the low seat too as an option.

Very True but the GSA low seat height is closer to the F800GS standard seat height than to the low seat for the F800GS. GSA low seat height was still a little much for me.

How about getting the GSA and lowering it using Touratech/Hyperpro 35mm lowering kit? It would give you roughly 825mm which is 5mm higher than the lowest GS. This would be with an untouched low seat that comes with the OEM 860mm bike height. I do not know how much lower and uncomfortable it would get though?

What would you do, get a GS 820mm and then optionally lower it to 800mm to get both feet flat on the ground for confidence. Or get the GSA, lower it to 825mm (possibly 820 with a seat swap) and have feet balls touching the ground only?
I'm thinking about long distance travelling and would probably miss the larger tank, central stand and possibly ESC although this one could be a trip/wallet killer if breaks especially in remote areas (apparently it's very expensive to replace too). I know Touratech made expensive but nice extra 22L (total 36L vs. 16L) tanks for GS models up to 2012. None such exist for 2013 nor 2014 apart from CamelTank taking up luggage space.

I'm not an experienced heavy adventure bike rider. Did only one 8 months SE Asia trip on a 125cc customised scooter with both feet always flat on the ground. It was approx 30% off-road and quite steep hills where goats live (thank Google maps!).

Any advise would be much appreciated.

Cheers,
David

This thread sounds like one of those meetings where a guy stands up and says...."hi, I'm 5'7", 30in inseam"...and the crowd replies..."Hi, Hey, Hello, Welcome 5'7", 30in inseam"... :)

I'm the 5'7", 30in inseam guy, with some adventure boots that might get me a half an inch more in height and ride a F8GSA.

Pretty daunting at first, trying to figure out a way to "land" when coming up to a light or a stop sign but after 3000 miles it has gotten a lot easier. For me it's usually more about smooth braking, getting a foot down (which one depends on if the road is at an angle), touching down with that foot and when the bike is stopped, putting the other foot down. With that, I'm still on my tippy toes but it's not a big deal. Although I had never heard the "Captain Morgan" description, I don't usually do that but if there's an incline, that position works as it allows me to keep my right foot on the brake.

Offroad isn't much of a problem either if you maintain proper balance and throttle control. The F8 is amazingly nimble and responds well to a blip of the throttle to use the natural gyroscopic affects of the engine to keep you upright. I've ridden in some pretty gnarly sh*t down in Mexico with these heavy adventure bikes and when I see most guys going down in the technical stuff, they aren't maintaining enough speed and momentum, they aren't picking the right lines, or they are following someone too close; the person in front does something and the guy behind reacts so not to hit them and goes down himself.

Don't follow people. Learned that racing....you can't pass someone if you're directly behind them.

I will wholeheartedly admit that the bike is a bit big for me and it requires concentration to keep it upright in some situations but I've been able to manage it without a lower seat on the GSA, without lowering the suspension and not riding with a pair of boots that looks like what the guys in the band "KISS" wore back in the 70s.

My question to all that have 20k or 30k miles on their F800GS...does the suspension sag over time. The suspension on my 2011 RT did, just wondering if the F8 follows suit.

I decided to chime in since I am interested to get a 800GS. I currently drive a G650GS (2010) and able to put one foot flat (without leaning the bike) and the other one half of it on the street. My height is about 5' 8'' and inseam about 32-33''. I guess with the lower seat (85mm) I will be able to manage it.

I am 6' and I cannot put both feet flat on the ground when I'm on my F800GS. I also do not care at all. I could put 1 foot flat on the ground and be on the ball of the other foot or be almost flat footed on both sides. Instead I keep 1 foot on the peg and the other I barely touch my toes to the ground, I also like to practice putting both feet on the pegs before I start to engage the clutch. (still need more practice on that one).

Fred Flintstone may have needed to have both feet firmly on the ground but I do not.

Me, I'm 5'9" with 28.5" inseam on a 2014 F8GSA with standard seat and suspension.

It can be awkward for me at times, but what the hell. That's why they call it "Adventure Riding". We're going to fall over at some point - guaranteed.

Right foot down (except when inappropriate) - way to go.

Here are a couple of takes on riding a tall bike:

How To Ride A Tall Motorcycle If You Are Short
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8iH0ChlNro

How to handle and ride a tall motorcycle
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s07hML6bJOA

After considering many options & almost buying a low suspension standard F800GS and a regular-height used F800GS, I was inspired by Leslie (Soph9) to get what I really wanted - the F800 GSA. I was lucky to find one used from a fellow ADV inmate in my state & we made a deal last Saturday.

It was too tall for me initially with standard suspension settings & seat but once I took some preload out of the rear & put on the low seat it's fine for me to handle! As I get more experience & confidence I'll continue adding preload to get it closer to standard.



I love it & I'll be putting lots of miles on it. Now I just have to build up some vacation time again after recently switching companies.



There is hope for those of us with shorter legs after all!

I also got a brand new F800 GSA-T with all bits arriving 1 August :) I sat on three bikes, F800GS 820mm/850mm and A low 860mm seat GSA-T. The difference although 40mm didn't seem that much and am still touching both feet somewhere between balls and tip toes on it hence decided not to compromise and get what I really want. My confidence even increased after riding at off-road demo and level 1 courses on 1200GSs especially after seeing a girl with about 26" inseam!

@tomman - good choice and thanks for sharing with us. Are you planning on getting any side crash bars and which ones you'd choose?


BTW - I'm also considering getting Daytona + 6cm boots for street touring:
http://www.daytona.de/index.php?page=801

Hey guys, just curious here.
What is this Captain Morgan you are talking about?
Doing the captain Morgan on stop signs?
Some light here please! Lol