ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: charlesb on May 16, 2016, 07:12:36 AM
-
I just bought the zero ds. I understand the seat is 33.2" high. I ordered it without trying out because the dealer didn't have one, but I tried the fxs which was 32.9". That was a bit high for me so this will be a bit worse. I would appreciate any help to find a way to lower the seat height.
-
What I find most interesting is the possibility of replacing the seat with a custom fiberglass seat pan to cover the electronics, as the seat itself makes up 3-4" of additional height. Reduce that down to 1.5" and you'll get 2.5" lower. I think the additional height comes from the seat shell itself, not the padding, but you could also try reducing the padding. Basically, there is a bunch of air space under the seat pan, at least on my Zero S.
The easy things to do: reduce your rear preload to zero and slightly lower (1 cm) the fork tubes on the triple tree. Next you could go to lower profile tires. Then you next step might be modifying your rear shock to reduce it's total length. I did bring my Zero S into a suspension shop and although he did say the rear could be lowered, his first inclination would be to try to shave the seat down.
I see the DS has a 19" front wheel, but I imagine swapping that out for a smaller wheel may be complicated because of the brake caliper.
-
Also, if you can make the seat thinner in the area that your legs go when you have your feed town, that is effectively lower.
You can gut a stock seat.
Those wheels and tires are big on the DS and FX.
-
I'm new to the lingo but are you suggesting adjusting the rear shock to a 0 setting and lowering the front end? How much can I lower to bike by doing that? Also, I wonder if anyone has tried to shave down the seat on a 2016 ds, and if so, what were the results.
-
3 weeks ago you would have had to do a lot of work on your own or at a custom seat shop. But luckily the obvious easy choice now is the Corbin seat. I expect after many on this forum get it and talk about it, for less than $400 most Zero owners on this forum will eventually treat their hind end to sitting on one.
All his seats are designed with greater comfort and to hold taller riders by being deeper further back, but also to allow better reach for shorter riders . It is lower and narrower at the front so your legs can reach. Taller riders simply slide back. On my seat I slide back while riding for a super comfy ride (just did a 500 mile day with the new seat and could have kept going and going) and slide forward so I can flat foot both feet on the ground.
http://corbin.com/zero/zero13.shtml (http://corbin.com/zero/zero13.shtml)
"In the nose area, we sculpt the saddle narrow to allow for good ground reach. "
-
How much will it lower seat height?
-
The product page says ½ inch lower in addition to the sculpting forward for ground reach which probably puts it closer to two inches.
-
Who knows? You may be pleasantly surprised. My 1979 BMW R65 supposedly has a seat height of 30.3". But I can get my heels on the ground MUCH more easily with my 2013 Zero S. (I'm 5'6" on a good day).
-
3 weeks ago you would have had to do a lot of work on your own or at a custom seat shop. But luckily the obvious easy choice now is the Corbin seat. I expect after many on this forum get it and talk about it, for less than $400 most Zero owners on this forum will eventually treat their hind end to sitting on one.
All his seats are designed with greater comfort and to hold taller riders by being deeper further back, but also to allow better reach for shorter riders . It is lower and narrower at the front so your legs can reach. Taller riders simply slide back. On my seat I slide back while riding for a super comfy ride (just did a 500 mile day with the new seat and could have kept going and going) and slide forward so I can flat foot both feet on the ground.
http://corbin.com/zero/zero13.shtml (http://corbin.com/zero/zero13.shtml)
"In the nose area, we sculpt the saddle narrow to allow for good ground reach. "
Even at 5'6" I find the stock seat cramped. I would like it better if I could further back and get into a slightly lower position for wind protection and maximizing range.
-
I think building a fiberglass seat pan that rests on the frame would be straightforward. Designing some flex in it would be good, not sure how that would be done. There are many custom upholstery shops that could do a professional cover. I do not need to do this for myself, but if my girlfriend gets into riding the bike, I will definitely do it. She is 5'0" and almost has her feet flat when she sits on the zero without the seat (with the electronics covered and thin foam padding). I tucked the fuse-holder that was on the seat frame crossbar into extra space and removed the seat support crossbar, and simply used zip-ties to attach the back of the 'tank' cover to the frame (I guess I didn't mention that above...). The funny thing with the seat so low is that it makes the handlebars and dash seem really high...
-
charelsb, thanks for starting this thread and thanks everyone for the insight.
My friend just recently bought a 2016 S. She is 5'1" on a very good and generous day. The stock ride height is way too high, she could barely make contact with the ground so the guys at hollywood electrics are working on it now.
They initially lowered/shaved the seat but it was still not low enough for her. Our seemingly, only option at this point is to swap out the shocks which "should" be done by next wednesday. I don't know the numbers in which they've lowered it so far and how much they intend on lowering it but I would hope it would be considerable. We understand the necessity for preloads and such but she's a light girl and hopefully there won't be any scraping issues.
If that fails however, i'm not sure which direction to go. Considering a corbin seat for her but not sure how much lower it can be and then there are riding boots with thicker soles...
Manzanita, sounds like your girl and my friend is in the same situation.
I'll update once we get the bike.
-
Seat ht. is often an issue. Zero needs to just offer a lower seat option so people don't have to try different stuff. Anything over 33 inches is too tall for many people including me. My Honda CB300F has a seat ht. of 30.7 in. but has a lower seat option from Honda that drops it down 1". I never like to mess with the suspension. You could trade that Zero in on 5 new CB300Fs with the proper seat ht.
-
I read somewhere that there is a lot of air space under the seat and that they could design a lower seat very easily. Since I don't have my bike yet I can't confirm this but if that is so, They should immediately offer a multiple seat height solution. Seat height problems led me to choose a different motorcycle on 3 occasions. I bought this one without being able to even sit on it first because I loved the test ride and decided to go electric. I figured that I would find a solution to the height issue when I get it even if I have to take the seat off and shave it down (something I am not looking forward to doing!!!)
Lets start a petition for seat height options for these zeros ;D
-
I don't think there is that much space under the seat. I've looked under mine and the seat is quite thin, and also it is mounted quite close to the frame. OK, I guess maybe one can shave off 1" if it is reworked to be barely higher than the frame.
-
Does anyone know how much foam there is on the seat (or better put, how tall is the foam) to determine how much could be shaved.
-
Electric Terry with Vetter cut the rear/seat frame to lower the rider for areo.
I would look into that before messing with the suspension.
-
So the bike came and left this morning. Everything was looking good until we tried to start it up. Gave a 2-1 error? A quick search on the boards tell me that it's has something to do with the contactor? Perhaps a motor control board problem? So they had to reload the bike and is now back at Hollywood electrics. Haven't received an update so I'm not sure how long it will take this time. We're just itching to ride soon.
At any rate, the ride height is considerably lower. I'm 5'9" and I'm just about flat footin' it plus, I was wearing flip flops. So, with the stock seat shaved and new suspension in, I'm going to guess and say it's been lowered about 2.5-3". I'll get more accurate estimates once they re-deliver. My friend wasn't able to sit on it today because of work but I'm really hoping this is low enough for her. She's gone and bought some boots to increase her stance as well so we shall see.
(http://i63.tinypic.com/6fzkig.png)
-
I don't think there is that much space under the seat. I've looked under mine and the seat is quite thin, and also it is mounted quite close to the frame. OK, I guess maybe one can shave off 1" if it is reworked to be barely higher than the frame.
If you remove the seat brace bracket and tuck the fuse box into the wiring harness, it creates about 3.5 inches of space below the original seat level--now some of that will have to be used up by padding, and this is also without a fiberglass pan protecting the electronics. So maybe 2-2.5 inches lower with relatively thin padding.
OEM seat (note the background as a reference):(http://i65.tinypic.com/27y0nf9.jpg)
Seat removed and electronics covered with tape: (http://i67.tinypic.com/35kkjr9.jpg)
-
Thanks for the explanation! I see what you mean. The front of the seat is very close to the gas tank and I did not even consider lowering that area. I was thinking about the rear of the seat, where there does not appear to be almost any room for lowering. I looked at lowering the rear because I wanted to lower the rear of the seat keeping the front just as high as stock or even rising it, so that I don't slide forward as much as I do now, plus the rear is wider and much more comfortable for me, being tall. But yes, if you can sit in the front, then lowering that makes sense. I am way too forward and close to the handlebars if I sit in the front area - if anything, I'd want to be even further back from where the stock seat puts me in its current wide spot..
On a separate note: when I looked at that bracket that was removed in your photos, I thought it had a structural role too. Doesn't it weaken the rigidity of the frame when removed?
I don't think there is that much space under the seat. I've looked under mine and the seat is quite thin, and also it is mounted quite close to the frame. OK, I guess maybe one can shave off 1" if it is reworked to be barely higher than the frame.
If you remove the seat brace bracket and tuck the fuse box into the wiring harness, it creates about 3.5 inches of space below the original seat level--now some of that will have to be used up by padding, and this is also without a fiberglass pan protecting the electronics. So maybe 2-2.5 inches lower with relatively thin padding.
OEM seat (note the background as a reference)[/img]
Seat removed and electronics covered with tape[/img]
-
emoowear - how much were you able to shave off of the stock seat? How much padding is there on the stock seat?
-
emoowear - how much were you able to shave off of the stock seat? How much padding is there on the stock seat?
With what I saw and felt initially, i'll have to guess and say 1.5-2"? I'll take better pics once we have the bike back and will try to show how much padding is still available along with more accurate numbers on exactly where the savings in height is with the seat and suspension.
-
On a separate note: when I looked at that bracket that was removed in your photos, I thought it had a structural role too. Doesn't it weaken the rigidity of the frame when removed?
I can't say for sure, but I don't think so. It looks like it is there to support the front mount of the seat. The other evidence to support that would be that it is wishbone shaped where it bolts to the frame in the back, so not exactly a rigid structure. Also, the bolts that attach it to the front frame member under the tank were very small, like body trim bolts, so not really designed to take much stress. You could make a flat cross brace where the two back bolts attach. I just thought to look at photos of the frame alone, and it seems the welded tube directly under the seat area would be pretty rigid, look half-way down this page: http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-s/features.php (http://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-s/features.php)
-
I think you are right. https://www.facebook.com/BenRidesElectric/photos/pcb.802611619872193/802611303205558/?type=3&theater (https://www.facebook.com/BenRidesElectric/photos/pcb.802611619872193/802611303205558/?type=3&theater)
-
https://www.facebook.com/BenRidesElectric/photos/pcb.802611619872193/802611303205558/?type=3&theater
(https://www.facebook.com/BenRidesElectric/photos/pcb.802611619872193/802611303205558/?type=3&theater)
Yes, this is identical to my bike. The funny thing is that the zip ties on the power cables are way too tight, and so cutting a few of those allows them to relax and lay down flat. The fuse box there tucked away nicely in a pocket just underneath where it is sitting on the brace. My first idea on lowering the seat was lowering the seat mount by creating a custom seat brace bracket that was simply lower (imagine if the bracket butted up against the front support instead of sitting on top of it). But if you're not a welder that sort of work will be pricey. Also, what I notice in this photo is how the entire mount in front is raised up above the main frame member, and I think the only other thing it supports is the plastic tank cover. So that if you cut it down an inch, it would lower the seat mount by that much (and you could have a bracket come up and support the tank cover). Lots of options if you can weld or are willing to pay someone. But the lowest you can get in the front of the seat would be to remove the bracket.
-
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO64VW-MPjHRcr3W1-t85-AfiZOVz9_JLMUXKxpQYr8Ge-ZKhpdUmj2ovVxuiXNmw?key=dnl0S2RqNExkQllUcDNpSk8xV3NMUU1Oay0tU2Fn
The cool thing is I can bolt the OEM seat on top of this 'seat' so I can convert it back and forth for myself and my girlfriend.
-
I came across this video and thought of this thread. The guy filming is a total rube and I weep for his kids but the rider is a bad ass and my hero.
Inspirational Motorcycle Rider (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YId9Pr_RlIo#)
Where there's a will there's a way.
-
I came across this video and thought of this thread. The guy filming is a total rube and I weep for his kids but the rider is a bad ass and my hero.
Inspirational Motorcycle Rider (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YId9Pr_RlIo#)
Where there's a will there's a way.
Rube is right. And when the video ended, youtube offered me up a veritable army of further rubish idiocy to contemplate.
But yeah, the rider's calm mastery of the situation does sort of balance things out.
-
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO64VW-MPjHRcr3W1-t85-AfiZOVz9_JLMUXKxpQYr8Ge-ZKhpdUmj2ovVxuiXNmw?key=dnl0S2RqNExkQllUcDNpSk8xV3NMUU1Oay0tU2Fn
The cool thing is I can bolt the OEM seat on top of this 'seat' so I can convert it back and forth for myself and my girlfriend.
Just an update; we've done three weekend training sessions and my 5'0" gf with no previous riding experience now has no problem riding my Zero S in the above modified state. She is not flat-footed, but is not straining either. I don't want to detail what I've done under the seat (as it is very half-ass) but I will say you need to protect the connector on the front right side; the wires coming out of the harness need to be protected from being pinched. Please do a better job than I did. Basically, she is sitting on the power cables. A hard fiberglass pan would be ideal, it could rest on the frame on each side.
-
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO64VW-MPjHRcr3W1-t85-AfiZOVz9_JLMUXKxpQYr8Ge-ZKhpdUmj2ovVxuiXNmw?key=dnl0S2RqNExkQllUcDNpSk8xV3NMUU1Oay0tU2Fn
The cool thing is I can bolt the OEM seat on top of this 'seat' so I can convert it back and forth for myself and my girlfriend.
I think this is a candidate for the quick-release pin mod.
-
https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO64VW-MPjHRcr3W1-t85-AfiZOVz9_JLMUXKxpQYr8Ge-ZKhpdUmj2ovVxuiXNmw?key=dnl0S2RqNExkQllUcDNpSk8xV3NMUU1Oay0tU2Fn
The cool thing is I can bolt the OEM seat on top of this 'seat' so I can convert it back and forth for myself and my girlfriend.
... Basically, she is sitting on the power cables. A hard fiberglass pan would be ideal, it could rest on the frame on each side.
Yeah, definitely put something there to support the person's weight- you don't want the big power cables mashed. Fiberglass, enough layers, a piece of cut pipe of the appropriate diameter, for for less weight, layers of carbon fiber, layers of noncompressible lightweight material, and more layers of carbon fiber. You want the weight transferred to the frame, not the wires.
-
Haven't logged on for a while but thought I'd update w some pics.
She's 5'1" or so and had serious doubts about not being able to ride because of the ride height still not being optimum even after the suspension and seat adjustment.
She has 0 riding experience and was worried about not being able to flat foot it.
I'm happy to see her feeling a lot more confident during our practice sessions now.
I'm estimating about 4" ish for reduction from stock height. Still not able to flat foot but acquiring balance and confidence goes such a long way. Hope this helps some of the shorter, new riders out there!
(http://i64.tinypic.com/nybn1z.png)
(http://i67.tinypic.com/imjg5s.jpg)
-
Photos gone, maybe a google photos link? I don't think they are going away like the small photo services.
-
He hasn't been active in over 4 years so I wouldn't count on him coming back and reuploading them.