The Lowest Of The Low

The lowest seat heights on the market

One note: Surprisingly, Kawasaki and Suzuki did not make the list. The lowest motorcycle in Kawasaki's lineup is the Vulcan 900 at 26.8 inches. The lowest Suzuki is the entry level Boulevard S40 at 27.6 inches; actually many of the Boulevards have that same seat height. But we had to draw the line and while the S40 is under 400 pounds, that 27.6-inch seat height on a 700-pound motorcycle is a lot to handle for most women. Again, we had to draw the line -- this is the lowest of the low and I repeat not a list of beginner bikes.

Most all of Victory's motorcycles have a seat height of 26.5 inches including the big Vision Tour and Vision Street. We listed just two. Both the Harley-Davidson Sportster 883 Custom and the Sportster 1200 Custom also have a seat height below 26.5 inches, but to save space we've only included the Low models. Similarly, all the Harley-Davidson VRSC models have low seat heights, but we've only shown the lighter models.

Getting an honorable mention is the Honda Rebel with a 26.6-inch seat height, and the new Honda Fury chopper with a 26.7-inch seat height. There are certainly lots of great bikes with a seat height higher than 26.5 inches, but light or heavy, we felt 26.5 inches is a height most riders can reach the ground flat footed.

To illustrate our guide, we used pictures of women who own these bikes who've sent in their photo through our Readers' Stories and Readers' Reviews sections. The other photos are from WRN test rides. One other note, many custom chopper manufacturers make very low seat height bikes by virtue of the fact it's a chopper. We've listed only the custom motorcycles we reviewed on WRN.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster Low 883.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster Low 1200.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster Iron.

The Harley-Davidson Sportster Nightster.

The Harley-Davidson Dyna Street Bob

The Harley-Davidson Dyna Low Rider.

The Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail Classic.

The Harley-Davidson Softail Fat Boy.

The Harley-Davidson Softail Rocker.

The Harley-Davidson Softail Rocker C.

The Harley-Davidson Softail Night Train.

The Harley-Davidson Softail Deluxe.

The Harley-Davidson VRSC V-Rod Muscle.

The Harley-Davidson VRSC V-Rod.

The Honda Shadow Spirit 750 C2.

The Honda Shadow Aero.

The Yamaha V Star 950.

The Buell Blast Low Profile.

The Ridley Auto-Glide.

The Ridley Auto-Glide Chopper.

The Victory Vegas Low.

The Victory Kingpin Low.

Big Bear Choppers Miss Behavin.

The Big Dog Motorcycles Mastiff.

Editor's Note: We can see this story really struck up a conversation judging by all the comments coming in. We appreciate your feedback. Please keep the comments coming and tell us why you like your bike and/or what you did to modify it to make it work for you.

Reader Comments

I ride a 750 Honda Shadow, I'm 4 feet 1 inches tall. It is the only bike I can flat foot and be comfortable. I have had two Hondas and have sat on many other brands of bikes, none lower. Sandi Sandia Park, NM Saturday, May 15, 2010 I am 4 feet 8 inches and I have a Buell Blast. I don't flat foot it, but that's not a problem for me, I handle it well. I have a lot of fun on it (it does vibrate a lot), but I have grown out of it and want a faster bike, that's not a cruiser. I have sat on many cruisers and a lot of them I can easily lift and reach the ground, but I just don't want a cruiser. I wish there were more lower seat options for sport bikes, because even lowering them 2 to 3 inches is not going to do it for what they have out there. It's frustrating. Alisha Litchfield Park, AZ Saturday, January 23, 2010 I think I missed this article when it first came out. You noted that the Suzuki's don't have short enough seat heights for this article, but there's definitely more to seat height then the actual height. I had a Suzuki Boulevard and have been on the Suzuki S40 (I currently ride a Yamaha Virago that I modified the seat on). I am short (5 feet 2 inches with a short inseam), but I had no problems on either of those Suzuki bikes with their stock seat. I only sat on and rolled the S40 around and was thrilled with the light feel of the bike due to its low center of gravity, but I rode the Boulevard for about 1,700 miles before upgrading to my Virago. The seat height was fine on both the Suzuki's, and I think it's about the width of the bike as much as it's about seat height. If the bike is very wide, your legs are spread further apart thus causing a low seat height to still seem taller. If a bike has a slightly higher seat height but isn't as wide as some other bikes, it definitely makes a difference, and the tilt of the seat padding is also a part of it. When I started riding, I saw that the seat height on the Boulevard was higher than I realized and was shocked to discover that because I could more than comfortably flat foot from that seat. And truthfully, the S40 is more comfortable to sit on and wheel around than my modified Virago because of the shape of the seat and the shape of the bike (but I adore my Virago that modifying the seat on the Virago was more important to me than buying the S40 even if the S40 is a more comfortable bike to handle!). Jenny Potsdam, NY Friday, January 15, 2010 I just bought my first brand new bike, a 2010 Honda Shadow Phantom 750 - my retirement gift! The seat height is 25.7 inches and it weighs 549 pounds. I'm 5 feet 4 inches tall, sit flat footed, and have no trouble handling the bike at all. It's not a shiny bike, which I love, and I plan to black out a few more things and customize some of the paint. I think I'll have this bike for a long time! Sandi Shreveport, LA Wednesday, January 13, 2010 Page 1 of 23 (90 items) [1] 2 3 4 5 6 7 … 21 22 23 Loading…

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