Tall people on sport bikes
Discussion
I've got my daytona 675 and it's a great bike but I need some advice on riding the bloody thing.
I just feel like I'm too tall so feel like I have to really stretch my arms out to reach the handle bars which is putting pressure on my back/neck.
I've only ridden about 80 miles so early days but I just want to see if there are solutions /tips before I go back to MT-07.
First ride my wrists were killing me so I looked into it and realised I should be putting my weight on them which was good but now my back and neck are suffering!
I'm 6ft 3 for context.
I just feel like I'm too tall so feel like I have to really stretch my arms out to reach the handle bars which is putting pressure on my back/neck.
I've only ridden about 80 miles so early days but I just want to see if there are solutions /tips before I go back to MT-07.
First ride my wrists were killing me so I looked into it and realised I should be putting my weight on them which was good but now my back and neck are suffering!
I'm 6ft 3 for context.
Wrists won’t hurt once you learn to put your weight through your core / legs and you loosen your grip.
Neck / back hurts as your sitting too close to tank causing strain by being upright with straight arms.
Slide back in seat a bit, drop elbows, loosen grip and support your weight through your legs and things will be much easier.
It’s a sportsbike though - it’s never going to be comfortable like an MT07.
Neck / back hurts as your sitting too close to tank causing strain by being upright with straight arms.
Slide back in seat a bit, drop elbows, loosen grip and support your weight through your legs and things will be much easier.
It’s a sportsbike though - it’s never going to be comfortable like an MT07.
rich12 said:
I've got my daytona 675 and it's a great bike but I need some advice on riding the bloody thing.
I just feel like I'm too tall so feel like I have to really stretch my arms out to reach the handle bars which is putting pressure on my back/neck.
I've only ridden about 80 miles so early days but I just want to see if there are solutions /tips before I go back to MT-07.
First ride my wrists were killing me so I looked into it and realised I should be putting my weight on them which was good but now my back and neck are suffering!
I'm 6ft 3 for context.
What do you mean you “should be putting your weight on your wrists”? You really shouldn’t be. Follow the advice above, I never understood why people complained about sportsbikes being uncomfortable until I saw their body position and it all made sense. Learn to sit on a bike correctly and it all makes sense and they are very comfy IMO. I just feel like I'm too tall so feel like I have to really stretch my arms out to reach the handle bars which is putting pressure on my back/neck.
I've only ridden about 80 miles so early days but I just want to see if there are solutions /tips before I go back to MT-07.
First ride my wrists were killing me so I looked into it and realised I should be putting my weight on them which was good but now my back and neck are suffering!
I'm 6ft 3 for context.
Heavy feet, light hands, grip the tank with your knees, try keep your forearms parallel with the ground. Then realize you bought a compromised road bike and should have bought something with a more upright riding position like a street triple rs, which I found fantastically comfortable at 6'2". And my lower back didn't hurt after 10 minutes. ymmv.
My last 2 bikes have been Sportsbikes (Blade and H2) and never had any issues with wrists hurting. As said weight on legs and grip tank. I've done 800+ miles on the H2 to the TT no issues with wrists and 1800 miles on the blade touring in a week and again no issues with wrists.
When I hear people talk of pain in the wrists I always assumed i was lucky with the sports bikes I have chosen. Maybe it's just down to body position
Only issues I get with long distance is my hips but I've had a few ops due to issues with my hips
edited to add i'm 6ft 2" and not small
When I hear people talk of pain in the wrists I always assumed i was lucky with the sports bikes I have chosen. Maybe it's just down to body position
Only issues I get with long distance is my hips but I've had a few ops due to issues with my hips
edited to add i'm 6ft 2" and not small
Edited by RemaL on Wednesday 25th July 08:22
Cardinal Hips said:
Heavy feet, light hands, grip the tank with your knees, try keep your forearms parallel with the ground. Then realize you bought a compromised road bike and should have bought something with a more upright riding position like a street triple rs, which I found fantastically comfortable at 6'2". And my lower back didn't hurt after 10 minutes. ymmv.
Yeah but then there would be too much wind 
Ryan-nunm9 said:
As above - Body postioning.
Also, you say that it's only been 80 miles! You need to get more miles/hours in the saddle to let you body get used to the new position.
Yeh I know, that's why I was just asking for pointers.Also, you say that it's only been 80 miles! You need to get more miles/hours in the saddle to let you body get used to the new position.
I'm really enjoying the bike and know it's all me because when i'm doing 70+ the wind takes most of my weight and it feels great, no pressure on anything then as soon as I slow down it goes onto my wrists.
Biker's Nemesis said:
RemaL said:
Only issues I get with long distance is my hips but I've had a few ops due to issues with my hips
edited to add i'm 6ft 2" and not small
I never had bother either until I damaged my hip. Now sports bikes on the road are no good for me.edited to add i'm 6ft 2" and not small
RemaL said:
Why no good? compared to the track John ?
The 3 screws that hold the neck of my femur to my hip cause what I can only describe as a "dead leg" around my hip area.I wouldn't entertain a bike like my MT10 if I could still ride a sports bike on the road for any distance, I wouldn't have sold my old 5vy R1 either.
On the track it's getting nearly impossible to hold a decent pace due to the pain, I have to be carefull to as my body position is shocking but I can't do anything about it.
The knackered hip is also on my false leg side so the problem is compounded.
Sorry for banging on again for those that have heard this many times before.
Funny you say you find the MT07 comfortable being tall - I did my DAS on one and a guy over 6ft doing lessons with me made it look absolutely tiny, especially when his weight was on it, he was not a fan at all and had previous sports-bike experience (riding without a license for years apparently!) - I can see how the super upright position would be comfortable for slower riding / commuting though.
Are you a new rider? - Being new myself I am learning / getting used to things every time I go out on the bike, it could be something you will adapt to if you take on some of the advice about body position.
Are you a new rider? - Being new myself I am learning / getting used to things every time I go out on the bike, it could be something you will adapt to if you take on some of the advice about body position.
Edited by Rick1.8t on Wednesday 25th July 11:49
As above, learning to use your core and knees to hold you on the bike makes them a fair bit more comfortable.
I found that adding tank grips made a huge difference and stopped my sliding about in my seat (front/back) so much. It made the bike much more comfortable for me, and it gave much more confidence to lean the bike over.
That said, it is a sports bike and trundling around towns with 30/40 limits killed me. I am 6ft 2ins and had GSX-Rs for several years but I finally moved on this year and got a Z1000SX.
I found that adding tank grips made a huge difference and stopped my sliding about in my seat (front/back) so much. It made the bike much more comfortable for me, and it gave much more confidence to lean the bike over.
That said, it is a sports bike and trundling around towns with 30/40 limits killed me. I am 6ft 2ins and had GSX-Rs for several years but I finally moved on this year and got a Z1000SX.
Biker's Nemesis said:
RemaL said:
Why no good? compared to the track John ?
The 3 screws that hold the neck of my femur to my hip cause what I can only describe as a "dead leg" around my hip area.I wouldn't entertain a bike like my MT10 if I could still ride a sports bike on the road for any distance, I wouldn't have sold my old 5vy R1 either.
On the track it's getting nearly impossible to hold a decent pace due to the pain, I have to be carefull to as my body position is shocking but I can't do anything about it.
The knackered hip is also on my false leg side so the problem is compounded.
Sorry for banging on again for those that have heard this many times before.
who don't use the search function All of the advice above about body positioning/where you put the weight through is spot on, and I can’t add to it.
The reason for the reply is to say that I found tank grips helped A LOT on my Daytona, more than any other bike. Gives your knees some purchase which in return enables you to better use your core.
I used techspec as opposed to the more popular stompgrips, as they supposedly don’t damage your leathers quite as much.
4 years and 20,000 miles, no leather damage, but the grips wore enough that had I not sold the bike, I’d have probably changed them for aesthetic purposes.
The reason for the reply is to say that I found tank grips helped A LOT on my Daytona, more than any other bike. Gives your knees some purchase which in return enables you to better use your core.
I used techspec as opposed to the more popular stompgrips, as they supposedly don’t damage your leathers quite as much.
4 years and 20,000 miles, no leather damage, but the grips wore enough that had I not sold the bike, I’d have probably changed them for aesthetic purposes.
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