Hi guys I have bought a tiger 800xca as I wanted an adventure bike and the tigers seem to be the smaller ones. I am 5ft 5". I have a 31" Inside leg. I know I am going to need to lower the bike I am tip toes with it on lowest setting (840mm). I know it's a preference as to how much by and how comfy/confident I am on it. I have seen a 30mm lowering kit and a 40mm lowering kit at lust. Is there a major ( and I mean like really bad) downside if I lower her by 40mm?
Hi and welcome to the forum. My mate has just had his Speed Triple lowered by 40mm. He now needs to be aware of parking it in the right place as the sidestand keeps the bike more upright. He also says it is much sharper steering.
You're just a little bit taller than me; have you had time to see how you do without lowering the bike first? I know it sounds obvious, but I was quite daunted by my Hyperstrada initially as the seat height is tall however am now pretty confident on it. I can't touch the floor both sides though at all, it's reliant on me getting one solid foot down at a stop by moving off the seat a little. At a guess you bought your particular model for off road focus (as the more road focussed Tiger 800s have much lower seats), so I suppose one downside of lowering yours would be the ground clearance. You could also explore getting the seat made thinner perhaps if you don't want to change the geometry of the bike? Welcome to the forum.
Hi I'm a Tiger rider I have the 900 I am also a shorter rider at around 5'7"and I don't have much of an issue and I have a shorter inside leg than you I thought this strange until I realised you were a young lady I'm in agreement with Mrs visor on leaving it alone until you get a proper feel for the bike I find more of as issue getting on than putting my feet down flat to the floor I as probably many Do I'd stand on your nearside peg to get your leg over in the bikers meaning of course if possible when you need to stop at lights etc if convenient to do so try using the kerb to give you a bit more height until you can get used to it
A couple of comments from me. I'm 5'6" with a 30" inside leg. I rode a 900 GT Pro for some time without any real difficulty. Slightly more challenging with a full tank as they're all relatively top-heavy but it was absolutely manageable. I did try the low seat initially but it was like a plank and I had to return it almost unused.
My brother is a bit bigger younger and fitter than me he has a Tiger 1200 and he has difficulty with the centre stand on his bike and very rarely used it I on the other hand use my center stand all the time on my 900 i think if you are taught the right technique initially nearly everybody can manage to get most bikes onto the centre stand if a bike has a sleep during winter it can help with tyre care by relieving weight as loss of air during no use can cause splitting and perishing on the side walls with the full weight of the bike over time
The 900 GT Pro was the easiest bike I've ever had to get on the centre stand. Barely took any effort at all, seriously.
@Jess Lowering seems the best route. You can always take the stand of cut and rewelded to suit. Welcome to the family. Be ice to see the bike when you get it sorted. Just tap the upload a file button bottom right and let us all ogle.
Hi there, these are the things to look out for when buying a motorcycle.....can I touch the floor with both feet..can I put it on its centre stand.....manoeuvrable when not sat on it....my mate has an xrt, cannot get it on centre stand without help....my gtpro is a doddle. Hope you get sorted.
That's ideal...however for those of us more vertically challenged, the answer is "no" for most motorcycles so we have to adapt. I'd say it's "can I touch the floor with one foot down and stable?".