Yes, they are made for the majority who spends the most money on useless things outside of Japan. For instance, do we need Hummers with 26" rims that give 8miles to the gallon? Not really.. I chuckle when I see one on the road especially with gas prices nowadays. But back to the topic. If you ever visit Japan or any asian country, it is very rare to see a 600 let alone a 1000. Most people ride 125's, 250's, and 400's. This is their form of daily transportation because it's practical and that's all they want/can afford. This is a way of life and not a lifestyle. 1000's would be serious overkill. However, it is a show of wealth if you ride one. We in America take alot of it for granted. Bigger is always better imprinted on our foreheads. We buy new bikes every 1 to 2 years with outrageous horsepower. Power we'll never need or use. Maybe in a straightline. heheh... So manufacturers know this demand and build bikes for our taste, not just here but UK as well. Your majority caucasion American is over 5'8"+ so this is why you see bikes designed for their height and weight. Until there is a demand for 5'7" and shorter, you probably won't see 250's and 400's imported into the states anytime soon.grendels_arm said:
As for me, I'm 5'6" which puts me right under the nose. I'm lucky to have a longer inseam so my bike fits me fairly well BUT would love to be able to bend my knees while flatfooted like you would on a Haybusa. Either way, I can imagine some of the challenges for people shorter than I.
So here are my suggestions before you change your suspension geometry, fubar your handing, and be susceptible to clearance issues(bottoming out)..
Take your seat fairing off leaving just the subframe. Sit on the bike to see if that height is suitable. If yes, remove the seat and shave the seat foam all the way down or bring it to an upholsterer and have them recover it with thin dense foam. This will give you about 1-1.5".
Second, get thicker soled shoes/boots. Don't laugh.. This will give you an inch. Gonna be hard to find raceboots but they are out there. Another trick, line it with thicker Dr. Scholl's insoles or something similar.
Third, get some bar risers. This will put you back into your seat. Since the stretch is so far, reaching over to the handlebars and trying to move the bike forward and back on tippy toes makes it very hard. Note however that bar risers will change your steering response a tad slower. You're gonna work a little harder due to less leverage.
Last, get a race seat fairing, foam seatpad, cutout the holes for lights, and mount directly to the subframe. This eliminates the entire oem seat and hardware. This will give you the same exact feeling as if you were sitting on the subframe. You'll gain about 2.5".
So there you go. All that combined should reduce your ride height by 3-4" without even touching your suspension. Good luck!
