Tall rider Style check

bkent136
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Melbourne, FL US
1/12/2014 6:43pm Edited Date/Time 4/1/2016 8:29am
I wanted to know how I should set up my bike for being a taller rider. I'm 6 4. I have RC Tall bars, but I was wondering if I should invest in some lower footpegs or anything else. My style just looks to funny and bent over. How do you guys think I could fix this?
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Outsider
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1/12/2014 6:46pm
Like this?

bkent136
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1/12/2014 6:53pm
Outsider wrote:
Like this? [img]http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/userfiles/file/13_SteelCity_RyanDungey.jpg[/img]
Like this?

Lol no not that bad. Less bent and farther back. Should I try to ride farther forward standing straight like Stewart?
SEE ARE125
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1/12/2014 7:02pm Edited Date/Time 1/12/2014 7:04pm
Here's 7'4" Rik Smits to make you feel better about your style. lol





bigborefan
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1/12/2014 7:08pm
I would run a tall bar. Also would move the bars forward. Might require a different triple clamp.

I would run a tall seat. Lower pegs might help, I have never tried them myself.

You might need stiffer suspension. Tall guys put more leverage on the bike.

The Shop

bigborefan
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1/12/2014 7:10pm
And by the way, Rik Smits is pretty darn fast. He's the real deal dirt biker. And a really nice guy to boot.
Crush
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1/12/2014 7:17pm
SEE ARE125 wrote:
Here's 7'4" Rik Smits to make you feel better about your style. lol [img]https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xYui-DiA5WA/T2Y8BG8jf-I/AAAAAAAADd4/xgNkMdNwEVg/s400/3223_dsc_9344_1.jpg[/img] [img]http://i450.photobucket.com/albums/qq230/rmenchen/IXCR11-8-09Smits038-1.jpg[/img] [img]https://www.ocscottie.com/new/uploads/2011EXpr.jpg[/img]
Here's 7'4" Rik Smits to make you feel better about your style. lol





Unreal!
BAD10
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1/12/2014 7:25pm
I feel your pain. 6'5" here. Run the RC Hi, and lower pegs.....


Wandell
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1/12/2014 7:28pm
The cheapest and easiest things to try first would be a set of bar risers and a tall seat.
bkent136
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1/12/2014 7:34pm
BAD10 wrote:
I feel your pain. 6'5" here. Run the RC Hi, and lower pegs..... [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2014/01/12/41804/s1200_315767_484876224888319_417660620_n.jpg[/img]
I feel your pain. 6'5" here. Run the RC Hi, and lower pegs.....


Do you recommend the pegs? Or does it screw up handling? And what model do you have
Spartacus
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1/12/2014 7:38pm
6'9"

Rox speed risers, high seat, Fastway Low pegs.

NathanKershaw
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North Hollywood, CA US
1/12/2014 7:42pm
Yeah I'm only 6'2" & all my bikes have at least a tall seat and low pegs.
Bars, I was more picky about from bike to bike.
Tall bars/good in a straight line. Low bars/good turning.
That was always a balance I had to find.
BAD10
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1/12/2014 7:45pm
BAD10 wrote:
I feel your pain. 6'5" here. Run the RC Hi, and lower pegs..... [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2014/01/12/41804/s1200_315767_484876224888319_417660620_n.jpg[/img]
I feel your pain. 6'5" here. Run the RC Hi, and lower pegs.....


bkent136 wrote:
Do you recommend the pegs? Or does it screw up handling? And what model do you have
The lower pegs are a must have for me! Big difference in comfort. The pic is me on my 2010-13 YZ450. I now ride a 2014 YZ450 and did the same mods. I dont run a taller seat because it seems to mess up cornering. Think about it..... with our hight our CG is already too high.
Crush
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1/12/2014 7:54pm
I'm 6'6-6'7"

I don't recommend taller seat, yes it is more comfortable but I do believe it hinders cornering.

Low pegs will give you a little room and more space for shifting for your big feet. If you ride rocks and roots might be something to avoid but the F3 Fastways have a pretty low profile...

Taller bars or bar risers are good, try and get some that are pretty straight with no sweep...
CamP
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Colleyville, TX US
1/12/2014 8:50pm
Almost 6'-6" here. I only run tall bars (RC High). Tall seats negatively affect handling. Our dirt is soft and gets too rutted for lowboy pegs. Knee surgeries suck.
mx_563
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1/12/2014 8:51pm
Google KEN DE DYCKER......






Big Lenny
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1/12/2014 8:58pm
Outsider wrote:
Like this? [img]http://www.redbullusa.com/cs/userfiles/file/13_SteelCity_RyanDungey.jpg[/img]
Like this?

Damn, he's layin' it down...Blink
Crush
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1/12/2014 9:00pm
Look at Big Ken just making the bike his bitch.

What's his face, David Knight, he's a big guy too, there are some vids of him in his GNCC days that left my jaw on the floor, just smashing the bike
nungaray854
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1/12/2014 9:28pm


17 yrs old 6'5" looking like a goon when i stand up
MotoX85
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1/12/2014 9:31pm
I'm just under 6' 4", I run windham pro taper revos, 1.5 degree forward with stock Yamaha mounts in the furthest hole forward and mounts rotated forward. Everything else stock. However this is also how my 13 yr old son who is 5'6" runs his setup. ( I was 4'11" at his age, think he will be tall)

Your tall, you will look goony on a machine built for 5'7" / 5'8" riders, just have to get use to it.

Can't imagine being taller than 6'4" and riding, my knees are already over the seat and gripping the tank makes you look like your trying not to piss yourself.
1/12/2014 10:03pm Edited Date/Time 1/12/2014 10:22pm
bkent136 wrote:
I wanted to know how I should set up my bike for being a taller rider. I'm 6 4. I have RC Tall bars, but I...
I wanted to know how I should set up my bike for being a taller rider. I'm 6 4. I have RC Tall bars, but I was wondering if I should invest in some lower footpegs or anything else. My style just looks to funny and bent over. How do you guys think I could fix this?
Put your boots on.
Have someone hold the bike so you can stand on the pegs
Stand on the pegs with your feet flat, parallel to the ground on your arches
Look straight ahead
Stand straight as a board
Arms straight as a board, palms down, hands and fingers also straight..
Keeping your arms straight, lower your hands to the grips till your fingers touch.
YOU SHOULD CONTACT ON YOUR 2ND DIGIT OF YOUR LONGER FINGERS.
This will get you VERY close...

I have found that riders that say they have their ergos really dialed...come in within 1/2" of this set up when they do this quick test....

This is why you can not definitively say that a certain bend is right...because rotating the bars fore and aft will effect the bar rise you want. If you rotate the bars back, you actually need a lower rise. As a taller rider, your are probably going to need to increase rider compartment size...so you are going to roll the bars forward quite a bit..probably about +1 min on the PT marks. Not sure about Renthals..

With your stock bars...get the fore and aft comfortable (likely rolled forward as noted)...then see how far off you are on contacting 2nd digits. Then do the math to see what rise will get you right close. I would recommend buying from a local shop so you can return them if you need to do some trial and error fitting before you ride em.
1/12/2014 10:17pm Edited Date/Time 1/12/2014 10:21pm
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2014/01/12/41811/s1200_1533839_629478313785294_557819133_n.jpg[/img] 17 yrs old 6'5" looking like a goon when i stand up


17 yrs old 6'5" looking like a goon when i stand up
Not at all.
Strong back - check
Elbows up -check
Head up - Check
Relaxed looking arms - Check

A little more knee bend maybe...but nowhere close to goonish

The thing that really makes the pro's look like they do is their right hand. They are always either hard on gas (and thus out over the front) or had on the brakes (hips back). They also pivot more at the hips...and have their strong (straight) back closer to parallel to the ground (Tomac for example)..no matter whether they are forward or back.

Goonish looking riders often look that way because they are coasting...
bryan
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Wildomar, CA US
1/12/2014 10:37pm
All you guys running lower pegs: Have you ever snagged a toe or anything because of less clearance from the ground?
Crush
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1/12/2014 11:22pm
bryan wrote:
All you guys running lower pegs: Have you ever snagged a toe or anything because of less clearance from the ground?
Nope...

But then again, I mostly ride hardpack or sand... When I rode rutty trails near my parents farm I found it was fine but I guess having size 13 boots you get used to your foot getting pulled off occassionally and not thinking about i.

The F3s move the pegs down and back both 1/2 inch I think. It's not gonna change the world in terms of that but does relax your leg position a bit.
bryan
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1/13/2014 1:47am
Crush wrote:
Nope... But then again, I mostly ride hardpack or sand... When I rode rutty trails near my parents farm I found it was fine but I...
Nope...

But then again, I mostly ride hardpack or sand... When I rode rutty trails near my parents farm I found it was fine but I guess having size 13 boots you get used to your foot getting pulled off occassionally and not thinking about i.

The F3s move the pegs down and back both 1/2 inch I think. It's not gonna change the world in terms of that but does relax your leg position a bit.
Thanks, I'm not as tall as all you guys, only 6', but had been tossing the idea of lower foot pegs around a bit. I've noticed I've developed a habit of letting my ankles flex a bit too much to let my body sink down to where it's more comfy, and that's no good.

I've just been a little sketched about your feet being _this_ much closer to snagging the ground.

---

As for rider style. The taller guys that look coolest to me usually keep more of a bend in their knees to keep their torso more upright vs. the "ass up" style that a lot of tall guys have. I think ole Ryno Hughes would argue that's incorrect though.
Robgvx
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1/13/2014 2:58am
Jaak van Velthoven:

jtiger12
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1/13/2014 4:00am
I'm only 6'2", so I'm short compared to most of you apes. In my experience, be careful how far and high you move those bars. You only need enough that your knees tuck up under the bars when cornering, and you need to have your balance centered to slightly forward when standing. For years I have been running rc highs and +5 risers in the forward position. I recently switched back to the applied stock clamps and it made a significant change in my ability to run flat corners and lift the front end for rollers and rough sections. Four strokes push the front end down and forward not up like a 2 stroke. I was making that problem worse by having the bars so far forward all the time
IWreckALot
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1/13/2014 4:51am
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2014/01/12/41811/s1200_1533839_629478313785294_557819133_n.jpg[/img] 17 yrs old 6'5" looking like a goon when i stand up


17 yrs old 6'5" looking like a goon when i stand up
Not at all. Strong back - check Elbows up -check Head up - Check Relaxed looking arms - Check A little more knee bend maybe...but nowhere...
Not at all.
Strong back - check
Elbows up -check
Head up - Check
Relaxed looking arms - Check

A little more knee bend maybe...but nowhere close to goonish

The thing that really makes the pro's look like they do is their right hand. They are always either hard on gas (and thus out over the front) or had on the brakes (hips back). They also pivot more at the hips...and have their strong (straight) back closer to parallel to the ground (Tomac for example)..no matter whether they are forward or back.

Goonish looking riders often look that way because they are coasting...
I have to imagine the taller you are the more difficult it is to ride in a proper attack position. The shorter riders don't have to bend their knees much to rider in the attack position but the taller you are the more awkward you get. That does look like pretty good style by nungaray. The knees look awkward but not goonish awkward.

I'm only 6' and I've found myself standing up a LOT more the last few times I've gone out.
Spartacus
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1/13/2014 5:31am
I've found my biggest issues are transitioning from sitting to standing and then standing with an acute knee angle. Both lead to earlier leg fatigue than the average size subhuman/shorty experiences. I've used a high seat on all my bikes dating back to a square barrel Maico in 1973. Being super tall you get use to fitting in a world where you don't fit so while far less comfortable than mine, I've never felt any significant difference in handling when I ride a bike without a higher seat.

With the Rox Risers I'm not stuck using only the highest bend bars, I can use any I want. They also allow a more forward bar position giving allowing me to get forward much easier. Not for everyone but not many are in the 0.01%.

YMMV
Markee
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Fantasy
2006th
1/13/2014 5:33am
I'm 6'2. I found more than anything my leg flexibility was more of a hinderance than actual bike set up.

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