Seat height help needed

[matycross]

Hi everyone, I am thinking about getting a new Monster 696 for my wife, who is about 4'10'' I know that stock height is 30.3'' Could anyone tell me how much lower it can go a what mods do I need? I heard that the seat can be replaced and reduce the height up to 2 inches. Can the suspension be lowered or are there any other mods available on the market to lower the bike?

Thank you all for any suggestions

[asherrick]

The low seat reduces the seat height by about 1 inch, but it will probably not work for her. Since the low seat has less padding, there is less taper to the seat. Unless your wife has wide hips, this will force her legs further amount than the stock seat, so it will become about a wash for the overall height. Your best best is to modify the stock seat by shaving it down (or have a custom seat made).

Yes, you can definitely lower the suspension. That will get you at least an inch of ground clearance. Make sure you get adjustable levers as the reach on the stock levers is quite far.

[matycross]

I heard about the levers and thank you for reminding me. She will definetely need those. Anyone knows what is the lowest seat height I can achieve on 696 after all possible mods are done?

[ManaloEA]

Here's a thread with a lot of discussion about seat height:
http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=1853.0

[stopintime]

Is this going to be a surprise gift or can you bring her to a dealer and have her sit on one?

I suggest bringing pieces of wood to 'raise' the floor on each side - measuring how much you actually need to lower the bike.

Maybe the dealer has a low seat to try on.

The 696 doesn't have a rear lowering link (?), but adjusting the preload to her weight makes the test more realistic.

[Howie]

The low seat doesn't do much, but the stock seat can be reshaped quite a bit.  As stopintime said, definitely adjust preload.  Most folk 4'10 " don't way an awful lot.  Once preload is set lower the front the same amount.  This worked well for a short lady I know with the stock seat, but she is an experienced rider. 

[RC Fan]

As someone on here has reminded me, you can also go to a cobbler and have some height added on to her boots.  I have seen others do this online, and it is likely the most simple of options.

[matycross]

Thank you all for your input. It is not a suprise, so we will go and try to test it first. Thank you again.

[Syscrush]

4'10" is going to be a real challenge.  My wife is 5'2" and we've been doing a lot of stuff to get her comfortable on her 620.  We've lowered it about an inch by raising the forks in the triples and installing an adjustable rear link.  She was able to ride it, but couldn't back it up, and if she were to put a foot down on a sandy or slippery or sloped surface, that bike would have fallen over pretty quick as she was still on tippy-toes.

I picked up a spare seat and had it cut down, and it made almost no difference, despite having about 3/4" taken out.  Also, it looked awful.

So we had about 1" added to the soles of her riding boots.  She still can't flat-foot the bike, but she can manage it fine.  The drawbacks to the boot change are:

1. Shifting is impossible without a change to either the shift lever (it'll need to be cut and welded to clear the super-thick boot) or shifting technique (she puts her foot in front of the lever and shifts up with her heel).

2. She may find that the riding position is uncomfortable with 2-3" of extra sole on her boots.  Her knees will be bent a lot more than when she sits on the bike with her regular boots.


Any fix for this will be a compromise.  I wish you the best of luck getting something worked out that satisfies her in terms of looks, riding comfort, and low-speed control.

How experienced a rider is she?  In general, more experienced/confident riders tend to be less freaked out by a higher seat.  Also, people who've spent time on dirt bikes which tend to be pretty tall also seem to cope better.

[Syscrush]

My wife's boots have the thick sole along the whole length of the boot, which I think is safest.  However, this approach might mitigate the shifting & comfort issues of the thick sole:

[RC Fan]

My boots (Alpinestars Stella SMX-4) have a slight heel on them, so my plan is to only apply the thicker sole to the heel and the forefoot area, while leaving the arch area untouched.  Tthis should alleviate the shifting issue.  Certainly you need the right boot to start with--as a shorter rider, a flexible boot is key.

[S21FOLGORE]

As howie and stopintime mentioned, you should look at the suspensions also. Or, I'd say, look at the rear suspension first (before cutting down seat, or put extra sole on the boots.)

I am short , not 4'10" short but 5'6" short. I am also really light weight. (with full gear, about 135 lb - 140 lb).
I assume your wife would be even lighter. Take her to a dealer and let her sit on a bike, and watch how much the rear end of the bike will sink. Most probably , almost nothing.

My bike is 05 S4R. With stock rear shock springs, I had to back the preload adjuster out all the way in order to achieve proper sag. (that is, roughly 1/3 of suspension stroke should be used with a rider on board .) I ended up ordering Ohlins with lighter spring and that made quite a difference not only while riding but also at the stop. I am pretty sure stock spring rate on 696 would be too high for her. So I'd suggest getting the shock spring that matches her weight. You don't have to buy the expensive rear shock unit, just the spring. The suspension that can "sink" when the rider sit on a bike will practically lowers seat height and lighter spring on the rear shock is a much better solution than cutting down the seat.  And it will make the bike a lot more enjoyable & safer to ride. ( The feeling of riding a bike with too stiff spring is something hard to understand if you are average built (or heavier than average) person. )

Also, there are certain things to learn, such as how to put your feet down at the stop (if you're short rider ,or riding a bike with ridiculously high seat)

[Grrrly]

Heads up, if you do go the route of lowering the bike, you may have to chop/re-weld your side stand.

I'm 5ft ziltch, my (older) Monster was my first bike, and I had to lower the bike and I shaved the seat for me to get one foot comfortably on the ground.  I've never been able to flat foot any of my bikes.  As for backing up and parking my bike, I just get off the bike if it's a tricky spot, or just use one leg.  I would rather jump off the bike to move it that drop it.    

With higher bikes the only real annoyance I have is reaching the side stand to take off, and so I have to practice sweeping my left leg then moving/swinging my hips/body over to the right to get my right leg down in time; and then vice versa when I stop to park.

I have since raised the Monster back to stock height, but left my custom seat.  I also currently have a lowered SV650, and a stock height 2009 ZX-6R for the track.

Best of Luck