So I've been thinking a lot lately about the ergonomics of my bike (I'm a bit of an ergo nut... I modify stuff all the time to fit me better).

Recently, as an experiment I've been taking a more aggressive posture... butt back against the stop, forearms parallel with the ground, balls of my feet on the pegs. I've also been tucking farther down on the freeway. It's really not uncomfortable, I find, and feels sportier to be sure. It must be said, though, that I haven't taken any really long rides yet this year.

The stock bars are, of course, not designed for much of this and do feel a tad awkward, especially when all the way down in that tuck.

I got the idea to try this when I ran across some rant on a sportbike forum, about how uninformed people go into the showroom and get it all wrong... sitting bolt upright, elbows locked... then they buy the bike and are unhappy with it because riding it is not what they thought it would be. The basic premise was that sportbikes are designed to be ridden with an aggressive posture and newbs don't understand that.

Having tried a different posture over the past week or two to see if there was anything to this, today I tried a simple experiment at lunch. I headed over to the nearest dealer and sat on some supersports (GSXR600, CBR600RR and R6). I shoved my butt back, leaned over far enough to put my forearms parallel with the ground and...

... much to my surprise, found the position reasonably comfortable. I could easily support myself by leaning on the tank, taking much of the weight off my hands. Going into a full tuck let me take ALL the weight off my hands if I wanted to, while still being able to look ahead without too much trouble.

Admittedly I was just sitting on the bike supported by its sidestand, and only did it for a minute or three. Nevertheless, it was clearly not what I remember feeling in the past when I'd tried sitting on these things. Before, I just hadn't given any thought to the correct posture and sat up too much. That felt awkward and uncomfortable.

I also paid attention to getting my feet down, which is something else I'm sensitive to. I really want to be able to move the bike in my (slightly sloped) driveway without getting off, and you just can't realistically move a 400+ pound machine if you're way up on tiptoes.

The GSXR is clearly the bike for stumpy guys like me. Honda was okay, Yamaha was fugeddaboudit. The front of the gixxer saddle is narrow and the pegs are set back far enough that you can get your leg straight down in front of them. Again, I'd never paid any attention before, and supersport seats just seemed way too tall for me.

I discovered that even though I was just wearing sneakers and have a 30-inch inseam, I could - just - get both heels on the ground on the GSXR600. Makes me think I could actually live with one of these things. (uh-oh..... that Suzuki felt pretty darned cool.... )

Thoughts? Your experiences?

Take a test ride first. The ergos sitting on the bike are not the same as actually riding it. I found this out the hard way with my ZX6. It felt great on the showroom floor. But on the road, it tore my body up. Granted after the first week of riding, my body adjusted to the aggressive stance. I also move around the seat a lot, which helps tremendously. But I still get sore after an hour or so of riding. Stretching for a couple of minutes usually does the trick.

Personally, the CBR and BMW 1000RR are the most comfortable sportbikes I've been on. The GSXR and Kawi aren't bad. The worse, to me, is the Yamaha. It's too tall.

Going from a sports tourer, like the 250, to a thoroughbred sportsbike will feel like night and day, especially if you haven't ridden one extensively before. But like all things, you will get used to it. Though, your body will hate you for a bit. Just don't take sitting on the bike as the primary gauge of comfort. It totally changes when actually riding.

Thoughts? Your experiences?

I'm with you. I don't find sportbike ergonomics to be terribly uncomfortable. Once you're in something close to the right position and the bike is in motion, it can be surprisingly comfortable. :thumbup:

Take a test ride first. The ergos sitting on the bike are not the same as actually riding it. .....

Personally, the CBR and BMW 1000RR are the most comfortable sportbikes I've been on. The GSXR and Kawi aren't bad. The worse, to me, is the Yamaha. It's too tall.

That BMW makes me happy in my pants. Freakin' awesome.

What's your height/ inseam?

Getting a test ride... just how does one do that? Dealers generally don't allow rides, do they? (I don't know, I've never bought a new bike.)

By the way, this is a perfect example of what that rant was talking about. This is me at last year's Indy MotoGP race, trying on a 600RR for size.

Notice my legs are right where the pegs are (therefore my feet were spread way out) and my arms are straight. Heels two inches off the ground, feeling awkward as hell. No wonder.

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a115/adouglas2001/Motorcycle%20tour%202009/IMG_0408.jpg

My inseam is about 31"....in any case, I'd agree that Suzuki is the way to go in terms of overall flat-foot-ability. Go older, and things get even better (SRADS, or even the old slingshots like mine). The 2000-2001 zx6r/zx9r bikes are also really really comfortable, in terms of flat-footing and overall seating posture.

The real improvement, I'm finding, with the aggressive SS pose is the amount of wind protection you receive on the freeway. Spectacular! I used to have problems with the wind catching my backpack and flinging it around on my 250...unless of course I used the waist strap. This is no problem whatsoever on the gixxer. The wind just can't get beneath the bag. I find I'm also less prone to fatigue due to having to fight the wind with my body.

As for cons...well...you gotta be fairly limber haha. Crawling around in traffic while forcing your chin up so that you can see really strains your neck and lower trap muscles. If you have an older SS with high up pegs like I do...get ready for those hip flexors to start screaming after an hour. Also the lock out distance for tight u-turns suck. When you're trying to do a u-turn and your arm gets stuck between the tank and the handlebar...it's a little disconcerting. I still haven't gotten used to that. Mind you, some of the issues I had while commuting on the 250 included lower back pains and monkey butt. I basically traded those two major issues in for other issues.

If there's a way you can swing getting a new bike AND keeping the 250...I say go for it haha. Coming off of a big, clunky SS and going to the super nimble 250 and flinging that thing around the tight stuff really makes you appreciate the finer things in life. :thumbup:

That BMW makes me happy in my pants. Freakin' awesome.

What's your height/ inseam?

Getting a test ride... just how does one do that? Dealers generally don't allow rides, do they? (I don't know, I've never bought a new bike.)

Dealers around here will let you test ride anything, they just get a copy of your license and make sure you are helmeted.

The only test rides I have seen here are HD demo days, the occasional BMW demo bike, and Duc dealer days. One thing I like about the local HD shop, even if you can't ride the bike, they at least hold it up for you so you can put both feet on the pegs.

1)
gsxr all the way.

2)
I don't push my butt all the way back in the seat really but I still get comfy on my tank for long freeway rides, which I do just about every other day at least 100 miles. I find I usually rest my chest on top of the tank or just below my chest on the crest of where the top of the tank and the rear of the tank meet.
I don't know if that makes any sense. When I find the sweet spot I'm comfy though.

3)
Adding clip ons to the 250 completely changed the body positioning of the bike toward a much more aggressive position, and opened up more room for your head when tucked, and more of the tank to lay on. Any 250 I own from here on out will have them.

4)
rearsets helped with that sporty feel quite a bit too.

Once I got used to the pain from those two above additions, it's now much more comfortable to tuck in and lay on the bike. But it's also much less comfortable to sit on it upright too (read as right on the jewels).

5)
Neck pain from long rides becomes a big problem at first in a more racey position until you are used to it.

Notice my legs are right where the pegs are (therefore my feet were spread way out) and my arms are straight. Heels two inches off the ground, feeling awkward as hell. No wonder.

You're lucky. :) That is exactly how I am on the 250. I still can't roll the thing off the driveway while sitting on it.

As for tucked riding, I've gone into a tuck for a decent length of highway before and didn't find it uncomfortable, but my butt was nowhere near the back of the seat for sure.

That BMW makes me happy in my pants. Freakin' awesome.

What's your height/ inseam?

Getting a test ride... just how does one do that? Dealers generally don't allow rides, do they? (I don't know, I've never bought a new bike.)

That BMW... I agree. It makes me happy as well.

I'm 5'6. I'm about a 31/32 inseam. Funny is that on the 09 CBR, I sit flat footed. GSXR 750 is really close. Not so with the R6, where I am on the tips of my toes.

I shaved the seat on my ZX. No more problems being on the tippy-toes!

1)
gsxr all the way.

2)
I don't push my butt all the way back in the seat really but I still get comfy on my tank for long freeway rides, which I do just about every other day at least 100 miles. I find I usually rest my chest on top of the tank or just below my chest on the crest of where the top of the tank and the rear of the tank meet.
I don't know if that makes any sense. When I find the sweet spot I'm comfy though.

3)
Adding clip ons to the 250 completely changed the body positioning of the bike toward a much more aggressive position, and opened up more room for your head when tucked, and more of the tank to lay on. Any 250 I own from here on out will have them.

4)
rearsets helped with that sporty feel quite a bit too.

Once I got used to the pain from those two above additions, it's now much more comfortable to tuck in and lay on the bike. But it's also much less comfortable to sit on it upright too (read as right on the jewels).

5)
Neck pain from long rides becomes a big problem at first in a more racey position until you are used to it.

+1, except for the sore neck. I also find that getting right in close to the tank makes for more comfort for me