Limited Knee Bend for a Mid-Naked

Hi All,

Looking to get started with motorcycling! Wheyyyy, rounds of applause etc.

My step Dad currently owns a Daytona 675 and its lurrverly, however, due to an illness when I was younger I have limited knee flextion on my left leg. About 90 - 95 degrees, and cant sit on his bike comfortably, let alone select gears.

I was suggested the 'mid-naked' class of bikes to look at once passing my test, but still have reservations about the position on these. Is there any bike which would be better within this category that would suit me? KTM, Kawasaki, Triumph etc. I am keen to still have a Mid Naked due to the aesthetics of these bikes, and would like a fairly sport orientated position. Or could I even raise the seat height with extra padding?

I am about 6ft1 if that helps. Additionally, any advice on equipment (Leathers etc) would be appreciated for a newcomer, my road sense is pretty good having raced pushed bikes on and offroad to an elite level. (And no I not a red light skipping loon!)

Hello and Welcome

You won't really know till you try!

I have knackered knees, at the moment I ride a cruiser but I'm thinking about trying

something else again

bikes are never perfect for everything it's a case of trying to find compromises that you can live with

Hi and welcome to the forum, maybe try something like the hornet 600cc or something as I used one as a courier bike and it was literally all day comfortable what with riding around from 6am or so until quite often 8 or 9pm and I don't recall ever getting off feeling crippled and that was not long after I had my ACL reconstruction and my left knee bends to maybe 110 degrees but I currently ride a zx6r and so long as I dont do anything more than around 60/70 miles before a rest it is just about ok.

The other thing to think about is the older bikes were bigger than the ones nowadays so there is some room for some comfort movement whilst riding whereas the more modern bikes are really just oversized 125s..

But as above you won't know until you get to sitting on as many as you can and preferably with both feet on the pegs to get the best sense of riding position and whether its something you will be able to ride comfortably

Hi and welcome.

Have a look at this. It’s not perfect but can give you some idea of the knee position.

https://cycle-ergo.com/

That cycle-ergo seems like a good site!

With a 1 inch additional on the seat padding, it drastically helps the knee bend. My step Dad also mentioned that you can get different pegs that can adjust where you feet sit, which could help my leg bed. Additionally I have size 48-13UK feet so that would help with a little foot clearance, that sound all about right and sensible? Or is it seen as questionable to go changing these things?

The best thing to do is go to a few different motorbike shops and sit on all the bikes. To get a real feel for a bike you have to ride it but if you're a learner you probably won't be allowed to do that. But sitting on them should give you an idea if they will work or not.

Some bike also have adjustable seat heights. My GSF does and I have it on the highest setting to give less knee bend. The down side is more stretch to the road when stopped, but that does not cause me any problems. Adjustable pegs are available but can reduce cornering clearance. If you did go that route don’t forget the rear brake and gear shift positions will probably need to be adjusted.

Honda nc750 x , tall, no gear shift,

Hi mate, and welcome. I agree with Rennie and WD-40, you should take a trip round a few motorcycle shops and have a sit on some different bikes. The shops I've been around are all pretty amenable and helpful. All advice is good but nothing will beat actually getting your leg over a machine and seeing how it fits....If you find one that seems comfortable with your knee problem the next step will be to arrange and extended test ride, take the bike for half a day for a reasonably good run, that's what I did with my MT, afterwards you'll know if its right for you. Safe riding mate and good luck