It does broaden the spectrum, but there are tons of bikes out there that give me serious issues re: peg/seat/bars triangle. Very annoying when the bars hit your knees in tight manouvres. Oddly enough, I spent the last seven years on a CBR300R. I was comfortable, but I suspect I looked like a monkey having it on with a football when I was riding it.
My wife could barely ride her 49cc Ruckus in stock form. I then lowered the seat for her. We thought about getting a pair of Groms, but it was too tall for her. The target demographic for motorcycle and scooter design sizing is narrow, and from my observations it favors the taller set of the population.
There are a number of bikes that favor smaller folks. Harley sportsters are a good example. Frankly a lot of cruisers do.
As a taller person, I would tend to agree with that. However, I also believe @670cc is spot on with his position that the manufacturers aim for the middle in their design schema. Probably about the same number of bikes, modern bikes, well suited for those who fall above or below the median...not a lot in any case. One of the Kawasaki bikes does have adjustable ergos; more than most at least. Had to google it...Vulcan S has adjustable ergonomics. Some have to be selected at time of purchase to avoid an upcharge.
BRP apparently saw opportunity and developed a great adjustable ergonomic layout for the Can Am Ryker. Nearly instantly and without tools, the handlebars can be positioned forward-rearward, both footpegs can be moved forward-rearward over a wide range (the brake pedal and master cylinder move along also), and the height of the brake pedal can be adjusted. The Ryker wins the prize for best adjustability, in my opinion.
I agree, but we hate the cruiser look and styling, and don’t need the typical weight and engine displacement of cruisers. Looking at small displacement (under 250cc) motorcycles and scooters, where one would expect ergos for smaller people, there seem to be few appropriately sized frames.
I agree that the range of offerings is not what it should be, nor is the adjustability. I noticed that the new RE Himalayan will have a seat that can be mounted in two positions, and two different-height seats. Now I know the Himalayan, even at its lowest, is still going to be too tall for many, but I use it as an example of what’s possible. I suspect the two-way mounting is simple. Then you make two seats, which many manufacturers do. Voila, you have four available seat heights. I hope this is an example to others.
Kudos to BRP! I could not agree more that manufacturers misplace efforts on development of features that, from a personal and consumer perspective, do little to entice ownership.
No that is what stopped me from riding. It is all melted now. It made sense in my head but not so much on re-reading
Yeah, on Friday there was still enough snow here to make it hard to park (although streets were plowed). Now, there are only faint traces. May ride to work Saturday…No that is what stopped me from riding. It is all melted now. It made sense in my head but not so much on re-reading
Looks good!
