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Mark Hinchliffe·
NewsMotorbike news
··6 Comments·1 min read

Low motorcycle seats should be free

Top 10 tips for short motorcyclists low

Several motorcycle manufacturers now recognise that shorter riders are not being catered for by bikes with tall seats, so they are offering low seat options.

However, these are usually not free. You have to buy the bike with the original tall seat then buy the short seat option sometimes costing as much as $600, depending on the model.

It’s highway robbery and it’s no wonder motorcycle companies are struggling.


Seat rip-off

Providing a low-seat option is great, but making the customer pay for the seat is ridiculous.

You can’t use two seats on the one bike. You only want one.

So why should you have to buy a standard seat when you really only want the lower option?

It should be a free option.

While most manufacturers charge for the lower seat, some retailers do offer it free to seal a deal.

Seat height issueTop 10 tips for short motorcyclists low

The issue of seat heights is one that comes up again and again, particularly among women, who on average are shorter.

In Australia, the average height of an adult male is 1784mm (5’10.2″) and women are 1639mm (5’4.5″). American men are slight shorter (1782mms) and women are slightly taller (1641mm (5′ 4.6″).

See also

But if motorcycle companies want to reach out to more customers, they have to appeal to ethnicities that have shorter riders, such as many Asian nations.

In fact, the two biggest motorcycle markets in the world, China and India, have very short average heights. China is 1694mm (5′ 6.7″) for males and 1586mm (5′ 2.5″) for females, while Indians are 1653mm (5′ 5″) for males and 1653mm (5′ 5″) for females.

Tips for short riders

Not all short riders are daunted by tall seats, though.Our article which lists the seat heights of all road motorcycles is regularly one of the most viewed on our website. Click here to read the article which is regularly updated with new models.Motorcycle seat height is a barrier to short people and those who lack confidence when they can only reach the ground with their toes.

There are ways to overcome tall seats.

Click here for more details on how to ride a tall bike.

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Mark Hinchliffe
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6 Comments

  1. Having both the low and normal seats would make the bike easier to sell later. I have seen some bikes for sale with a modified lower seat or suspension and thought, “I won’t buy that.”

  2. I actually find i have problems as a tall rider…While cars come with fully adjustable seats and steering .On bikes it really is take it or leave it.Surely it is not that hard to set them up at the dealership to suit the individual ,Seat ,handlebars and not even that hard to give some leeway in the foot controls. Amazing what a difference a few small changes can make to the comfort of the ride

  3. Hip, hip hooray… someone is listening! There is a fairly simple solution to the below average height, average height, above average height seat issue. Manufacture one universal seat but mount it on blocks that can be set at a range of 3 heights from 750mm – 785mm – 820mm. That will take care of general road bikes and scooters.

    Thanks for the article Mark.

  4. What about the dumbo decision of Factories that recognize the vertically challenged rider and narrow it at the tank and take the cushion down to sub minimal thickness and loudly proclaim it’s a great outcome.
    But don’t worry about the 90 % of taller men that need that previous higher and wider seat.
    Also a reason not to buy a bike, which is a shame as this idiot thinking slams hard on smaller capacities like the 300 -500 cc bikes which are a penalised even though they suit many riders real needs.

  5. You would think that it should be free, if a prospective purchaser must have a lower seat. Sale or no sale.

  6. I recently bought a BMW R1200 GS A with a standard seat height of 890mm, as seat heights go, this is tall. I have consequently purchased two seats with lower profiles but still do not feel confident when stopping the bike under some circumstances. I have been riding for 45 years and have never had this issue before. I do not understand why BMW builds bikes that can only be safely ridden by 30% of the population. I have ordered one more seat that may give me that extra inch to improve my confidence but failing that the bike will have to go, I won’t compromise safety.

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