Tall Riders

[aebailey40]

I don't see any other threads quite like this, so here goes:

I'm 6'6". I feel like I'm not the guy Honda had in mind when they designed the VFR, but I love the damn thing. So I'd like to hear from other Tall Riders what things they've done to try to get a good fit.

I just got it (08 non-abs) a month ago.

So far I've put helibars on,

Then started dicking around with the shifter and brake levers. Still tweaking them all. Probably I should get a better seat next.

What did you all do? Everybody loves bike-porn, so include pictures if you can!

[Longerfellow]

I'm 6'-6" also. I have heli bars, but they were on when I bought it. When I was young it made no difference, but now...
Actually I just grin and bear it, like everything else that was meant for the shorter person.

[aebailey40]

I certainly feel your pain.

I once owned a shiny brand new Honda Civic. Me thinks I must have a "thing" for tiny shiny Hondas.

[Maliboost]

Im 6' 4" & am pretty happy with the stock bars. I have not done any long rides, Ive only had it for a couple of months, & have been SLAMMED with work & what not so........

I dont like getting whacked in the face with the air coming off of the windshield. I just ordered a ST windshield & hope that it helps some.

About an hour ago, I put some bar ends on, the vibration was pretty bad. I will report tomorrow how much I like them, from what Ive read around here, that makes a good amount of difference.

not much you can do about peg height I dont think, but when I have one hand off of the bar, Im pretty comfortable & I put a throttle lock on it so I can do either hand.

Bob

[aebailey40]

Deff. let us know about the ST windscreen. Is this the one you're getting? : Honda Gallery: Sport Touring

That should be awesome for a taller guy.

I've also been looking at the Buell footpegs. It's only 1", but so were the Heli's. : Lowered Buell XB footpegs
I wonder about grinding some metal off. I carry weight on my pegs, don't want a snap...

Which throttle lock did you get?

[Maliboost]

Mind you I have a 98 not an 08, but yea, thats the one I got. Mine though is a little wider @ the bottom. Im hoping that its gonna be high enough to just move the air up a bit further. I got the light smoke color.

Honda Gallery: VFR 800 (Sport Touring)

I got the Vista Cruise dual cable throttle lock. IIRC, it also fits your bikes.
Vista-Cruise Cruise Control - Fits most Honda (Kawasaki Pre-1982) Dual Cable - Vista-Cruise

Bob

[punisher12b]

im 6'4 and basicly im part of the grin and bear it club.

[Molsan]

6'1" wtf you talkin bout....
J/k
i hear buel has some nice peg extenders that work well with the vfr if you need more leg room.

also the sargent seat seems very popular. Unsure if there is a way to raise the seat 1/4" much like the short people take out foam.

[reg71]

I'm 6'1" and I'm a little cramped so I can only imagine how you feel. Like the others said there are the buell footpegs for another inch or so. I bet Sargent would make the seat a bit thicker if called or maybe corbin would. Add that to the heli bars, taller windshield and possibly add a stiffer rear spring that raises the back end up a bit more (better handling anyway) and that would be about as good as it gets for you guys... I have seen some guys with sliders using them as touring pegs occasionally...

[aebailey40]

@Maliboost: I think that windshield will help out a shit-ton. Light-smoke would be my choice, too. I also saw that throttle lock at the Honda store - might have to pick one up. Thanks for the tip.

@Punisher12b: Oh man - I know all about the Grin N Bear it club. That's how the ride home from the Honda store was. I kid you not, people stopped on the sidewalks and stared downtown (Indy) on my drive home. I realized then, Honda got us all. They were just looking at it. I bought it. Ha ha.

@Molsan: I searched on here for it, and those Buell footpegs look like a recipe for relief. Combine those with the stock adjustment of the levers, and it just might work out. Thanks for the info.

@Reg71: Great idea. I didn't think of overstuffing the seat. I might look into that also. Though the group buy on the seargents might override. $310 looks like a pretty great price point - esp if you include shipping.

This info is great! Anyone got a before / after pic of the buell pegs?

[Maliboost]

well........ those bar ends make a big difference, & also give my hand a little more to rest on. I am very happy with them.

I recieved the Zero Gravity windscreen today, but its not the one I thought it was. I thought I had ordered the Givi Sport one, but I bought the Zero Gravity one. I will give it a go & see what I think. what do I have to lose @ this point??

here is the one I thought I ordered.

PROFILE S

Bob

[powderrecon]

6'4. Not really an issue, although I would love it if the pegs were an inch lower.

[RWB25]

I'm 6' 1" and found I was cramped on my 07. So I have NO idea how you guys at 6' 6" are able to cope.

My solution was to lower my foot pegs. The peg blocks lowered the foot pegs about 1 ". I didn't actually measure it but the picture below shows the final results.





The 1" drop made a huge difference for me. I no longer feel like I'm sitting on the gas tank and actually sitting on the bike. And I definitely feel I have more control of the bike with the better riding position (for me).

Installation was very simple and will take about 10 minutes a side. You only need the basic tools for the install. You WILL have to adjust the clutch and brake pedals to account for the lower foot pegs. Once again, you'll only need some basic tools to adjust the pedals. Some patience and trial and error with some test rides are suggested to get the pedals correctly adjusted for you.

I purchased the peg blocks from Larry over at VFRD. The blocks are made from CNC machined aluminum. Larry makes them himself and he will mail them directly to you. The final cost for me was around $90 shipped to my door in Canada. Money well spent in my opinion. Swing over to VFRD and PM Larry if you're interested.

Larry's Busy Little Shop @ VFRD

I hope this helps someone else feeling cramped on their VFR. It sure helped my cramped ride.

Jason

[Rev]

I'm 6'2" and i find a little ibuprophen solves the problem nicely.

[EricGDR]

I'm 6'1" and have had knee surgery- so my knee isn't as flexible as it previously was.
I've heard about lowering the foot peg an inch or so via buell footpegs or going through Larry's busy lil shop.
But I'm torn, would lowering the footpegs just allow them to scrape ealier and more often?

[aebailey40]

Yeah - seems to me if they get closer to the ground, they grind sooner.

Lookng at both choices, I like the blocks better. I'm not sure how I feel about grinding some metal off my pegs like the buells require...

Dude those blocks look dope. I just wish I didn't have to spend $100 for em... But I probably will :)

[Maliboost]

I put the Zero Gravity windscreen on last night & its about 1.5" longer than the stock one. I would guess it sticks up about 3/4 of an inch higher than the stock one.

I was not real happy with fit of the windscreen, but to the casual observer, Im sure it looks fine.

the ride feels a little better than the stock height. the air is hitting me right @ the bottom of the helmet. I did not pay close attn to where it hit me with the stock one, I will put it back on & see sometime next week.


anyone have a Givi, that they want to do a temporary trade to do a comparison (remember I have a 5th Gen)?

Bob

[aebailey40]

@RWB25: I just bought a set. These look perfect. I got a cramp in my right knee today on the highway. I know this will help. Thanks for the tip.

@Mailboost: I'm probably going to go get one of those throttle locks this weekend. They're at my honda dealer and they look like the simplest [most reliable] way to do that. You didn't get the sport touring windshield, right? I'm constantly surprised how much an inch difference matters, so I bet that is quite better. I hit some highway today and I *know* I need to upgrade the windshield.

@Powderrecon: I'll let you know how these block work out. They're supposed to lower the pegs by 1.5", which beats the buells. Plus you don't have to remove any metal from them.

[Maliboost]

well.......... the ride home did not really seem any different than any other day. I think it would have to be REALLY tall to make a difference for me. the windscreen is just too close to me & too short to help. it looks nice, but so would a ZX-14 @ mach 3. LOL.

Here are some pictures.











Bob

[Maliboost]

Zero Gravity Sportbike Windscreens - Honda VFR 800

this is the one that I got. I got the Sport Touring in light smoke.

Bob

[aebailey40]

So you're saying it's about the same then? Bummer.
It does look like the Givi is a bit taller, but I wonder if that means it comes back further too - which might just be a bad thing...

Anyone here have a Givi ST screen?