factory lowered anyone ?

[johnnienofish]

hi all, I'm new on here so be gentle, I'm seriously considering purchesing the xr se , so I'm on this site doing as much reserch  as poss from people who own and ride the xr, I'm only a short a@@@ so I'm going to have to have the factory lowered one, seat height 790mm, i went to my local bmw dealers here in manchester and had a sit on one which they said was a factory lowered, the bike i currently ride -vfr12- has a seat hight of 815mm and i can get both feet flat on the floor, but the so called lowered xr i could only get the balls of my feet on the floor ? has anyone got the factory lowered xr, if so any chance you could measure the seat height and confirm it is 790mm, 

[spannerman35]

I have a factory lowered XR. I am not to far away from you, I am in Runcorn near the M56. You are more than welcome to come over and sit on my bike to put your mind at rest. I am only short and the factory lowered XR is perfect for me. Handling is still superb and I don't have to park up against kerbs anymore.   

I too had a vfr1200 (2013 plate) and if you found that ok for seat height then you will be fine on the lowered XR

[johnnienofish]

Cheers spannerman that would be really helpful to me can you pm me with a contact number - or e mail and we can arrange to meet

[Fast Tony]

Despite being 6 foot 1 inch, i only have a 29 inch inside leg. I bought a "tall" XR last September and although o.k. on the move, i struggled with slow / stop manoevers and getting on and off the thing. I swapped to a "low" model and i now feel right. Flat footed and knees slightly bent and back in control. The suspension " rises and falls" during electronic setting and i wonder if the bike you sat on was running / turned on when you tried it. Go back and try it again as it's a big decision. Best of luck. 

[iandavid]

I have a factory lowered one, inside leg 29-30ish, and can get one foot flat and the other on the ball. It's also to do with the shape of the seat at the front it's reasonably wide but having said that it's all day comfortable. I'm much more confident on the XR than I was on a "standard height" GC LC. Good point about the ESA setting, especially the pre-load which if set to 2+luggage raises the bike quite a bit.

I live near Selby so if you want to come over and try mine you are very welcome.

[johnnienofish]

Thanks for the replies , I've spoken to spannerman and he offered me to visit him and try out his lowered Xr for height- (cheers spannerman will be in touch) I've now booked a test ride on a lowered xr on Saturday  will report back after the ride, can anyone confirm does the suspension lower any when the ignition is switched on ????. Can you alter the height with any of the electronic gismoes ???? 

[philbuck]

As far as I'm aware, none of the gizmos directly alter the height of the bike. However, I was told that by altering the pre-load (electronically), the bike does change height slightly, although I've never noticed it doing anything.

[Fast Tony]

As you sit on the bike with the ignition on, press the switch on the left side that shows a picture of a shock absorber and coil spring. The dash will show a little crash helmet symbol. 1 helmet = you, helmet + case = you + luggage, 2 helmets = 2 up, 2 helmets + 2 cases, well it's self explanitory. While you are adjusting this mode, sit on the bike and you will feel it rise and fall respectively. Showroom bikes or " out of the crate" may not be set up appropriately for you and your weight. Insist that you try this out and get it right before you test ride or buy. Hope you sort yourself out.

[harryp]

Originally Posted by Fast Tony

As you sit on the bike with the ignition on, press the switch on the left side that shows a picture of a shock absorber and coil spring. The dash will show a little crash helmet symbol. 1 helmet = you, helmet + case = you + luggage, 2 helmets = 2 up, 2 helmets + 2 cases, well it's self explanitory. While you are adjusting this mode, sit on the bike and you will feel it rise and fall respectively. Showroom bikes or " out of the crate" may not be set up appropriately for you and your weight. Insist that you try this out and get it right before you test ride or buy. Hope you sort yourself out.

You are quite right with your description of the pre-load adjustment BUT you should NOT be sat on the bike when you do it

[Fast Tony]

You are right, What i meant was if you sit on the bike you can feel the alteration of the suspension whereas if you stand next to it you cannot see what it is doing apart from the changing symbols on the dash. Of course you can adjust the suspension whilst in motion, so how are you meant to do it? Enter sky hook!