What’s Seat Height & Saddle Height In A Motorcycle?
Seat height or saddle height are both the same. Seating position plays an important role while doing the long-distance rides. So, motorcycles should be carefully chosen particularly for long-distance riding. Cruisers are best suited for long-distance riding on smooth tarmac. Typically, cruisers have the shortest seat height or saddle height of around 800mm. So, even the short riders are able to put both of their feet to the ground.
Adventure Tourers vs Cruisers:
However, if you intend to travel off-road or on unpaved roads, you may need an adventure tourer for the purpose. Typically, adventure tourers have a high seating position. Hence, the seat height or saddle height proportionally increases to accommodate the increased ground clearance.
Generally, adventure tourers have a greater overall height because of longer suspension travel. So, these bikes have higher saddle height in the range of 830mm to 850mm. So, short riders may find it difficult to put both of their feet on the ground. They may barely be able to tiptoe on such adventure bikes. In contrast, superbikes or sports bikes have a short seat height of below 800mm. However, they are most suited for short-distance riding.
Ergonomics:
To make the ride a pleasant experience, a modern motorcycle must provide a great degree of comfort. So, ergonomics plays an important role in designing the motorcycle seats & seating position. Manufacturers design the motorcycles keeping in mind the rider comfort. Besides the seat height, the inner leg curve is also an important factor, especially for short riders. It also equally depends upon the width of the seat and its shape. Seats that are narrower at the front allow easy dismounting.
Stability is very important for riders in getting perfect at their riding skills. This is true especially under the heavy traffic conditions and slow-speed maneuvering through traffic. Stability & riding comfort significantly depends upon the following factors:
- Height of the motorcycle
- Weight of the motorcycle and center of gravity
- Seat width at the front area
Customizable Seat Height or Saddle Height:
Manufacturers like BMW Motorrad incorporated this while designing the seats. So, the ground is easily reachable without compromising any comfort. Some manufacturers offer individual configuration for their motorcycles. For e.g., BMW Motorrad offers two ways of customizing the seat height of BMW motorcycles. One method is to lower the bike thru’ the continuously adjustable spring strut and fixed fork tubes. In fact, riders can do this adjustment themselves. The other method uses a special lowering kit that you can order from the BMW factory.
You can modify the seat height or saddle height separately using an adjustable saddle bracket for single seats. You can do this without using any tools or sacrificing comfort. With this method, you can lower the seat by 30 mm. BMW Motorrad also offers seats of various seat heights. They include the low seat, reupholstered or high seat, and extra padding, etc. Besides, you can order them directly from the factory at no extra charge. They can also be retrofitted as optional accessories. This allows the seat height to adjust by 30 to 40 mm.
For more information, please click here:
https://www.bmw-motorrad.in/en/experience/engineering/detail/comfort-ergonomics/ergonomics.html
