Seat height and being vertically challenged

[Tim with a Griso]

Hi I have a Griso 1100 and I can't really fault it (but then I am in the honeymoon period of getting to know it).
Anyway I am after advise on lowering the seat height as I feel uncomfortable being unable to put my feet down flat when manoeuvring in car parks and off road as it is no light weight.
So as I don't want to do anything to the suspension as that changes the handling, can anybody recommend where to get the seat cut down in the UK. Or, other than wearing platform boots is there another solution?

Thanks

 

[Pascal]

Well, I wanted to lower mine somehow since I'm 5.7 and not flat footed.
I took the seat off and sat on the bike to see how much lowering I'd need, lol... still not flat footed.
I bet it will be the same for you.
The problem is the width of the frame, it makes you have your hip joints spread out too much and you're losing the distance you need to touch the ground, unless you're a gymnast and can bow your legs any shape you want. :laugh:
The only way to lower the bike without altering the suspension too much would be to have a custom mounting block at the rear shock bottom (The part that looks triangular). You'd still lose some traveling range but wouldn't affect the rear shock settings. The front is just a matter of sliding the tubes up and down.
I was gonna make such a customized part but in the end I got accustomed to not being flat footed.

 

[Tim with a Griso]

Thanks Pascal,

I did wonder if it would be too much hassle, and I'd rather not start changing the trigonometry - I learnt that lesson when I dropped the suspension by 25mm on my Kawasaki 750.

Strangely I did not find the seat height a problem when I rode a 2012 Griso last week so I wonder if the previous owner has done a bit of 'adjustment' to my 2006 example.

 

[cytocycle]

The 1200 Griso has a thinner width wise seat than the 1100 Griso and the bars are pull back closer to the rider on the 1200 Griso and the pegs are higher.

I have a 30" inseam and I have the 1200 Griso which seemed slightly lower. because of the thinner width seat.

The seats are not interchangeable, but with some better foam your could be shaved a little more.

 

[Will]

The 1200 Griso has a thinner width wise seat than the 1100 Griso and the bars are pull back closer to the rider on the 1200 Griso and the pegs are higher.

I have a 30" inseam and I have the 1200 Griso which seemed slightly lower. because of the thinner width seat.

The seats are not interchangeable, but with some better foam your could be shaved a little more.

Both seats are the same width. The bases are identical and either can be fitted to any Griso. I know this because I swap my stock 1200 seat for a 1100 one when I'm carrying a pillion as she finds it more comfortable.

The real difference is that the 1100 seat (and also the leather 1200 SE one) is much flatter so it possibly feels wider. The 1200 has a more domed top and with the slightly narrower bars than the 1100 gives a surprisingly different riding position. Could you borrow a 1200 seat to try?

I'm no giant & I know the Griso is a big old beast and when I first got my first one I was intimidated by it's weight & manoeuvrability at walking pace or pushing it around, but I quickly got used to it (= too stubborn to give in!).

It might help if you raise the forks in the yokes which will make it feel lower even if its not actually that much lower. This will also make the handling / steering feel much more nimble. I have 4 'rings' showing above the top yoke and it handles nicely. I have seen 5 above the yoke but haven't tried that myself.

There are companies that make alternative links for rear shocks - I guess thats what you tried on your Kawasaki 750? I'm not sure if any are available for CARC Guzzis but it could be worth a try.....you can always swap back to standard links if it upsets the handling but in theory if you get the suspension properly set up to match after market links it should handle the same.

 

[Pascal]

The 1200 Griso has a thinner width wise seat than the 1100 Griso and the bars are pull back closer to the rider on the 1200 Griso and the pegs are higher.

I have a 30" inseam and I have the 1200 Griso which seemed slightly lower. because of the thinner width seat.

The seats are not interchangeable, but with some better foam your could be shaved a little more.

Where do you get your infos? B)

I have both bikes.
Seat structure is the same and they are interchangeable. Only the foam has a slightly different cut on the 1200.
Despite that, I never noticed a height difference while riding them when I had the suspension set up the same on both.
The bars on the 1200 are roughly 2 inches narrower but not pulled back.
The pegs are mounted on the same place since the bike frames are the same.
The 1100 has a rubber pad on them and that makes them a tad thicker so if anything, that bike would feel like it has higher pegs than the 1200, not the other way around.

 

[Tim with a Griso]

Well thanks everyone for the info.
Now you come to mention it the seat is more domed on the 1200 (and more comfortable I think).
Anyway as I doubt there is anyone out there who makes such suspension mods for a Griso, and I would not know where (or dare) to start , I agree with Will on just spending some time to live with it, which thanks to work I have not had.
Next week is another matter - the phone will be turned off and it's playtime (wife and weather permitting ).

 

[commando tod]

I agree. Just live with it and enjoy it. Why put both feet flat on the floor? The bike can`t fall both ways at the same time. In over 6 years I`ve dropped My Griso twice, TWICE. And that was because the side I leaned it to had gravel underfoot and my foot slipped. It happened, I got over it. Heavy bastard to pick up though, especially when fully tooled up for touring.
Oh, me?....... I`m 5foot 1 inch. :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: It`s true. Dynamite comes in small packages.

 

[cytocycle]

That's what I remember from the reviews and sitting on them.. so I must be showing my age.
here is a review talking about the sportier riding position
http://www.webbikeworld.com/Moto-Guzzi- ... oto-guzzi/

I've been digging for the reviews I used to justify my bike, I test rode 1100 and then ordered my 1200 2 years later and never sat on them side by side.

I'll keep hunting for the reviews but maybe it was somebody's post
Thanks for the correction
and pretty cool you own both.
Chris

The 1200 Griso has a thinner width wise seat than the 1100 Griso and the bars are pull back closer to the rider on the 1200 Griso and the pegs are higher.

I have a 30" inseam and I have the 1200 Griso which seemed slightly lower. because of the thinner width seat.

The seats are not interchangeable, but with some better foam your could be shaved a little more.

Where do you get your infos? B)

I have both bikes.
Seat structure is the same and they are interchangeable. Only the foam has a slightly different cut on the 1200.
Despite that, I never noticed a height difference while riding them when I had the suspension set up the same on both.
The bars on the 1200 are roughly 2 inches narrower but not pulled back.
The pegs are mounted on the same place since the bike frames are the same.
The 1100 has a rubber pad on them and that makes them a tad thicker so if anything, that bike would feel like it has higher pegs than the 1200, not the other way around.

 

[Pascal]

Well the 07 belong to the wife really.
We were set on the Triumph Bonnie for her but while at the Guzzi dealer in GA back in 2011, they had two brand new 07 left over stock that were just shipped to them...
I took a picture and the wife went bezerk saying mostly "Screw the Bonnie, I want that red Griso!".
So I got it for a steal ($8400), cheaper than the Triumph she had eyes on.
I'm glad because the Griso is a lot more bike, especially at that price.

So back in Orlando, I broke the bike in for about a week.
Did the first service and let the wife have it the second week at about 1200 miles on the clock.
During that time though, I was going back and forth between hers and mine and besides the engine output they were similar bike since mine was still on the sucky stock suspension settings.
The wider handle bar on the 07 was noticeable but it wasn't a huge difference.
As for the pegs, they're on the same spot on both bikes but like I said, the ones on the 1100 might jack your legs up a tad since they're thicker due to the rubber pad but I don't notice a difference in the riding position, nor is the wife (She takes the 1200 once in a while and let herself being intimidated, lol).
Now, someone else might be more sensitive to those details between the two bikes but I'm a little rough on the edges so it goes unnoticed with me. :woohoo: :woohoo:

When it comes to revues on motorcycle rags etc... don't take them too seriously.