R3 seating for taller person

70595 Views 43 Replies 30 Participants Last post by akshayv, Jul 10, 2018

sdriv3r

Discussion Starter · Jun 18, 2015

Hi guys,

I was just wondering, for those that had their R3 for awhile, how is the seating like for a tall person (6 ft +)?

I am 6ft2 and have sat on an R3 a couple of times at dealers/shows. The bike felt fine to me but haven't been able to test ride one and might not even find a dealer that will let me...

So for anyone thats on the taller side, how does the bike feel? Any kind of cramping or discomfort?

1 - 20 of 44 Posts

Ravaloft

· #2 · Jun 18, 2015 (Edited)

6ft2 rider here. Comfortable seating for me. Lots of wind hits the chest. Tucking in going highway speeds (70-85mph) feels OK maaaaybe a little cramped but I'm not laying completely on the tank.

Biggest complaint about the ride is how squishy it feels going over bumps. I wish it was a bit more stiff.

One more thing I just thought of. And I'm not sure if it's a universal bike thing or just me. The distance of the foot levers from the foot pegs. It seems really short, or I have big feet (11.5 us/46euro). It feels like I have to move my feet a lot when shifting or braking. Unless I'm supposed to. Lol. Hope that makes sense.

Reactions: 2

3th3r

· #3 · Jun 19, 2015

I think your level of comfort will depend on your own body's proportions, not just your overall height, and for experienced riders, it will also depend on what you are used to riding.

I'm 6'0" and have test ridden the R3, and I find the seat-to-handlebar and the handlebar width quite cramped, while I find the seat-to-footpeg distance quite comfortable. To a lesser degree, these are the same thoughts I have about my Monster. My GSXR however is totally the opposite for me -- my arms are comfortable and my legs uncomfortable.

If this is your first bike, most likely you will adapt to it and feel that it's normal, and it's only until you have ridden a variety of bikes that you will appreciate the differences in ergonomics.

warlok9

· #4 · Jun 19, 2015

6'1" 190lbs here. Bike is pretty comfy. Only thing that isn't perfect is my height puts the bars at a longer reach than an average height person. This causes me to hunch over slightly, but not fully forward like a supersport, nor straight up like a standard. More like somewhere in the middle. A little uncomfortable on my shoulders until I adjusted my style to fit the bike. Now I keep my knees tight on the tank to take the weight off my shoulders and keep my elbows relaxed and unlocked.

My shoe size is 12us/47eu and the shifter and brake are fine.

Reactions: 1

wesleym

· #5 · Jun 20, 2015

I am 6ft3 and i am feeling comfortable while riding on the R3.

Reactions: 1

TrueFaith

· #6 · Jun 21, 2015

I was bitterly disappointed after sitting on a new R3 at the dealers recently.
I'm 6'0" with a 34-inch inseam and it was immediately apparent the bike was too small for me.
I currently own a CBR250R and it feels like a Cadillac ergonomically compared to the R3. Traded in a Ninja250R for it because the Ninja was just to darned cramped. The R3 feels even more so.
It's a shame because Yamaha is my favorite company. I've owned 2 other Yamahas, a 250 and a Seca 400 and I've been waiting and waiting for Yamaha to get back into the small-displacement class.
I really thought the R3 was going to be my next bike, but it's just too diminutive.
I think Yami went a little overboard in gearing this bike towards beginning, and smaller, riders.
Now I'm looking at the KTM390RC and CBR500.

FangShui

· #7 · Jun 21, 2015 (Edited)

TrueFaith said:
I was bitterly disappointed after sitting on a new R3 at the dealers recently.
I'm 6'0" with a 34-inch inseam and it was immediately apparent the bike was too small for me.
I currently own a CBR250R and it feels like a Cadillac ergonomically compared to the R3. Traded in a Ninja250R for it because the Ninja was just to darned cramped. The R3 feels even more so.
It's a shame because Yamaha is my favorite company. I've owned 2 other Yamahas, a 250 and a Seca 400 and I've been waiting and waiting for Yamaha to get back into the small-displacement class.
I really thought the R3 was going to be my next bike, but it's just too diminutive.
I think Yami went a little overboard in gearing this bike towards beginning, and smaller, riders.
Now I'm looking at the KTM390RC and CBR500.

The R3 is actually a LARGER motorcycle than the CBR250R:

Wheelbase is .4" longer
Height is .4" taller
Length is 2.2": longer

I expect what you are experiencing is the difference in seating position between the bikes (which is determined by seat, footpeg and handlebar placement relative to each other on the bike), particularly the hip angle, which affects how they feel.

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Reactions: 1

FangShui

· #8 · Jun 22, 2015 (Edited)

And here are the two 390 KTMs

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AJ Nin

· #9 · Jun 22, 2015

They made the seat ht low and leaned the bike toward the kickstand for a reason....to accommodate shorter riders. I'm just under 5'7" in my bare feet and I feel like the bike was designed for me. I can easily flat foot the bike, yet my legs and riding position are both very comfortable. The wind actually goes over my head too with that fly screen and that may not be the case for taller riders, especially since you don't ride forward with the R3. Seat ht. is the first thing I look at and all the other sport bikes with the exception of the CB300 have taller seats. Even the Ninja 300 has a slightly taller seat than the R3. I would love to be able to fit on all those bikes with 32+" seats like you guys 6 feet tall but there are a lot of 6' and over riders with Ninja 300s doing fine, so it works. IF I were 6' tall, I would probably not own the R3. I would own a Tuono, supermoto, R1, or R6. Instead I am stuck with the Ninja 300, R3, CB300 which some riders disparagingly call "girl bikes." Oh, the Gixxers have lower seats from the other supersports, so that works, but we shorter riders have far fewer options than you taller riders.

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Reactions: 1

TrueFaith

· #10 · Jun 22, 2015

FangShui said:
The R3 is actually a LARGER motorcycle than the CBR250R:

Wheelbase is .4" longer
Height is .4" taller
Length is 2.2": longer

I expect what you are experiencing is the difference in seating position between the bikes (which is determined by seat, footpeg and handlebar placement relative to each other on the bike), particularly the hip angle, which affects how they feel.

I knew this before I sat on the R3, which is why I was so surprised and disappointed. I can't fault Yamaha for appealing to smaller or "average" sized riders with this bike, I just wish I was one of them.

sdriv3r

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 22, 2015

I looked at bigger bikes but there's always something that brings me back to the R3. A lot of the big bike people I know talk about going (too) fast and doing other stupid stuff which doesn't really interest me. Don't get me wrong, more power is always nice and hard acceleration is fun as ****, but you won't see me driving or riding more than 20 Km above speed limit on the highway.

Another thing is price. I love the look and the idea of owning an R3 or a ZX6R but here (province of quebec) we have a list of bikes concidered "supersports". Any bike on this list costs 1200$ a year to simply have to register it... and then insurance will also eat you alive with another 2k a year. Paying 3k$ a year for the few months of riding we get is ridiculous for me. In comparison the R3 is 350$ a year for registration (bikes under 400cc are cheaper) and 200$ to insure (price I got from my insurer with a couple of discounts).

The R3 feels alright for me, was just scared I might get some discomfort while riding for longer.

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AJ Nin

· #12 · Jun 22, 2015

I feel the same way about the R3. It is all I need....but, I do have this wild side that likes to occasionally go 140+ mph and get there very fast. It's a very expensive thrill though. Most of the race bikes are more cramped for taller riders than the R3. For some reason...probably my shorter ht. I can ride all day on a sport bike with clip-ons and not feel cramped or strained. What cramps me up is having to stretch to reach the ground when I stop especially if the bike is heavy and the seat is tall. Tall people would probably not experience that but everything else would be more uncomfortable. The supermotos and touring bikes, and naked bikes with tall seats would work best for tall people I think.

Les

· #13 · Jun 25, 2015

I am an old (72) bloke who is/was 6 ft (1.8M) and find the seating etc reasonably comfortable. The only problem I had was that both the foot brake and gear lever seemed too far in, perhaps I am a little "goofy footed". The solution that I tried and will be staying with was
1. Extend the gear lever with a short piece of "heater hose". 2. Add an Aluminium plate to the footbrake pedal (the holes are already there) to extend it to a total of about 85mm (3 1/2"). Now the foot brake can be operated without searching for it.
Both of these mods are easily reversible.

FangShui

· #14 · Jun 25, 2015 (Edited)

Les said:
I am an old (72) bloke who is/was 6 ft (1.8M) and find the seating etc reasonably comfortable. The only problem I had was that both the foot brake and gear lever seemed too far in, perhaps I am a little "goofy footed". The solution that I tried and will be staying with was
1. Extend the gear lever with a short piece of "heater hose". 2. Add an Aluminium plate to the footbrake pedal (the holes are already there) to extend it to a total of about 85mm (3 1/2"). Now the foot brake can be operated without searching for it.
Both of these mods are easily reversible.

They do make these for the shift lever but I haven't seen anything equivalent for the brake lever for the R3.

I've used one of these before and they do make it easier to find the lever with your boot by making it larger and extending it outward slightly.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odk...+sock.TRS0&_nkw=yzf-r25+shifter+sock&_sacat=0

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FangShui

· #15 · Jun 25, 2015

I had these on my BMW and they worked well and looked good. You'd have to compare the inner dimension to see if they would work on the R3.

http://www.ascycles.com/detail.aspx?ID=2045

Auto part Vehicle door Vehicle Car Automotive exterior

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ooHATCHoo

· #16 · Jun 26, 2015

6ft 1 and did a USO group ride over 190 bikes took more than an hour and a half the more upright position made for a comfortable ride. I don't kill the bars when I ride and don't have the low back problems like the bigger sport bikes that's me on my YzedF R3 on the other side of the Harley

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Michaelangelo

· #17 · Jul 6, 2015

I'm 6'4 and i have no problem riding my R3 it' still feel safe to ride even though i'm a taller guy. The only funny part you'll notice is being able to rest your elbows on your knee while riding. But other than that the shift lever is fine for me right where it's at even with high top track boots.

gseeger

· #18 · Jul 15, 2015

I'm 6'3" (used to be 6'4", the age thing) and am totally enjoying my R3. I needed just a little more arm room so I changed the bars for lower clip ons which are also positioned a bit more forward. I have a bit more forward lean than before, but I prefer the slightly more aggressive position anyway.

One caveat. I use this bike strictly for "fun" with rides typically around 100 miles. (For touring I have an FJR1300.) So I don't know how comfortable the R3 would be on long trips.

Greg

mobadger72

· #19 · Jul 29, 2015

Why does everyone think this is such a small bike ???
In almost every measurement and against a LOT of different bikes it is overall bigger or the same size as MOST !!!
Even the R-1 !!! It actually DWARFS the R-6 !!!
The only place it is smaller is in the tank and seat height...
I am 6'3" tall, 250 lbs and sat on one the other day and it fits me just as well as my 93' GSXR-750 and 06' Buell XB1200RR did !!!
I plan on buying one later this year...

vercify

· #20 · Oct 27, 2015

I'm 6'1" 170lb and I feel extremely comfortable on the R3. I personally love the slim tank, it looks and feels great.

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