FZ6R questions: seat width, lowering etc. from a FZ6 owner

[mrphotoman]

Hey, I am from the FZ6 forum and I am considering upgrading my gf's bike to a fz6r. She is short, VERY short so I am having a hard time finding a sporty bike she can ride. She is currently on a Buell Blast as her first bike, about 1.5 years later she is ready for something new. She has the low seat (25.5" I think) and we even had to cut it down .5" and drop the forks 1.5" for her, and she can flat foot and even with her knees bent a little for when she was learning. She should be able to get away with a 26" seat height or a little more.

She really does not care for cruisers so now I am looking at a fz6r and a monster 696.

I know this thread may go on the classic "don't lower it or you will die", "lowering is over rated", "get a 250" etc.

She needs the bike lowered, she is 4' 11". Anyone that has personal experience with lowering the FZ6R any information you have would be greatly appreciated.

Is the seat width of the FZ6R as wide as the FZ6? When she sits on my bike, even with the seat off she can not touch the ground at all. Is the FZ6R seat, stock lower and more narrow than the FZ6? If anyone has both bikes, would you mind taking a photo looking down on the seats and posting them up to compare?

I am hoping with a 2" drop, dropping the forks 2" and cutting out the seat 2" if possible she can reach the ground lol.

Thanks again!

 

[JT]

I would not recomend lowering the front end 2". I have it at 2" and it bottoms out too easily.... definitaly do the 2" rear. I dont know how much oyu can get out of the seat itself but I beleive the stock seat hight is about 30"

Another recomendation is riding botts with a heel.

 

[Marthy]

The lowering link get the bike quite low. I ran a 1 3/8" drop on the front fork with no issue. You might be able to push 1 1/2" I have a 30" inseams and I can flat foot the bike with the pegs touching the inner part of my calf. I feel like I can do a split...lol I got the link thinking upgrading for a FZ1 a while ago but lost the deal. The link was for my wife also.

Getting the front fork pass that might bottom up on the fender? But that would be an excellent bike for her... a little heavy but if she got some miles under her belt she will be fine.

 

[BKP]

I was thinking a lowering link as well, and take 1/2" out of the seat (perhaps replace the open cell with thinner closed cell foam)... however, more importantly, how will she be with the extra 100 lbs.?

I agree with Marthy, that with a few miles, she'll be fine... as long as she's initially expecting that leap of going from a 360lb. bike to a top-heavy 470...

Good luck, and ride safe...

 

[Marthy]

My wife drove the 6R few time without the lowering link and stock seat and she was fine at 5'3". But I packed an extra 1 1/2" of padding and redid my stock seats... Now she need the lowering link. You could always use the #1 shock setting... that's what I did for my wife and it lower the bike quite a lot using more sag...

 

[mrphotoman]

Thanks for the info so far, I appreciate it.

Here may be some helpful info to add to the thread for others looking for the same info as I am:

Adjust the seat height (how much does this lower it?):
http://www.600cc.org/forum/f91/how-adjust-seat-height-17349/

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f89/lowering-front-back-my-2012-6r-26213/

First off, welcome. You will find lots of friendly and informative help here. That being said, the search box is your friend. You can generally find all of your answers there first. Not trying to be a jerk; just trying to inform.

In regards to assistance, check these out:

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f89/roaring-toyz-lowering-link-install-18089/

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f89/lowered-her-bit-25649/

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f87/fz6r-super-street-bikes-magazine-24049/index2.html

Hope that helped. Once again welcome!

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f87/lowering-bike-down-short-person-18236/

+1.

At 5'0" I'm still not a full flat-foot, but darn close. It made a world of difference and I even like the handling better.

The install was not too hard. It took me and hubby about 2 hours to do, with front lowering.

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f96/another-roaring-toyz-lowering-link-installed-19044/

Yesterday, angelsneverlose (Chris) came over to the house and we met for the first time. I was having an "open garage" mod fest and had bikes in from NJ, NY, MA, NH and ME. Chris didn't have the space or tools needed to install the link, so he brought it to the guy who wrote the document.

We got him in between mods on other bikes and it was done in very short order. We installed the link and dropped the triples 1.25" in the front. He's quite happy with the end result! Of course, this is for his fiancé as he's now on the R6 but he does use this bike to commute to work.

Chris is a good guy and I was glad to help him out. Here's his FZ6R after we'd lowered it.

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f87/fz6r-got-some-new-parts-its-ready-my-girl-22427/index3.html

My wife is on the short side too. But with #1 the bike sag enough for her to be ok with the height. She would need a lowering link also...

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f89/lowered-her-bit-25649/index3.html

One thing you guys can do is before you lower it look under the lower set of clamps and the dust marks should be a good indicator of how much adjustment you can do before it may bottom out.View attachment 25988

Before
View attachment 25989
After
View attachment 25990

I lowered the front end 1"

http://www.600cc.org/forum/f87/fz6r-super-street-bikes-magazine-24049/index2.html

I did mine kind of backyard garage style. Just loosened the bottom fork allen bolts then broke the seal on the top bolts and loosened them just a tounch so a litlle pressure woud slide the forks down through the clamp. Be sure not to loosen it too much so they sink all the way down. I am sure it would be a pain to get them back up. Just took my time and measured at least 4-5 times to be sure. I only did one inch. I am debating on doing adjustable clip ons over the top after this mod for sure. Especially possibly knowing you can go 2 inches. I haven't had it on highway yet which is 45miles one way to work for me though.

Here are the pics. I am considering buying a new bike.....R6S or possibly a CBR600RR. However everytime i snap a pic or take a look I say maybe not.

Can't figure out how to get the pic to show up bigger. Sorry...if you right click it it will show up bigger in a new tab

View attachment 24168

View attachment 24169

View attachment 24170

View attachment 24171

 

[nismos14]

Even after lowering link and front drop and seat adjustments, at 4'11 she will not be able to flat foot it. I am 5'3 and can almost flat foot it, and that is with the seat mod, lowering link and front forks lowered. This bike is also HEAVY, so she's going to really want to be able to flat foot it in the event that it tips just a little too far.

 

[leprecaun jon]

my bike is lowered but i have no idea how low......im 5'3"...i dont exactly flat foot but i can put enough foot down that im comfortable and stable....

 

[oldtouring b]

Consider this..

Any sportbike will be 5" taller than she is riding now. The additional weight will be a problem unless she learns to support the bike with one leg.

I am afraid you will spend a lot of time and money trying to modify a bike that will never work. If she drops it the first time out, it will become a garage victim.

Try and convince her to buy a bike that fits her perfect from the get go. You will eliminate a lot of tears and a possible breakup!

 

[z21-i]

You can also lower the front using these

Yamaha Suspension :: Motorcycle Steering :: Progressive Suspension

I have seen them on ebay for about $110 and it eliminates the bottoming out issue mentioned earlier. I cannot recall any post about them, but surely someone here has used them

 

[DakinechicK]

I am a shorty as well and had my 6r lowered. I couldn't flat foot but came close with taller shoes. The problem I noticed the most was how top heavy the bike is and that was more of a concern for me than not being flat footed on the bike.
The main thing is the bike is tall even when it's lowered and being heavier than a lot of sport bikes it can be difficult for a shorty to handle comfortably at a stop...

As for myself? I am a lot more relaxed sitting on my gixx than I was on my 6r just because it's narrower, lighter, and lower in general.

Either way..... Good luck on whatever you guys decide.

 

[nismos14]

Besides the blast, there are not many bikes that will fit her well. That's also the only bike I'd consider getting for my wife since I know should be able to flat foot it with the mods you mentioned to the one you gf rides. And my wife is SHORTT, she's 4'10.75". lol

 

[mrphotoman]

Besides the blast, there are not many bikes that will fit her well. That's also the only bike I'd consider getting for my wife since I know should be able to flat foot it with the mods you mentioned to the one you gf rides. And my wife is SHORTT, she's 4'10.75". lol

Thanks everyone for the info, we have some nice motocross boots for her and added 1.5" lifts inside from "tallmensshoes.com" lol and it added 3.5" to her inseam! She can flat foot her blast with the "tall" seat on it now which is 27.5"! without the boots she can barely touch the ground with the absolute tips of her asics.

So, with that is it possible to get the fz6r down to 27.5" with the shaved seat, 2" lowering kit and dropping the front forks?

For future reference if it helps someone else:

Boots:
Moose Racing Youth M1 Boots in black (actually good looking boots) added 2" to her height
Moose Racing Youth M1 Boots - Dirt Bike Motocross - Motorcycle Superstore

A hell of a lot cheaper than the ladystar daytona boots ($84 vs $500)

plus Height Increase Elevator Shoes Insole - 1 to 1.5 inches Taller $6.99 shipped
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003W7FEWW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00]Amazon.com: Height Increase Elevator Shoes Insole - 1 to 1.5 inches Taller: Shoes[/ame]

So for under $100 she is 3.5" taller lol.

Has anyone measured their seat height after lowering plus shaving and setting their seat to the low setting? Is the fz6r seat narrower than the fz6 seat?

 

[nismos14]

IT might work, but I think it's a real stretch.

 

[oldtouring b]

I have a stupid question..

Do the elevator innersoles add length to the lower leg?? I see them adding height to the upper body.. Like Mickey Rooney for the old farts!!