[homeyjosey]

hi everyone…lately i’ve been debating whether to go yamaha vstar 650 or a suzuki gs500f…i know they’re two different bikes but i like both equally(just leaning towards the gs500 because its generally cheapper)….but my question is I can pretty much flat foot the vstar and can tipy toe the gs500…as a rider who is taking the msf class next week will the gs500’s seat height bother me too much as a new rider? thank you

[Munch]

Which one do you feel more comfortable with….never mind money never mind what we say. Comfort lends a lot to safety.In general when people ask I would point them towards what they can flat foot. However you have 2 completely different style bikes there and you really need to go do a sit down on both and compare.

[SantaCruzRider]

I agree with Munch on the comfort question.

As for your specific question: being able to flat foot is definately a confidence builder. And being on your tip toes can be dangerous, especially for a new rider. When you say you are on your toes, does that mean that you have the balls of both feet down? If so, then you may be OK. But if you are truly on your toes or on just one foot, you put yourself in a situation where you may not be able to get your foot down when you’re sideways on a slope or you stop and your feet are in dip in the road. You also have no traction of leverage for walking the bike back out of a space.

Another thing to consider is that many bikes can be modified for shorter riders. Search this site for more info on options — some are fairly simple and cheap.

[RedFireBird]

are you wearing tennis shoes? boots will give you extra height for flatfooting a bike.

[ranette]

It actually depends on how much “help” you need. If you can get the balls of your feet down pretty solidly, a higher heel will get you flat footed. However, if, like me, your really stubby legs won’t even get you that far, a higher heel won’t do much for you. What will help is a thicker front sole. Too bad I couldn’t get these under my shifter, http://www.wildfree.com/prods/dem-stack308.html.

Personally, not being able to flat foot for me is an inconvenience, but I’ve learned to work around it, and on flat ground it is pretty much of a non issue. When the pavement isn’t flat it can add a bit of adventure to coming to a stop, I’ve had a few moments when I went to put my left foot on the ground and the ground wasn’t there. Never dropped, but a couple of struggles. All in all, I wouldn’t let seat height be THE determining factor in your choice of bike, A factor yes, but a high seat height is something that can be overcome with, like everything else we’re learning, practice and repetition.

[gsmurfette]

I’d say go with what is more comfortable. There are a number of ways to sit a bit lower. You can shave the actual seat down, and you can lower the bike, this can also make it a bit harder to handle. Do your research, don’t quote me. I’ve been doing research because the bike my hubby likes is 31.5 inches from seat to ground. He’s too short for that. I think I could flat foot it, but him, not so much. He’s also experienced and has dealt with a high bike before. We like “sports” bikes, more like sport-tourers, but we still get thrown in the sport class. I personally hate sitting on a cruiser. I had to ride one in MSF, and I didn’t enjoy it for a second (freakin’ v-star’s…the foot pegs are SO far forward, could barely stand up to go over boards). I don’t like sitting back either. It’s just a personality thing. Don’t make your decision based on $.

[Author]

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