Learn me? Tall rider info

So I'm 6'-5" and 35" inseam. 200#. I'm interested in some two wheeling but definitely only gathering info right now. (Motorcycle or scooter not bicycle). Is there anything critical that I need to consider as a tall? I'm under the assumption that "adventure" bikes will be the least ridiculous for my height. Am I making a bad assumption?

Right now I live in metro Atlanta, and I'm honestly not interested in riding around here - just too dense with inattentive drivers. In about two more years my youngest will graduate HS and we'll be free to move someplace less populous. So this is a long term exploration. 

ADV or dual-sport type bikes tend to have tall suspension. The other factor you'll need to look at is seat/peg relationships. A bike being tall doesn't always transfer to a comfortable bend in your knee.

You may also be a candidate for something with forward controls. I generally loathe them, but they do allow your legs to stretch out quite a bit. The Indian Scout is a near-perfect fit for me.

I had a KLR650 for years, and at 6' tall and 32" inseam was just barely tall enough for it. I could only slightly flat foot it when stopped and only that because my motorcycle boots had a bit of a heel. I don't know about the seat/peg relationship - it seemed comfortable to me but you're a good bit taller. 

ddavidv said:

ADV or dual-sport type bikes tend to have tall suspension. The other factor you'll need to look at is seat/peg relationships. A bike being tall doesn't always transfer to a comfortable bend in your knee.

You may also be a candidate for something with forward controls. I generally loathe them, but they do allow your legs to stretch out quite a bit. The Indian Scout is a near-perfect fit for me.

I assumed you could adjust pegs to a variety of places but didn't realize you could adjust controls also. That's interesting. 

Wind screen seems like a really important factor that will be tough for giraffes. Do I need to be resigned to the fact that I'm just too tall... like I am with most cars?

I'm not as tall as you, but I'm 6'2" with a 35" inseam, and my personal preference is Supermotos, dual sports, ADV bikes, and some sports tourers. I also keep a sport bike or two around for short local rides where a brief blast as the monkey humping the football isn't too uncomfortable, but wouldn't ride them very far. I'm also middle aged, and perhaps not as up on my yoga as I should be!

Most of my bikes get lowered footpegs (be careful of clearance) as well as possible mods to raise the bars (risers, helibars, or a different handlebar bend with more rise) plus an aftermarket "tall" windscreen or and adjustable windscreen that I can raise as needed. If lowered pegs aren't an option, a "tall" seat with extra foam really helps with leg comfort, but can also exacerbate issues with low handlebars if they aren't also addressed.

All of my dual sports have ended up with a Britannia Composites fairing with adjustable windscreen, but there are other companies and designs that add a taller bubble that fits the stock fairing for sportier bikes, or adds a clip-on adjustable deflector to the top of the shield for taller riders on standards, touring bikes, and the like. Some ADV bikes like BMW have adjustability stock.

Britannia Composites Fairings

Make sure your gear actually fits.  You and I are basically identical in measurements.  I've wasted more money than I want to admit to on gear that seemed 'close enough'.

Make sure, if you get an aftermarket seat, that you know how much the cushion height changes with the move from the factory seat.  Might be worth re-padding your existing seat if this becomes something you're interested in doing.  A lot of aftermarket seats are actually lower than factory.

One other thing...there's a cool site called Cycle Ergo that gives you a decent comparison tool for different bikes for your size:

Cycle Ergo

FWIW, here's my current "at-home" fleet, the others are kept in remote storage, and the Husqvarna Supermoto (slightly lowered pegs, slightly raised bars, aftermarket seat, aftermarket windscreen) gets ridden ~12-15 a month, and is good for all day comfort. The blue Suzuki Goose cafe racer (no comfort mods) gets ridden ~1 a month and is good for an hour or so. The white Honda VFR Interceptor (slightly raised bars, stock pegs, aftermarket seat, aftermarket windscreen) gets ridden ~5 a month and is good for a solid 5-6 hours in the saddle.

It's not entirely about height.  More width will also take up some of that space and make it feel taller than it really is.  For example a 1000cc bike would tend to be wider than a 300cc bike and feel taller even if the seat height is the same.

You can use a soft tape measure and go from the ground, over the seat, and back to the ground to get an idea what I'm talking about.

Thanks fellas. I have a lot to learn. This is helping. 

dculberson said:

I had a KLR650 for years, and at 6' tall and 32" inseam was just barely tall enough for it. I could only slightly flat foot it when stopped and only that because my motorcycle boots had a bit of a heel. I don't know about the seat/peg relationship - it seemed comfortable to me but you're a good bit taller. 

Ah, the KLR. It follows no rules. It's a ridiculously tall bike even for us six foot, long legged types. And I bought one as my first bike!

While you can move the pegs on a lot of bikes it's often very limited. More variable are handlebar risers and added height from aftermarket or reformed seats. There are also different 'link' lengths you can get for monoshock bikes, particularly ADV ones.

Also rememer that the more off-roady bikes may seem really tall in the showroom but have a lot of 'sag' or travel in the suspension. When you sit on them they will get much lower, so something you wouldn't think you could touch the ground with will change from tippy-toe to balls-of-your-feet.

IME a lot of motorcyle are severely under-adjustable stock when it comes to anything other than seat height.

For most popular bikes you can get bar risers, lowered footpegs and taller screens, so if you can find a bike that's close ergonomically and just needs a tweak, the aftermarket usually can provide.

OP and I are similar dimensions. I'm 6'4" 33" inseam 180 lbs. When I first started riding, I wanted to be able to touch the ground, thought I needed tall bars because I was tall, etc. A lot of that internet wisdom cost me a lot of money I didn't need to spend. Various thoughts below, coming from a guy that mostly rides adventure bikes and races dirt bikes.

I like adventure bikes, but you will find other types of bikes that are comfortable. To some extent, the overall size of a bike follows displacement - the 250-400cc sport bikes and nakeds will be small for you even if they are great bikes.

• You don't touch the ground when you're riding; it's nice when you're just getting started but in general, as long as you can get one foot on the ground, I call it good and don't let it limit my choices or options for improving comfort outside of being a minor convenience. Plenty of people give up a lot (in my opinion, too much) just so they can flat foot on both sides.
• Lowering bikes does odd things to geometry, especially done unevenly. Especially if you have in interest in riding with any level of aggression off road, it really handicaps the bike. On pavement, as long as the front and rear are lowered the same amount, you are just losing cornering clearance which may not be as big a deal. You can usually get away with an inch of lowering, done right, without too much trouble.
• Taller body doesn't necessarily mean taller bars - tall people also have longer arms and it generally equals out. Tall bars and bar risers can also do strange things to handling. It's the big facepalm of bike setup in the adventure bike world to me, since people seem to want to be able to stand up arrow straight on their bikes. Small amounts of height increase are all most bikes need, and often less sweep in the bars helps open up the cockpit for tall people more than adding height usually does. Small changes in bar placement make a huge difference.
• The biggest thing for me is the seat to peg distance. A lot of bikes, I end up with a tight bend in the knees or feeling like my knees are in my chest, and it's really uncomfortable after a while. It's especially bad where people have put "low" seats on bikes to make it so they can touch the ground. Many bikes on the showroom floor have low seats equipped because it is less intimidating to buyers, and there may be a taller or flatter seat available that will help. Of course, that directly hurts the ability to touch the ground, so it's a tradeoff.