I was chatting with a friend about how Kawasaki has been the first motorcycle manufacturer to pay any attention to the short inseam off-road riders with their KLX230 S. (See: 3 Cheers for Kawasaki.)
That move could almost double their possible customers because most ladies and a tremendous number of men have inseams that range from 29 inches down to 26 inches.
I was mentioning that Kawasaki could redesign and make a dedicated frame for motorcycles designed for smaller adults so they could have a plush 28-inch seat height.
His next remark astounded me!
He said, “But they need all the ground clearance they have now.”
So, I replied, “What does that have to do with lowering the seat?”
I thought everyone realized that there is only one basic measurement on a motorcycle that is fixed, and all the rest can be juggled to fit the type of motorcycle you intend to build, and that measurement is your desired ground clearance.
In other words, you can design the top part of the frame to give you the seat height you need and still have the necessary ground clearance.
To put it another way; the height of the seat has nothing to do with ground clearance if the upper part of the frame is designed correctly.
A good example of proper frame design for a low seat height is the Honda Rebel line.
With a very few modifications, the Rebels could be converted into proper adventure bikes for short inseam people.
Now the question is,
Will Honda make those modifications or will someone else have to do it?
Right, now, there are no adventure bikes available to roughly one-half of the world population. Most ladies and millions of short inseam men.
Currently, the most wanted style of motorcycle is the adventure bike! It is a sort of go anywhere kind of motorcycle, just like the SUV is a kind of go anywhere car.
The Swiss actually started it all with the Swiss Army Knife. Now everyone only wants to invest in a product that will do many tasks well and I don’t blame them.
Getting back to the adventure bike; only about one half of the population who want one could safely ride the models that are actually available because the seats are too tall for their short inseams.
It is just not safe to only be able to touch one toe on the street when you have to stop for a light.
Honda could easily fill that gap in the marketplace with adventure bike modifications to their Rebel line of bikes.
It is almost like it was back in the 1960s. Honda had this slick little city commuter bike called the Cub with independent front suspension, but they really had nothing the average American wanted to help make use of the outdoors.
I was a Honda dealer at that time, and I saw a possible trail & ranch bike lurking in that Honda Cub design. I ordered a few special parts, made some parts, and had others made, and just like that, we had the best trail bike available anywhere in the world.
The Honda Rebel line is in the same state now.
The frame is correct. It simply needs spoke wheels with a 21-inch front, an independent front suspension because they don’t need excessive travel for the good ride, electronic controlled shocks, and a larger gas tank.
With those few changes, Honda would be amazed at the people waiting in line for such a bike.