Any Vertically Challenged XB Riders Out There?

[marco883]

Was just lookin and found a SWEET XB-12Scg.
At a lofty 5'3" :p I could almost touch comfortably with my riding boots on. Spec's 28.6" seat height. Wondering how it would be in stop & go traffic, irregular & slippery surfaces, etc... I don't think I would want to lower bike to keep cornering clearances. The bike feels a lot lighter than the sporty, so maybe leaning over at a stop won't be too big of a deal? I'd keep the Sporty for commuting/riding and XB-12 for recreational ridin? Just dreaming for now.

Due to lotsa rain, I didn't want to test ride and "prematurely" consumate my purchase.:doh

Any input would be appreciated, but please be easy on the training wheel and elevator shoe jokes, I "California Stop" a lot already!;)
http://www.buell.com/en_us/bikes_gear/lightning/xb12scg/index.asp

[deadeye]

What's a California stop, roll thru?

[marco883]

"California Stop" From edhat.com

March 4, 2004 - California Stopping

California is known throughout the kingdom as the state that brought us right-on-red. Back in the old days before everyone and their granny lived in our golden state, the ability to make a right turn on a red light (after a full stop) was one of the few things people publicly acknowledged as better in the land of “fruits and nuts”. It turned out that the left coast was right. Not to be left behind, the other 49 states now say that it is right to go right-on-red.

Another popular, but illegal, California driving habit is the legendary California Stop, the act of slowing down but not fully stopping at a stop sign. The dedicated staff of edhat.com wanted to see how prevalent this behavior was in our fair city. Maybe in LA, we thought, where rushing is a way of life … but in Santa Barbara?

Yesterday, the dedicated staff parked our car at two ordinary intersections, San Roque & Calle Rosales and Santa Barbara & Valerio. It was our hunch that the main reason people stopped fully was to avoid getting tickets. So, we brought food to make it look like we had a reason to sit in our parked car. Last Monday we learned that at In-N-Out, many people “Eat-N-Da-Ka”.

The DMV manual says cars must come to a “full stop”, interpreted by most as being achieved when the wheels stop moving. After watching 300 cars approach stop signs yesterday, the dedicated staff became expert stopologists. Our scientific analysis determined there to be 3 distinct stages that occur during a stop at a stop sign: braking, unbraking, and accelerating. For a full stop to occur, unbraking cannot be commenced until the vehicle has come to rest. Be aware, some backward motion will occur when the shocks release the momentum they absorbed at the moment the tires ceased to rotate and the car body continued forward.

If unbraking occurs before the car comes to rest, the car will continue to lurch forward until the accelerator is activated. Some natural delay occurs as the right foot moves between pedals. However, in some instances, drivers purposefully postpone acceleration until they have fully ascertained that it is safe to move forward. In fact, the time between braking and accelerating is when most drivers determine whether or not to yield the right-of-way to another vehicle. In other words, they are already ‘California Stopping’ before any driving decision has been made. Once accelerating has been commenced, the entire stopping process is terminated.

If it so happens that a police officer is waiting out of sight, California Stoppers will brake, unbrake, lurch, and then brake again when they see the officer.

In a sample of 300 cars, the dedicated staff only saw 50 full stops (16.67%). The subscriber average was high at 42%, leaving us to wonder if in fact some drivers think they are fully stopping when in fact they are not. CAN8VE got the closest with a guess of 17%. We understand that right-on-red is legal in Canada, too.

[deadeye]

AHHH, never heard it called that. Many here in ol Iowa do the same, I do all the time on my bike. Easier than putting your feet down when there is no traffic in sight (many deserted areas in Ia :smoke ) I didn't know about the right on red being invented in CA.

Sorry I can't help you about your original question, I'm 6'1" :smoke

[XLTimbo]

I'm 5'5" and ride an XB9R (seat height 30").

I just shift to my left side when I stop, and cover my rear brake with my right so I can sit up and relax at red lights.

Most people probably never even notice the shift, a little helps a lot.

Timbo

[harleyxlc]

I'm 5'4" and have a ninja with a 30.5 seat height. With sportbike-style boots (so not a lot of sole) and armor under my pants (meaning a tailbone pad), I am tippy-toes. But quite comfortable with it. 95% of the stops are no biggy. A left or right slope means you just have to think about which foot to put first :)

I have been looking at the XB12R with the same seat height and am not worried at all about the seat height with the bikes at this weight.

I have also been looking at a Honda ST1300. At over 650 lbs and the same seat height....then I am a bit worried.

I think the lower Buell would be great for ya!

[marco883]

Thanks for the replies... I kept looking for a XB-9 and this what I found...

http://xlforum.net/photopost/data/500/medium/1998_Ducati_M900_MOSTRO-ROSSA_003.jpg

Luigi made me an offer I couldn't refuse...
I did find that how much lighter XB-9's and Monster's are, sliding to the side and tipping slightly at a stop isn't intimidating.

I feel like a traitor, but it's still a V-Twin! This pic was when it was completly stock.

Still keepn the Sporty.