seat height versus inseam

[vandy]

I changed from a 2004 FJR with a Sargent seat to a 2017 with a factory seat and the seat height acts like the bike is actually a couple of inches higher than the 2004. I was wondering if anyone who has tried the Sargent, Corbin, or the Yamaha Gel seat has noticed the seat height difference between stock and these aftermarket seats? In particular I am trying to find a seat that allows me to reach the ground easier. The problem I seem to be having is that the front of the seat seems to be too wide to allow my legs to drop vertically toward the ground.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I didn't find the Yamaha Comfort seat to be higher. But it was saddle shaped (wider), unlike the stock, and that means more difficulty flat footing for a short inseam person. Sliding forward when stopped helps. I didn't have a problem anyway, but noticed a difference.

 

[BkerChuck]

Not to sound snarky but do you have the seat in the low position?

I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam running a Laam seat on my 2007 in the high position and I can still put my left foot down almost flat at intersections. If I want to put both feet down I am on the balls of my feet but not to a point where I feel unsafe or off balance. Make sure you have your seat in the low position. A coworker has a Sargent seat and I've ridden with it and I do think it sits just a little bit lower than the OEM seat or others I've been on. Unfortunately I find it to be a hard seat and am not really comfortable on it.

 

[vandy]

Is the Yamaha gel just another name for the comfort seat or is that a totally different seat?

Yes it is in the low position. When I first got the bike I was hoping that it was in the high so I could lower it

 

[its just rain]

Yamaha gel and comfort are the same. Sounds like you need to have someone customize it a bit. You might go to a local upholstery shop to see if they can shave the sides off a little if you're comfortable with the basic seat.

 

[art miller]

I would suggest you contact Seth Laam and discuss what you need and have him build your seat to accommodate your inseam.

 

[escapefjrtist]

Width at the front of the seat makes the difference. I use / have both a LAAM, which Seth narrowed at the front, and the Yamaha Comfort seat.

With both seats in the low position, the Comfort seat is a longer reach for me. Easy to adjust for...just need to remember to plan the stops!

--G

 

[juniorfjr]

With my seat when it was stock and after Seth Laam had his way with it, I can flat foot in the low setting, but balls of my feet in the upper. I ride with it lower in town, but if I'm putting any miles on, I will move it up to high. I've got a 31 inch inseam.

 

[vandy]

I think that might be the way I have to go... I was just kind of hoping that the sargent or the corbin might already have the narrow front built in.... I've got the 32 inseam but I think I need to loose about 20 or 30 lbs for my legs to come in close enough to the bike. Bummer, loosing weight is so hard

 

[Cyclepath]

I may be the weird one here, but on my Gen 1, I use the Sargeant World Sport seat, AND I've actually had the rear suspension (HyperPro) raised 3/4" higher than stock.

I have a 32 / 33" inseam, am able to plant the full sole of my boots at stops, and do find the rear raised does make this big girl pretty much drop into the curves.

 

[NorCal FJR]

I am one of the vertically challenged FJR riders with about a 30 inch inseam and like George said I had Seth LAAM rework my seat. He narrowed the front and I am very comfortable with my footing now. When I did my ride in I asked for him to lower the seat, but he said it was the width that causes the problem. One thing I will add, is when I put the new rear shock (Penske) it raised my seat height by about an inch.

 

[art miller]

I have a 30.5" inseam and with the Laam seat in low position I cannot flat foot at rest but can get a solid footing on the balls of my feet. I bought the seat from HotRodZilla on this forum so I had no input on the shaping of the seat. Perhaps I will stop by and have Seth customize the forward section sometime on my way to Oregon.

 

[Bounce]

I put less credence in seat height than some. If you can touch a single tip toe down then your good. Maybe it's a dirt bike thing. If the seat is high then pushing it around can be done while dismounted instead of duck walking it. Beyond that, slow-speed drills would be the thing to work on so you can do parking lot speeds with feet up.

At least, like I said, that's my approach.

 

[mcatrophy]

I put less credence in seat height than some. If you can touch a single tip toe down then your good. Maybe it's a dirt bike thing. If the seat is high then pushing it around can be done while dismounted instead of duck walking it. Beyond that, slow-speed drills would be the thing to work on so you can do parking lot speeds with feet up.
At least, like I said, that's my approach.

That's ok if you only ever stop on a good, flat, non-slippery surface.

For those of us who stop in more challenging places (off-road parking, fuel pumps where diesel has been spilt, sloping car-parks, steep-cambered roads), we like to have a bit more of a purchase.

One example from my recent Scottish run - a parking place whose surface was fairly hard gravel, but with moss, lichen, other stuff growing over it, and very wet.



Very slippery, almost no grip at all. It would be very easy to stop on it, put a toe down, and find it slipping away ...

I've a 31 inch inseam, weigh less than 150 pounds (which can make a difference) and I have the so-called "comfort" seat in its lower position. Sitting normally, I can get the balls of both my feet down. If I slide right forward, I can just flat foot - but with straight knees you can't do very much. (I sometimes do this just to stretch my legs when stopped at lights.)

FWIW I was once asked to do a pictorial comparison between the standard and "comfort" seats, I posted it here.

 

[Bounce]

I still contend that's less of an issue if a little ingenuity is used. Sliding a cheek off and skootching forward on the seat gets a leg down with a flat foot.

Alternately, changing the world to fit seems futile where this might be a better option.

 

[vandy]

Sliding forward and off to the side becomes a little bit of an issue because I ride with my wife as a passenger much of the time. I hate to spend money when I don't need to but I think the Laam might be the way I end up going. I won't be able to do a rid in for a fit but I don't think that will be much of an issue, The hardest part might be trying to pick the material without being there. I actually like the surface of the stock seat.

 

[HotRodZilla]

I put less credence in seat height than some. If you can touch a single tip toe down then your good. Maybe it's a dirt bike thing. If the seat is high then pushing it around can be done while dismounted instead of duck walking it. Beyond that, slow-speed drills would be the thing to work on so you can do parking lot speeds with feet up.
At least, like I said, that's my approach.

Yup. Gotta agree with Bounce on this one. I want to laugh every time I see someone griping about not being able to "flat-foot" their bike. Especially when it comes to doing that with both feet. Hell, I don't remember if I could do that with my VTX. I'm not very tall, and my legs are thick, which also translates to strong, but I think, more than that, I'm just used to it. Especially on my dirt bike. Hell, I can barely touch the ground from that mo-fo, but the clearance is amazing. No way in the world I'm lowering my FJR, and if I lower the seat height, my comfort goes to ****. That's the reason I sold Art that Lamm seat. It was too low and killing me, but I bought that off another Forum member, so not made for me either.

As far as Mac's assessment, I'll argue that point. I have parked in some FUBAR places, but I'm deliberate and pay attention to what I'm doing. My mom lives down a gravel road, and I park in places many don't like riding all the time. No need to flat-foot the bike. BUT, I'm one of those guys who will take the time to learn how to adjust to my belongings, before altering them to fit me.

Seriously, those who have never spent decent time on a dirt bike are missing some very useful skills. FWIW, I've dropped my bike a few times, but never because I failed to deploy my kick-stand or deployed it improperly. The times I dropped it, the ground was so bad being able to flat-foot it would not have helped. I should have been paying better attention.

 

[mcatrophy]

...

As far as Mac's assessment, I'll argue that point. I have parked in some FUBAR places, but I'm deliberate and pay attention to what I'm doing. My mom lives down a gravel road, and I park in places many don't like riding all the time. No need to flat-foot the bike. BUT, I'm one of those guys who will take the time to learn how to adjust to my belongings, before altering them to fit me.

Seriously, those who have never spent decent time on a dirt bike are missing some very useful skills. FWIW, I've dropped my bike a few times, but never because I failed to deploy my kick-stand or deployed it improperly. The times I dropped it, the ground was so bad being able to flat-foot it would not have helped. I should have been paying better attention.

That's ok, everybody argues with me, why should you be different

? But for me, I wouldn't like to be unable to get a bit more of both my feet down than just the tips of my toes. Not saying it's necessary, just to do with my personal comfort zone.

I'll add that I've not wanted to alter my bike in any way (other than putting on the "comfort" seat that I got at no cost

when I bought the bike).

 

[Gurock]

I have a 29.5" inseam and an 07 AE. My bike has an RDL seat which is about 5 years old and was built for a 6'2" rider at 210 lbs. When I got it I was 6'0' and 315 lbs. Now I'm 225 lbs but the seat has worn down and compressed some from time and weight. Also my FJR has 43k miles and the original suspension. With all that I can practically flat foot when I slide forward in the saddle. I never rode dirt and getting a firm grip with my feet is important to me. I do agree with others that riders who have done dirt are just typically better riders and have an easier time with a tall bike.