the Lightning long good for a short guy?

[jtballer]

I'm only about 5 foot 7 and there is a lightning for sale near me, and i am in love with these bikes and it's the only one near me.

it's a 06, 2,500 miles. they want $7900 firm, which sucks, but what do you guys think?

what really is the difference between the lightning and the lightning long? I've never owned a motorcycle, so i'm kinda a newbie, but is there a significant difference? i just read that the long is for the taller rider, so i was wondering should i not look at the long?

 

[dans03firebolt]

No the long is just a few inches longer than the stock lightening. If you are 5'7" you should be fine on that bike. You might tip toe a little bit or be on the balls of your feet but that is perfectly fine. I tip toe on my Firebolt every time I ride it.

 

[FIDOSOL]

I can tell you that it will be a bit much for you, I'm 5'9" and I have a 2007 Buell Lightning CityX XB9SX. I can touch with the balls of my feet that's about it, the long is best for riders 6' and over. You should look for the Scg model it is made for shorter riders. If you can't find the Scg anywhere near you then you could get the standard S model and buy the lower seat offered on Buell's website. I would strongly advise against the Long, I'm sure you'd rather wait and get one that you can really enjoy. Regardless of which one you do finally get, test ride first. If they refuse to let you test ride it then walk away. Make sure you have full gear when you test ride though, or just when you ride period. Oh and just a side note. My 07 9S with 2300 miles is worth a little over $5200...

 

[teh Nub]

I own an 06' XB12Ss and my Boss (5'-6") had no problems with it when he rode my bike. He said it felt kinda small, and I thought it felt ridiculously small and I'm 6'-3"... Sit on it and see how it feels before you take advice from people that have no experience with what you are looking at. If you have problems with the height you could lower the bike some or have Corbin or another manufacture build you a lowrise seat..

The suggested retail for the SS in my zip code is $7525 so the price is a little high, but you will also have to look at how avalable the bikes are in your area and what it will cost you to travel/ship one in.....

 

[mrdozer2you]

I'm 5'9 and ride a Long. No problems for me. All the Buells tend to sit high compared to most Jap bikes. The long will hold a bit more fuel and like they said above, has a slightly longer seat and swing arm. I shaved the seat on mine so I could have a bit more of my feet on the ground. You wont have any problems on it, worst case if you do, shave the seat...if you need more room get a shorter rear shock.

 

[teh Nub]

I also forgot to mention, the XB12Ss has a seat height of 30.5" and the XB9SX has a seat height of 31.4"...

 

[07XB12Ss]

ive got an 07Ss with a Corbin seat and i can just get both balls of the feet on the ground (im 5'10), i sat on a friends 9S and i could almost get both feet flat on the ground, felt much more stable just sitting,
I havent had any problems or anything, 1 close call in a parking lot but I caught it, if I would have done more research I would have gone with an S or a Scg (i want to sit on one of those)

 

[burnteyes]

i think thats a tad high... I got my 08 brand new in back in Feb. for only 1100 more. Im 5'11" i got the scg version which is about an inch shorter then i would like but i plan on getting my seat redone and picking up about a 1/2 there, I can stand with about a 1/2inch to 1 inch gap under my butt

 

[fahren]

did you ever buy the long? I have one (same hgt as you), and I put the lower Buell touring seat on - about $200 list from dealer. I love it.