New Member Intro - Hello!

[dxg180]

Hello & Greetings!
 
First and foremost thank you to all the people that keep this forum up and alive - Admins & Members! I've obtained countless hours of good intel from this site! Now that I've got that out of the way -- Hello! 
 
I've been waiting for a long time for the perfect starter bike. My journey started off in the cruiser market -- countless hours in the harley showroom & indians and all the others, then sport bikes, again a lot of feeling, researching and pondering! I didn't have an affinity for the Harley name (nothing wrong with them, just didn't HAVE to have it) or the hubris that comes w/ owning a super sport so, I was left trying to find the perfect bike for me. A little background, I stand tall at 5'4", so I'm vertically challenged. Which means, seat height was a big issue. Being flatfooted was kind of high on my list of attributed in my new bike. Which also means I'm limited in my choices. Hence, the cruiser route etc...
 
One lovely evening, I was in a showroom looking at a wide variety of bikes, (almost discouraged that I couldn't find the bike for me) when I saw a small, curvy transformer-esque bike in the corner of my eye. I was immediately drawn to it. I walked over and threw my leg over it. The saddle sat down and I was able to get the balls of my feet down (not flat foot mind you). It felt light, comfortable and it just clicked! 
 
Fast forward hours of research on the bike, setup, mods etc -- I was able to procure a used 2015 FZ-07 w/ 740miles on it for a very reasonable price! Ya hoo!
 
Now that I've aquired the bike, I'm in the setup phase. Question is -- since I'm not flat footed, should I invest in lowering the bike or is there a better option? I can already get the balls of my feet down and feel okay on it (w/ boots on). Just would prefer to be more "down" if/when I need to peddle backwards (which is not so nice w/ the foot pegs, one of the few design flaws w/ the bike I suppose). I've read countless threads on how lowering effects the geometry of the bike and cornering etc. But, I also hear that lowering it an 0.75 in - 1in won't make a huge difference? Hate to end an intro w/ a question, but why be redundant in threads? 
 
Anyways, hello from a new member!
 

 
 
 

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

If you can't flat foot this, good thing you didn't get a SS. I'm 6'2" with boots on and I've sat on some liter bikes that I couldn't flat foot comfortably, haha.
 
As far as lowering the bike, I'm sure someone will chime in with an appropriate answer. All I know is, if you lower it, you'll have a great chance of scraping the kickstand in hard turns.
 
Check out this thread for lowering - it has some decent insights in it:
 
http://fz07.org/thread/3871/step-lower-right

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

Had to come back and post this. Oh, and to welcome you! Welcome!
 
Any time I hear anyone thinking about not getting a particular motorcycle because they can't flat foot, I always show them this:
 

[dxg180]

Thanks ChicagoAJ! Appreciate the advice. And yep, that video is awesome. That guy is so courageous!

[motomeek]

Welcome!
 
I'm 5'3". Haven't lowered nothin'! The wife is 5'2" and just gets a toe down. If you use one foot down (than trying to get both feet down), it'll be totally easy for you to touch the ground.
 
I highly recommend getting the suspension set up to your weight as that will help a bit.
 
But that's how we roll. So to me, you're good to go.
 
And @ChicagoAJ, I've seen that video recently on another forum. It's amazing.
 
 

[Guest ChicagoAJ]

Welcome! 
I'm 5'3". Haven't lowered nothin'! The wife is 5'2" and just gets a toe down. If you use one foot down (than trying to get both feet down), it'll be totally easy for you to touch the ground.
 
I highly recommend getting the suspension set up to your weight as that will help a bit.
 
But that's how we roll. So to me, you're good to go.
 
And @chicagoaj , I've seen that video recently on another forum. It's amazing.
 

Think about the savings in gear. You could get all kid's stuff and pay fractions of the price for just about everything (except helmets). My girlfriend is pretty tiny in stature and she fits into kid's MX gloves and boots. They're like 1/3 the price! And here we are paying full price like suckers. 

[CapnKirk]

Welcome Aboard!