Seat Height

[73 sport]

Hey Guys, I respect the knowledge and experience of our members on this web site and their astute opinions. In my old age my spine is getting shorter. I need suggestions on how to raise the seat height at least afoot , and maybe more,so i can see over the roof of the car ahead of me.  Please make your suggestions sweet and thoughtful, no toxic comments. thanks for your replies

[cliffrod]

What bike?  If it's a 73 Sport like your username, raising it a foot is gonna be a challenge.

[Scout63]

I’m no expert on MG’s, but they seem to be the lowest standard bikes I’ve ridden. I feel like a bear on a tricycle on my v50.  Raising a seat even a few inches would be difficult and a foot would really change the look of the bike.  Can you stand on the pegs?  That’s what I do to see over cars.  Airheads and Norton’s are both significantly taller, or at least they feel like it.  Best of luck.

[n3303j]

You never will see over that roof if you are on a motorcycle. Everyone is driving oversize SUVs and jacked pickups. (I've watched the change over the last 50 years)

You can piece together some useful information looking through the windows of leading vehicles. That, and allowing more space so you can see around leading vehicles are about your only choices.

Sorry...

[Scout63]

You never will see over that roof if you are on a motorcycle. Everyone is driving oversize SUVs and jacked pickups. (I've watched the change over the last 50 years)

You can piece together some useful information looking through the windows of leading vehicles. That, and allowing more space so you can see around leading vehicles are about your only choices.

Sorry...

I think Ron is right, but standing on the pegs is useful in many situations, so maybe a good set of bar risers.  They bring their own fitment issues.

[redhawk47]

thanks Scout63. In heavy traffic,regardless how fast or slow, being bent over to grasp the grips and craning my neck to look forward while standing on the pegs wouldn't last long. I have low bars.

I sounds like the first thing to do is to get higher bars.
A higher seat means making the "craning my neck" worse.

Dan

[Kev m]

Hey Guys, I respect the knowledge and experience of our members on this web site and their astute opinions. In my old age my spine is getting shorter. I need suggestions on how to raise the seat height at least afoot , and maybe more,so i can see over the roof of the car ahead of me.  Please make your suggestions sweet and thoughtful, no toxic comments. thanks for your replies

I don't see a foot happening. At most the difference in seat height between typical bikes on the market (especially Guzzis) is maybe 3" from the lower ones to the higher ones. And some of the higher ones leave a guy like me with a 32" inseam not quite flatfooted.

I can't imagine what another 9" would require to operate? A 41" inseam or hopping off it at lights to hopefully get one foot down in time and then having to jump at least half a foot beck up to the saddle as you pull away.

And as someone who drives a slightly lifted Wrangler you're not seeing over it or at least half the vehicles around here.

But funny you mention that because not being able to see over a vehicle in front of me bothers me more in that Jeep than it does on my bikes. Lamely because I can usually ride much closer to the left border of the lane on a bike and mostly see around a tall truck ahead of me when I can't do that as much in the Jeep.

[Huzo]

Umm..
I’m sort of waiting for the moment where you tell us that you are not serious. You want to raise your seat height by a foot or more...!
Do you still expect to reach the ground ?

[cliffrod]

I sounds like the first thing to do is to get higher bars.
A higher seat means making the "craning my neck" worse.

Dan

I've never had original swan necks on my Sport, but think they only add 3"? of height when at the top.  Extending a pair would help things match the taller seat position.

[fotoguzzi]

[sidecarnutz]

I sold my old work van last month and it was perfect to see over most traffic. It was a high top Promaster van. Loved that thing. It was like driving a RV that could maneuver like a mid sized car. It was 9' tall and I sat in the cab with my head about 8' up for a great view. My family laughed when I bought it, but it was a perfect old man van. Took 5 trips to FL in it and a few to the Blue Ridge too. It was perfect for shop errands when my upholstery shop was still open. But to get that kind of view on a bike?...... You'll need a periscope!

I built custom seats for 24 years. Many folks regretted having me raise seats. Unintended consequences. Now they can't reach the bars, raised their center of gravity and affected handling. Raising and bringing the bars back is complicated too. Now you need longer clutch cable and throttle cables and longer brake lines. May have to extend the wiring harnesses to the switchgear. Lots of labor there and bits to buy or make. I only had one customer who really liked his seat after I raised it. He brought a boogie board with him, laid it atop the seat and said "I want to ride up here". He had duct taped it up there to experiment and liked it. So I literally carved that up and built it into his seat. It was a Cali EV. It was neat and well done, but did look crazy as heck. But it fit him and worked for him and that is what was important. I believe he rode it for some years like that.

Basically I suggest looking 5 steps down the line to ANY change you make to a bike to look for those unintended consequences. You'll have a better plan that way.

[Don G]

Get a Quota!  DonG

[Kev m]

OK, now that I'm at my desk I checked some of my data.

On average I see seat heights in the 28-32" range give or take a little.

Once in a while you come across something in the 33" range.

Supposedly there's a R1200GS ADV in the 35" range.

But I haven't found ANYTHING taller than that.

If you are talking about a 1973 V7 Sport it's looking like the stock seat height is something like 30" (760mm).

I can't imaging you would go up more than a few inches and be happy.

Another anecdote.

A few years back when I accidentally purchased my police RK I thought I was going to get rid of the police seat right away. But after the ride home I fell in love with the thing. An RK with a civilian seat has a seat height of about 27-28" depending on the year/model. My police seat (especially with the preload on the seat shock set properly) has a height of about 31-32". It feels WAY different from a center of gravity, weight at intersections or pushing around from the saddle. But the comfort of that damn seat made me keep it. Luckily it already had the ergos for it from a bars and controls standpoint.