A Superbike for a LAM?

[dbl_17745]

Some of the comments on the apparently rotund test rider spotted on the new 1199 got me to thinking, so I thought I’d ask a question that has been kicking around in my head for innumerable years. A little background on me, first.

I am a old(ish) fart who refuses to stop riding sportbikes even with a less-than-new AARP card tucked in my wallet. After a litany of UJMs, a long-lusted-after Ducati (a ’06 ST3s) finally found its way into my garage in 2006. It remains my favorite bike of all time. Since then, a ’09 1198 became its stablemate. It has been everything I imagined and so much more! Despite my temperamental sacroiliac joints, knees that function as barometers, and the reflexes of a encephalitic gazelle, I finally learned to ride on the track-thanks to the endless patience of the instructors at California Superbike School-and now make myself a general nuisance at as many trackdays as my schedule permits.

Over the years, I’ve noticed that sportbikes as a breed are (and always have been) apparently designed around riders built more like Jorge Lorenzo (about 5’7” and 120 lbs) rather than the “Large American Male” (“LAM” for short). I’m a tad over than 6’3”, 270 lbs dripping wet, 37” sleeves, and a 36”inseam. Add a euro size 60 full track suit, boots, and helmet and well, let’s just say I almost have to go to the turnpike to get weighed. The stock suspension on the 1198 just wasn’t up to the task, so I replaced it with Ohlins front and rear after confessing my true dimension to my mechanic, who duly advised the good folks in Sweden so an appropriate set up could be shipped. (I would have loved to have heard the conversation at Ohlins after my mechanic hung up: “Hokie spooners Ollie! De went an’done taught a moose to ride a motorcycle, doncha know?”) In any event, the suspension upgrade worked wonders and added greatly to my albeit-still-limited performance and, more importantly, to my enjoyment. With the Ohlins, when I hang my (a-hem) “mass” off the 1198, that puppy turns with utterly uncanny speed and stability.

So, here’s the question: Has anyone built (or customized) a superbike for LAMs like me? Yes, I could lose a few pounds (I try...) and adjustable rearsets, suspension upgrades, and a taller GP windscreen from Zero Gravity help. Regardless, I still have to squish myself into a too-small space. Some riders claim the 1198 can warp the space-time continuum (I’d agree!) but the laws of physics still seem to apply when it comes to the rump-to-clip-on dimension. I have to turn my spine into a pretzel, drag my elbows on the ground, and hang my knees over my ears (admittedly hyperbole, but that’s how it feels) to achieve something resembling a decent riding position. I’m not looking for comfort on the 1198, I just want to ride that gorgeous piece of machinery the way it was meant to be ridden. Granted, finding a way to keep the wheelbase short, the handling agile, and the performance oh-so-over-the-top whilst giving a big ol’ boy room to hunker down would be good trick, but for all the customs and mods I’ve seen I have yet to see a sportbike intended for the Big and Tall set. It seems like there are enough of us LAMs around to make it a worthwhile endeavor.


Cheers,
Dave

'06 ST3s (red)
'07 GT 1000 (stealth grey)
'09 1198 (white)

[Revelstoker]

Nope, not going to happen. Danes, Swedes and Germans are equal to LAMS and maybe even bigger. US Highland was going down the road of custom fit bikes until the helicopter crash took out the entire executive team. Check out the Bike Builder options on their website - they ask for Height, weight, inseam and arm length. US Highland

There are a couple option that you might entertain.

There is one category of bikes that give the wee people fits - dirt bikes. As such, you might want to consider a Supermoto/Motard as a track day weapon. Check out the KTM SMR, BMW HP2 or Aprilia Dorso 1200.

For sport bikes, KTM RC8R is fully adjustable (pegs, rear subframe and bars) and you might find it a bit more accommodating. Some of the nakeds (Speed Triple, Super Duke, Tuono, Streetfighter) might be a bit more accommodating. @ 6'2" - I am actually quite comfortable on the 900ss. I have one bumm knee and it never screams for relief like it did on the Hyper.

BMW K1300S is a fair bit larger but not really a track bike. Though, it can hold it's own on a larger, less technical track.

[neuroduc]

Hi Dave, I love the bit about the ohlins guys and the moose. I had an 86 s10 blazer that died in Lock Haven on a trip to Connecticut in 1995. I remember Lock Haven as a pretty little town with a very small movie theater. The guy that was working in the transmission shop was about your size.
I don't know that there are any "sport bikes for big guys," I rode a kawasaki 1400cc monster last summer that fit my 6'0 200# frame nicely. Better than any other Japanese bike so far. My 748 fits me pretty well, as the reach to the bars is a bit much for those vertically challenged.
The basic issue here is proportion: as in keeping the geometry of the bike for handling purposes is hard to do and "stretch" it out for taller people. Any changes to move your mass back and up from the bars and pegs will have negative effects on handling. The modifications you have done for the suspension puts you far ahead of most in terms of understanding and getting the most of your bike.
For comfort only I would add a set of adjustable rearsets to get the foot pegs further back and lower", padding the back end of the tank can also help keep you more rearward on the bike for more "space" but will be a negative on the handling as it will load the rear more and take weight away from the front tire when it needs it most in cornering. A set of bar risers will make it more comfortable but will also limit the hunched position for front end weighting in turns. It is all a game of give and take. The more comfortable you want to be the less performance you can demand from the geometry. It is why those 1970 era honda 350's were so damn comfortable. Best Wishes Brad.

[RedSubmarine]

I feel ya big guy. I'm 6'4 and it feels like doing some weird yoga thing every time I tuck onto my 916. My knees stick out when I'm wearing blue jeans, imagine what it's like in full leathers with knee pucks taking up another 1.5"! I bought new clip-ons, adjustable rear sets, all that stuff, and they only "nurse" the problem. No real solutions there. What I have recently discovered while working on my bikes is that, riding with the fairings off, I can feel my legs again. I've been playing with the idea of somehow carving into the part of the fairings my knees constantly battle against in an effort to make some more space. Try riding with your side fairings off and see if that gives you any ideas.

It does worry me though that we just might not be "fun sized" enough for these new bikes. I started worrying when Aprilia came out with their new bike a couple years ago. That thing looks tiny. But I guess, at the end of the day, smaller bike = less weight, which is the whole point of a superbike.

[Turkishexpress]

Unfortunately I have yet to find any bike that could handle us big boys. Luckily I'm only 6' but when I'm on a bulking stage (for bodybuilding purposes) I usually get up to about 320 with gear. At my lightest I'll usually drop to about 280 w/ gear. So no matter what you get suspension is a definite for anyone over 200 that can turn some decent lap times. And not just springs. You will need proper cartridges/shock with custom valving. Then there is the aftermarket rearsets that can somewhat can be adjusted. You can actually get custom plates to make them a lot more adjustable. Honestly you can make them yourself if you can get your hands on a solid block of aluminum and some nice drills. Then there is the foam race seats you can modify according to your height but that usually requires race body work and doesn't work for people who'd like to track with stock bodywork.

[Sport999]

Try on a Hayabusa!

[scutchins]

Ducati already makes a comfortable superbike, it's called the Multistrada 1200S!

I love mine. I used to race (Honda Hawk GT and Aprilia RSV Mille) for a few years, also had my share of crashes (track and lots in the dirt) so my body is fairly banged up. The Multistrada won't be a perfect race bike because it isn't comfortable once the speeds hit around 140, it seems to waver a little, but other than that put some sticky tires on it and my guess is that it will be all that you could ask for without tying you into knots.

[dbl_17745]

Y'know, I rather expected that the answer would be no, but then again, hope springs eternal.

I took a very serious test ride (400+ miles over a weekend) on the new Multistrada last summer. Didn't care for it at all, though I admire its capabilities. For me, an upright seating position is a disaster. My right SI joint is either frozen or nearly so. As a result, I'm actually far more comfortable in a forward position than in the upright position that most people find far more comfortable. Hence, for touring my ST3s is a godsend. I rode to Key West and back (via the Dragon, avoiding 4 lanes from home to Jacksonville Florida, where there just wasn't any choice) and to West Quoddy Head in Maine last summer, knocking off the southermost and easternmost points of the U.S. off my bucket list. Perfectly comfortable hung out over the tank for 10-12 hrs. a day. What a shame Ducati gave up on that model. Now for the westernmost and northernmost.... but I digress.

Thanks for the tip on Highland Bikes. It might be interesting to check out what they'll actually do with that information- sounds like suspension set-up. What a great loss with the heli crash. The loss to the MC industry pales in comparison to the loss to their loved ones.

There are other options, of course. My wife rides a K1300S, but it is really a hypersport touring bike and not so much a superbike, though it will blur your vision at will and corner like a friggin' bobsled in the twisties. Even so, I end up with my behind nearly up on the passenger pillion to really get down on it.

So for now the answer is Yoga (even if I look more like Yogi than Ghandi) and working with what's available. Maybe there's an interesting project in my future.... maybe a custom tailsection for the 1198, though that might put too much weight out back and screw up the balance. Something to ponder in the long Pennsylvania winter. Oh, btw, it's a small world, isn't it! Lock Haven isn't a terrible place to break down and, but for the winters and too many narrow-angle cruisers and narrow-minded cruiser riders, it's a great place to ride so long as you don't mind blind corners in the mountains.

Keep the sticky side down, fellas, and thanks again.

Dave

[Revelstoker]

Give the KTM RC8R a go and let us know. It has the most adjustability of any superbike (maybe any bike) on the market. Bars, pegs, seat and rear-subrame.

Low bar, high-seat, low pegs just might be what you are after. @6'2", I have been quite impressed and tempted a few times.

[SJTrance]

At 6', 220 LBS, I find the 900SSie to be quite comfortable. Hell, it was comfortable when I weighed 260 LBS too.