[danlalan]

Originally Posted by clementw

Hi all. I am above 6 feet and I have a historical back problem and was off bikes for many years. Now the itch to get back on the saddle at least on weekends is tempting me to take a plunge.

I had a similar problem with back issues. Used to ride a 1000rr etc. After broken back went off bikes.
I got back to bikes with a impluse. i see that as a good comfortable option, Good for the back, and easy with tall riders and not heavy on the pocket.

[asbshyam]

if you are looking for a true blue commuter, the Pulsar series is not a bad option. I'm a 6 footer and have been riding a Pulsar 180 UG4 for the last 10 years. I did some touring on it till a couple of years back. It's really a good bike with some attention to maintenance.

I trust today's 150 would have similar ergonomics to the previous/current 180, with the split seat and clip on bars. Back then, the 150's ergonomics did not fit best for me and the 180 was more comfortable.


It's not bad looking either

[royalbeat]

Bullet 350 and Bullet 350 ES (previously called Electra) would be good rides for you. Couple of my tall friends vouch for these bikes' seating for them.
However, I am not sure about difference in features of these two bikes.

[anand.shankar]

I'm 6.3, here is my take, dont go by the seat height.you are already tall, a taller perch may be awkward while riding.

The classics will look kinda puny since ur legs will cover most of the tank.

Electra or STd may be ok.

GIXXR 250, I wont touch it, its handle is set so low and non existent windscreen feels like ur ridingbholdingbthe front axle! I found it to be the most uncomfortable bike for a talk person.

Himalayan- is almost perfect, except if you have long legs, your knee is going to fowl with the tank recess and the exoskeleton. In the event of emergency braking or a frontal crash it might dig into your knee. Test ride it, might be a different experience for you.

Thunderbird - probably the best fit for giants, low seat, plus raised tank, relaxed seating makes you feel at home. I have a TB500 btw, and feels snug. I have taken it out for over 200kms though.

My previous bike was CBR, and it was comfy as well, it's no longer on sales but maybe if you are considering used bikes, you can give it a try.

If you budget stretches, Interceptor, Ninja 650, Versys, Vstorm are all good fits.

Bikes like Avenger, Street 750, Intruder have a low seat as well as low set tank, makes you knee stick out above the tank, I find it a visual turn off.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Gixxer 250.

My son is 6'4" and was instantly comfortable on it compared to all other bikes he tested.

Cheers, Doc

Junior Doc ... my man mountain.







Cheers, Doc

[yogeshnaik]

Originally Posted by clementw

Hi all. I am above 6 feet and I have a historical back problem and was off bikes for many years...

Royal Enfield Bullet ES is BS6 version, it’s Electra only but in a different paint scheme. No chrome. The riding posture is excellent for tall riders. You need to take a Test Drive before conclusion, if more comfortable cruising geometry is needed, then Meteor will be released which is an upgraded version of Thunderbird.

[RSimonS]

Please do test ride the facelifted G310GS from BMW. Current price is right and it is a very good bike for the Indian roads. You would get it cheap in the second hand market without much mileage on the odo

[locusjag]

I test rode the Suzuki VStrom 250 today at the MPC Suzuki showroom in Medavakkam, Chennai. We keep hearing often about the VStrom 250 being suitable for tall riders, so if you're curious about its suitability for tall riders as I was, read on!

About me: 6'4" tall, 80 kgs, lanky with longer arms/legs than the torso.

The big 'Why': I've had a 2017 RE Electra with a custom-fabricated elongated and heightened seat quite happily for occasional joy-rides on Sundays with my kid, for school drops/pick-ups and the occasional 20 km commute.

I've just happened to switch to an employer that has 40 car parking slots for 1000 employees in Chennai - and reserving car parking is a major pain, but there are no constraints around parking 2 wheelers in the office. So I've been forced to commute 60 km in a day all of a sudden on my Electra. Its lack of refinement has begun rankling me now, after all these years. If it had a refined engine, I would be able to avoid dense city traffic on Chennai's GST road by taking the free-flowing Chennai bypass expressway instead, for peace of mind and to save time. I actually tried plying the Electra on the Chennai bypass maybe 5 or 6 times but it simply shook all over at 70 kmph+ and reminded me of the old quote by George Foreman about boxing - "gets your brain shook and your money took...". I was sure to suffer some sort of financially costly consequence of riding the Electra on the expressway - either a blown engine or some medical emergency. I don't want my wallet took! I just want a jolly commute.

So it got me wishing - what if I got a highway-capable motorcycle that is suitable for tall riders which also has good fuel efficiency? Did I need to look any further than the Suzuki VStrom 250 SX?

The big 'What':
So here's what happened today with the VStrom 250 and I.

I sat on the famed 835 mm tall seat and my long legs, quite visibly bent at the knees, simply couldn't find the front seat pegs - they were somewhere behind me! I somehow managed to plant my feet on the pegs way back over there and tried putting the engine through its paces - but I just couldn't, since the sales rep was firmly planted on the pillion seat. The showroom has a "no solo main road" test ride policy, you see. And since the rep was busy talking to customers on the phone on the back seat, I politely kept the speeds low. There were heavy crosswinds and I didn't want their other customers miffed, holding their phones away from their ears on account of all the wind noise.

If I wanted a solo test ride, I was expected to do it in a 10 foot wide gully with stray dogs and buffalos as witnesses. Thus spake the all-knowing, all-encompassing watchman and there wasn't a higher-order authority in the showroom to appeal to. Even the sales-rep bowed down to Him in all his blue and black uniformed glory.

So it came to be that after finishing my slow main road test ride and dropping off the sales rep, the canines and bovines of Medavakkam's 10 foot gully got to witness me putting a VStrom 250 through its paces, while staying seated on the pillion rider's seat. It just didn't work. I had to bend too far forward. Come to think about it - the stray animals in Medavakkam's famed 10 ft gully can probably tell you all about the pros and cons of the Suzuki VStrom 250, since the showroom's watchman enforces the "no solo main road test ride" policy very strictly. Anyhow, I quickly rode the bike back to the showroom and earned the approval of the all-powerful watchman. I sought his blessings, his opinion on the state of the economy and his permission for me to ride back home on my Electra. I feel very lucky that he didn't imprison me or worse, for crimes not declared. I just know that I wasn't welcome and that I had lasers boring twin holes, forehead-width apart, into my back all along.

The 'What next': I'm just an out-sized ape among India's population. There's no mass-market motorcycle that's 100% suitable for someone like myself and I can't quite blame anyone.

I could always continue commuting on my Electra with its custom-fabricated seats and its torquey sub-70 kmph performance envelope in Chennai's city traffic. There is no absolute need for me to be able to traverse an expressway instead of navigating through city traffic.

But since the enthusiast in me has sustained a certain bug bite injury now, I will at least satisfy my curiosity with test rides of what's out in the market. I hear that KTM is in deep financial trouble, so its alternative offerings are off the table in my mind. Honda's Big Wing products beckon. The Honda CB 200X is an anemic commuter option and the H'ness 350 is a tall-geared option but comes in with a low 800 mm seat-height. Let's see. With the right foot-peg placement, who knows if the H'ness 350 might do the trick for me?

Setting off on a tangent, the Yamaha Aerox 155 S is also an option - probably ill-suited given that my knees won't fit within its body, but still, it's a welcome test ride opportunity. If I stick both my knees out, the Aerox might just serve me well with its cruising ability on the Chennai bypass. At the very least, I'll get to test ride it and enjoy a few moments of glee for free.

[rookieraj]

I stand 6'3" tall and weigh a ton. As an owner of the Classic 350 (Reborn) and the Himalayan 450 I can unequivocally say that for me, personally, both the bikes are comfortable to ride.

I was initially apprehensive of the slightly rear set foot pegs of the Himalayan 450 but with time I have realized that they do not cause any discomfort, even on long rides. My knees do not brush against the tank cage. I have fallen off it a couple of times and it is always the ankle that got stuck below the bike, never the knee.

I avoid getting my pictures taken on the Classic 350 because it appears to be puny with my considerable bulk atop it. Riding posture, riding comfort and performance has never been a cause for complaint with it.

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by locusjag

I test rode the Suzuki VStrom 250 today at the MPC Suzuki showroom in Medavakkam, Chennai. We keep hearing often about the VStrom 250 being suitable for tall riders, so if you're curious about its suitability for tall riders as I was, read on!

About me: 6'4" tall, 80 kgs, lanky with longer arms/legs than the torso.

The big 'Why': I've had a 2017 RE Electra with a custom-fabricated elongated and heightened seat quite happily for occasional joy-rides on Sundays with my kid, for school drops/pick-ups and the occasional 20 km commute.

I've just happened to switch to an employer that has 40 car parking slots for 1000 employees in Chennai ... So I've been forced to commute 60 km in a day all of a sudden on my Electra. Its lack of refinement has begun rankling me now, after all these years.

Knowing what's out there in the market in the price range that I'm comfortable with, I simply couldn't let go of the Suzuki VStrom 250 in my mind. So I took a 2nd test ride at SMK Suzuki in Porur, Chennai. These guys are pretty chilled and tossed me the keys to the bike. I loved riding it up and down a busy city road as I pleased, through all gears and rev ranges.

Here are the pros and cons of the motorcycle, as I see it from my narrow view point.

Pros:
* It is a Japanese motorycle, so reliability can be reasonably expected from it
* It is a smooth motorcycle (versus the vibration-heavy UCE Electra of mine)
* Accelerates quickly, so it it will quickly get me out of risky slow moving vehicle packs onto open roads with less traffic
* Is very stable
* Has alloy wheels with tubeless tyres, so that gives it added puncture-resistance (versus the tubed tyres of my Electra)
* Gives me confidence to take the expressway to office and back, thereby opening up the possibility of avoiding city traffic after a long day's work
* Suzuki service centers exist near home and office

Cons:
* For 6'4" of me, the rear seat's height is more appropriate than the front seat! I mean, I could sit on the front seat, but the front foot pegs are too far behind and my legs need to buckle beneath my thighs so as to be aligned under my hips. That creates an uncomfortable feeling while riding the VStrom. In contrast, my feet are roughly beneath the front handle bars on my Electra.

Anyhow, I got a nice 2.5 lac on-road price quoted for it, but at the moment I'm more worried about confirming if I can get a custom seat height modification done on the motorcycle or not. I'm going to take my sweet time working through the knots that I find myself tied into.

My savior, Yamaha lining works (https://maps.app.goo.gl/qpDFKfAghLA8DRfr8) is not responding to my phone calls at the moment. These guys had customized a tall & long seat for my Electra back in 2018. Everything depends on these guys for now...

All good things take their time and worst case - if I never get to properly meet this legend of mine, so be it. My Electa still allows me to commute to work via dense city traffic; I'll simply admire the VStrom from afar as the one that got away.

[ringsoftime]

The VStrom 250's footpegs were unintuitive even for a short rider like me. But it was smooth riding and had a very light feel to it. I must ask, have you tried Scrambler 400 though? Similar seat height and would be a good commuter for a tall person IMO.

[PreethamNag]

From what I have seen most Adventure ish motorcycle comes with a bit rearset pegs that can accommodate saddling. Think there can be 2 options 1. A cruiser ish motorcycle like meteor 350 with forward set foot pegs 2 Get the Vstrom and spend time with a good seat guy increase the seat height along with handlebar risers

[locusjag]

Originally Posted by ringsoftime

The VStrom 250's footpegs were unintuitive even for a short rider like me. But it was smooth riding and had a very light feel to it. I must ask, have you tried Scrambler 400 though? Similar seat height and would be a good commuter for a tall person IMO.

Triumph's service centers are situated too far from my home and work.

Originally Posted by PreethamNag

From what I have seen most Adventure ish motorcycle comes with a bit rearset pegs that can accommodate saddling. Think there can be 2 options 1. A cruiser ish motorcycle like meteor 350 with forward set foot pegs 2 Get the Vstrom and spend time with a good seat guy increase the seat height along with handlebar risers

I have only ridden the VStrom and the Himalayan 450 among adventure bikes. Somehow the Himalayan's ergonomics were spot on and its foot pegs didn't seem to be far back.

My seat guy said he can't work with the Vstrom's seat, so I've long since ruled it out.

In fact, I went ahead and got myself a Honda H'ness around 10 days ago. This motorcycle works for tall people who ride solo. I am happy with it