Is it good for novice riders? Any short riders here?


HeyZeus MLG

New member
Hey,

New member here. I'll get my license soon and the 2018 mt-07 is at the top of my bike list.

I'm a very small rider as my height is about 167cm (5'5 1/2) with a 30inch inseam and i weigh around 64kg (141lbs). I can't really quite plant my foot flat on the ground on most big bikes.

Do you think I can manhandle the 2018 MT-07? I've sat on it but i do feel the seat is wider and taller than its rivals. The handlebars aren't quite flat, the switches on the left bar are quite close to each other but i do like the fact that the MT-07 only weighs about 179kg (kerb). Its way lighter than the SV650 but not by much when compared to the Z650.

So, I want to get the MT-07 since the sv650 is slimmer but very heavy at rest, the z650 vibrates a lot and it doesn't sound nice. Not sure if the Mt-07 would convincingly fit for someone my size.

Thanks.
 

banjo

New member
I am 5ft 5 1/2 fair bit heavier than you. I don't have an issue with the seat height at all, partly because of the light weight and also the narrow seat . Not tried the 2018 model so I don't know if the seat is different.When stopping and putting one foot down it is easy to be flat footed if I put both down I am on the balls of my feet a little bit but it's never a problem
 

Max

New member
Hi.
Also new to the site. Just bought my first big bike my mt07. On a 14 plate.
It's fine for me and I'm 5ft 4
I did have the forks adjusted which was an easy job.
I feel safe and stable. My feet touch on both sides but I'm not quite flat footed.
 

Jamieking86

New member
Hi their. I am a very short rider, I’m probably around 5 ft 3 and it was always my worry too that I couldn’t reach the floor on a big bike. I sat on the mt07 and could probably just tip toe. As a new rider (only passed my test in April 2018) I wanted to be 100% comfortable. I had the bike lowered 28mm which the dealer did for me, I can now more or less flat foot with both feet so if you do the same I certainly don’t think you’ll have any problems. I love my bike too, I 100% recommend the MT07 even as a first big bike
 

MJR-Tejas

New member
Hey, you should have no problems at all with the 18 MT 07. I'm 5' 3" with an inseam around 28" and weigh in around 175 lbs. If i shift a little to one side or the other i can get one foot flat when i come to a stop. I can get the balls of both my feet on the ground in regular shoes, but just the toes when i'm in my stiff riding boots. But that's not a problem. Don't let the height of a bike scare you. Within reason there are ways to cope with bigger bikes. The bike i had before i bought the 18 MT 07 was a 2007 BMW R1200R. With the low seat BMW sells it was still about an inch taller than the MT, and weighed almost 100lbs more. And it has a pretty high center of gravity compared to the MT. As a short guy that's ridden quite a few bikes that where "too tall" in my 30+ years of riding i can tell you, you just learn to be more aware of how and where you park and pay more attention to the ground conditions when you come to a stop. I can spot sand and gravel from a mile away. ha ha. If i'm stopping on side slope I just put the up hill foot down. Sometimes that means i have to keep my hand on the clutch and the bike in gear. Not a problem. Just remember to go all the way to first when you stop, not neutral. I could NEVER back up the BMW while sitting on the bike, and could only move it forwards on flat ground. I just stood next to it when i moved it, problem solved. Or one that really made people do a double take is to stop close to the curb and put your foot on the curb instead of the pavement. But in the interest of full disclosure, I got the MT 07 instead of the MT 09 because i wasn't overly comfortable with the seat height of the MT 09. It was about the same as the BMW and having spent 4 days on an 07 on vacation, I new that it had more than enough power for my more relaxed style of riding these days. I love that torquey little 700cc power plant. Heck it actually has almost the same power/weight ratio as that 1200CC BMW.
But one thing i always advise against is lowering your suspension as a way to adjust the height of a bike. It almost always adversely effects the handling of the bike. Get a shorter and/or narrow seat if you can, (not really an option on the MT as the seat is already pretty thin and narrow) soften the suspension if it's adjustable (which it is on the 2018 MT 07), but don't lower a bike with shorter springs or any other similar fix.
Good riding !!
 

NikitaUCLA

New member
I'm 5'5, and I commute on my 2017 FZ07 every day. I've put about 12,000 miles so I feel that I know what I am talking about. I'm also have been riding for about 30 years. First, I read somewhere that the newer MT07 is slightly higher in seat height. All I did with my '17 FZ07 was soften the rear preload to the lowest setting. That basically did the trick. I can comfortably straddle the bike at a stop. I can flat foot on one side or the other but not both. I have the experience and confidence so this is not a problem. If you really want the MT07 and is not confident due to the seat height, I would highly recommend installing the lowering link. This would totally work.
I've lowered my 2018 BMW G310R this way, and I can totally flat foot on the BMW bike. Yes, the BMW is much slower than the MT07 but the suspension is way better and I can ride the bike way better than on my FZ07. It's not about power. It's all about fun. I highly recommend you looking into the Kawasaki Z400. That's a great bike.
Personally, I think the front suspension on the MT07 sucks! It's so vague.

By the way, people who are against lowering the suspension don't know what the F??? they are talking about. I've shortened the suspension on my dirt bikes and can clear 80 foot jumps when I was younger. Lowering suspension can work when done with common sense.
 


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