Adventure Bikes For The Shorter-Legged Rider

So, I currently ride a 2006 H-D Road King. I love the bike and have made it my own over the past few years with intake/exhaust, tuner and Legend suspension. It's a great running, reliable bike...has never failed me.

But, at the same time, I've always been really interested in the adventure bike side of things. I haven't looked at them much the past three or four years now. I am 5'-7" with a 30" inseam, and all the looking I did back at that time showed me the bikes aren't real conducive to the shorter inseam lengths. LOL I'm wondering if anything has come onto the market more recently that's more usable for shorter-legged riders like myself? Thanks in advance for any advice!

 

I realize this is an older thread, and that OP hasn't been on in a while, but in case anyone else has the question and finds this thread I'll respond.


@J Williams You're an inch taller than me and of similar inseam, possibly a little shorter legs than me but not much. I too was worried about seat height and all that when I started looking for and adventure bike, and the biggest thing I've learned is that the seat height on paper means very very little. I was also looking for beginner friendly, because I'm still a noob on a bike.

That said, I wound up on a 2022 Honda CB500X which has a 32.8" seat height on paper. I don't have a 32" inseam, so my worry was that I'd be unable to touch on an ADV bike. Boy was I wrong. I can easily put the balls of both feet down on this bike that has a seat height that is almost 2" taller than my inseam. How is that possible? Well, two big factors come into play.

First, suspension sag. Seat heights are always measured with no weight on the bike. Even with a lighter rider, rather than a fatty like me, you will sink some of that height just by sitting on the bike. Shave an inch off the posted numbers and they aren't seeming so tall all of a sudden.

Second, not all heights are created equal. I 33" seat height that is slim is easier to manage than a 33" seat height that feels like you are straddling a couch. The shape of the seat is going to dictate what angle and position your legs take, and that will affect how easily you can reach the ground.​

Those two factors make a posted seat height of a bike almost useless information. You really need to throw a leg over a bike to see how it feels. I did this with two bikes recently. The Yamaha Super Tenere (33.3"-34.3" adjustable seat height) and the Yamaha FJR1300 (31.7" seat height) and much to my surprise the taller Super Tenere was easier for me to manage. How can this be?! Well, the suspension of both is electronically adjustable and very similar, so the sag when I sad on the bikes was also very similar. Not a likely factor in this instance. However, the seat shape is very different. The FJR has a wider cushier seat so it splays the legs a bit more, and that angle eats up inseam more quickly than the Super Tenere's slimmer seat. So even with a seat height that is an inch and a half taller on it's low setting, the Super Tenere let me have more of my foot down.

All that said, don't let seat height discourage you! Look at Jocelin Snow, a short lady rider who is rocking a huge GS1250 ADV bike! Not only is she short, she isn't built like a dude so a big bike should theoretically be even harder for her to handle. Doesn't slow her down one bit. She's a badass on that huge bike and can certainly outride many guys and gals that are taller than she is. I wish I was half the rider she is.

https://youtu.be/zYp1zXyc0fA