• Welcome Guest! If you are already a member of the BMW MOA, please log in to the forum in the upper right hand corner of this page. Check "Remember Me?" if you wish to stay logged in.

    We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMWMOA forum provides. Why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the club magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMWMOA offers?

    Want to read the MOA monthly magazine for free? Take a 3-month test ride of the magazine; check here for details.

  • NOTE. Some content will be hidden from you. If you want to view all content, you must register for the forum if you are not a member, or if a member, you must be logged in.

1990 K1100LT Seat Height

oldcarman

New member
Is there any way to lower the seat, about 1inch, on the K1100LT. I'm 5'6" and it is a little tall at stop signs. I'm considering removing some of the foam from the front.

Thanks, jim
 
Besides the custom seat option, you might consider peeling back the cover and removing some foam. If you do, the places that affect your ability to establish good footing are the points where your inner thighs make contact with the seat, while at a stop, with feet on the ground. Use contact cement and a heat gun to put the cover back down tight. Good luck with your project Jim.
 
Other options include a narrower seat, higher heels on your boots, or even check out tire sidewall height next time your install new ones.
You could also investigate lower suspension options.
 
I had a half inch added to my boots' soles. For me problem solved. (Any more than 1\2" makes shifting and walking difficult.)[SUB][/SUB]
 
Jim,

Frey Daytona M-Star boots. Super high quality boot with a 60cm heel INSIDE the boot. They look normal on the outside, so there is no Frankenstein boot look. Smaller sizes are called the Lady Star, but they are the same boot. My 5'4" wife LOVES them.

Plus, they are currently on sale at Helimot who is a great distributer of these boots and several other very good products. He used to be in the Bay Area making high quality leathers and gloves for the racing community, but moved to Oregon a few years ago.


You can also look at a shorter rear shock (look at Progressive if you want to save). Also you can raise the fork tubes in the triple clamps a bit. They will hit the bottom of the handle bars after about 3/8". If you need to go further, I would suggest the barbacks from A&S Cycles. If you can't find them, shoot me a PM. Remember, when lowering a bike, lower both ends the same amount so you don't throw the handleing off (rake and trail and all that good stuff).


As Gary said, the most critical part of getting your feet to the ground is the width of the nose of the seat. There is a saying; " Sitting on an early K bike is like straddling an ironing board". That is because the nose of the seat is wide right where a smaller person would need to put their legs straight down. The seat is wide because the frame rails below the seat are wide. Try taking the seat off and sitting on the frame BEFORE cutting the seat to make sure that any seat trimming will yield the desired results. My wife still couldn't touch the ground because the width made her legs go out to the side too much. Many modifications led to a 28" saddle height on her K75S.





:dance:dance:dance
 
Remember that lowering a bike makes it extremely difficult to put it on the centre stand (unless the stand is shortened). I had my K100 lowered a mere half inch years ago and it is impossible (for me) to put it on the centre stand when loaded and touring. This winter I am having it restored to it's original height.
 
<<You can also look at a shorter rear shock (look at Progressive if you want to save).>>

You mean that annoying Flo is selling shocks along with insurance? :)
 
Back
Top