I am only 5'2" and have a Ninja ZX6R. I had it lowered an inch and am very comfortable with it. Also, so far no ground clearance issues despite being lowered for my comfort level (wanted to touch the ground with more than the big toenail!).
BTW, whereabouts in STL are you?
Gwen (in St. Charles)

 

What year is your ZX6R?....

We are not really in St. Louis at all. We live near Highland, IL, which is about 30 miles east of STL.

 

Yeah, been there and done a couple biathalons... Not too far away.

 

I'm 5'4 and fit comfortably on my Suzuki SV650S. Put a corbin seat on it to take it down a notch and now I'm flat-footed at the stop lights...

 

SV was definately too tall

She must have shorter legs than you. The SV-S was way too tall. Too bad, 'cause that's a great bike. I think someone in MCN had the same issue. Bought his wife an SV but she never felt right on it becuase it was too tall. I'll have to dig up that article and see what she traded for.

Is the SV lower than the SVS?

 

No, they're the same height.

You might want to look at the Ninja 500 (EX500) or pretty much any early 1990's 600. They all seem a lot shorter than their younger brothers and sisters.

 

A friend of mine who is also real short has an SVS and does great with it. We did a couple of mods for her which helped a ton. First off, you can take out about an inch of the seat foam and it still is comfortable. Then we had custom dogbones made to lower the rear end about another inch (cost about $45), and then lowered the front forks a bit to compensate for lowering the back. This has worked real well. Before doing the mods she dropped the bike twice at low speed due to her not being comfortable on it, and sicne she has had no problems. It's a great bike to start on.

 

You might also want to check out the ZX6E which my 5' 4" wife can get her feet down flat with the stock bike (she has fairly long legs for her height though). Very comfortable bike. Depends want your wife wants to use the bike for. The ZX6 has a softer suspension, more hp and a full fairing, which are all better for sport touring than an SV650.

 

Try Suzuki GS500

 

I know that all this may sound crazy. I am 5'2", more torso than legs. I have been through the 250's, 600's, old and new.
I found a bike that i felt comfortable touching the ground, a Ducati 748. The seat is MUCH narrower than the other sportbikes, The seat height was 90% of why i purchased my bike.
:thumb: :thumb:
just my 2 cents

 

I can relate. I am 5'4" and wish I could put more of my foot down. I wouldn't settle though. I got my CBR 600 and will be making modifications to it to lower it about an inch or two. The Suzuki 650 fit me well, but I didn't really like the look of it as much as the GSXR, unfortunately the dealership here didn't want to deal so I went to Honda, I'm ecstatically (sp) happy . For now. Once I get more experienced, I might try the 750 Gixxer.

 

We say an older ZX-6R that would fit her.

Keep in mind that the 1995-1997 zx-6r has a relatlively more aggressive seating position compared to newer models, especially for those of us with shorter arms. I had a '96, threw on a shaved Corbin seat and gen-mar handlebar risers, and it was downright comfy (and I still have the handlebar risers if your interested )

I was never really flatfoot on the bike (28" inseam to the ground), but given her riding experience, I'm thinking it won't be as big an issue.

 

I got my CBR600 and my husband brought it home. I could not touch enough to drive it home comfortably. I tried twice riding it but I just did not feel right on it. My husband made new dogbones for it and lowered it about 1 1/2 inches in the back and 1 inch in the front. I feel better now riding the bike and take it everywhere I can. I just go riding to go riding, like this morning. I really enjoy this bike better than the 3 others that I had. Kawaski 550LTD, Harley Sportster 1200 and a Suzuki Intruder 800, these are more crusier bikes but I really like the sportbikes!

 

Does anyone have any idea on the seat height of a mid 80's ninja 600? My wife just doesnt feel comfortable about the heighth on my zx6r.

 

I have a 89 ZX6, my sister's 5'2 and she couldn't get the bike off the kickstand. I'm 5'6 and I can almost put both of my feet flat on the ground.

 

I have an '86 Honda NS400R, and can touch the ground ok, but not flat-footed (never have been able to on any bike except my v30 magna). I tried the cbr600 and the cbr929, both about the same seat height, and I actually prefer the 929 (my next bike). The zx6r was a little taller, and the r6 was too tall. BTW, I'm 5'2" tall (or short!!).

 

Ditto the recommendation on the ZX-6E

Get a copy of the latest Motorcyclist Magazine and check their various lists in the back covering 'bout all the most popular bikes. One of the lists has a column which shows seat height for each bike.
Seat heights for some Kawasakis:
500R 30.5"
ZX-6E 30.7"
ZX-7R 31.1"
ZX-9R 31.9"
ZX-6R 32.3"