Changing the seat height

The seat height on this bike can be at three settings: 770cm, 785cm (default) and 800cm. While my feet reach the ground comfortably at the 785cm setting, I still feel that the 770cm that I used during the test ride gave me a more comfortable ride so I decided to change the seat height today and this is how I did it. The instructions are pretty clearly laid out in the manual.

Step 1: Remove the rear seat.


To do this you need to put your key into the rear lock and lift the seat while turning the key. Once the rear end has been lifted, gently slide the rear seat out.

Step 2: Unscrew bolts retaining front seat.


There are two of them and you need an allen key or a hex bit driver to unscrew them. The rear end of the front seat can then be lifted and the front seat dislodged by sliding it back.

Step 3: Locate the two brackets that need to be lowered.


There is a front bracket and a rear bracket, both of which are held in place by two bolts. Both brackets have three positions, and the top holes with give the lowest seat position. Try unscrewing all four bolts to start with. Then unscrew the bolts completely, move the brackets to the desired position and put the bolts back. The manual specifies torques, but if you are using standard length allen keys, turn them till they feel tight.

This picture shows the rear bracket held in the middle position by two bolts.


This picture shows the right side of the front bracket held in middle position by a screw and a rear guide.


The rear bracket set for the lowest seat position.


The front bracket set for the lowest seat position.


Reattach the front seat with two bolts, snap the rear seat into place and you are all done!

Buying the bike

Having just passed my big bike test a few weeks ago, I have been looking to part exchange my Honda CG125 for a 600cc bike. Having dropped a GS500 a couple of times in training (off road) after locking the front brake and experiencing how painful this can be, I decided to look for bikes which had ABS. As I commute daily using a bike (except when it snows that is!), I was particularly interested in bikes that had half or full fairings. I am ~165cm tall and weigh about 54kg and while 60mph is OK on an unfaired bike, riding any faster was not particularly enjoyable for an extended period of time. I narrowed my choices down to Honda CBF600SA, Kawasaki ER-6F ABS, and BMW F650GS ABS. The BMW costs more so for a new bike the choices were really the Honda or the Kwak. At a local bike exhibition I got the opportunity to try the Kwak and while the seating was reasonable, the dealer was pretty arrogant and would not allow test rides for those who had not held a motorbike license for at least two years. The local Honda dealer was much more friendly and invited me to take a test ride on the CBF, which I subsequently did. Despite being a heavier bike than the GS500 that I had ridden earlier, I found the bikes handling extremely reassuring and felt confident with it both at crawling speeds as well at the speed limit. What was particularly striking was that even when cruising at 70mph, one felt as if in a bubble created by the fairing. I guess its a bit like a cabriolet! I felt really one with the bike and decided to go ahead and buy one. I got a relatively good deal with Doble - £4399 for a brand new one fitted with heated grips and delivery included, after part exchanging my silver 2007 CG125 which has ~ 9400 miles on the clock. I am sure that you can find even better deals out there especially if you don't have any part exchange. I am awaiting delivery tommorow and will let you know how things go.