Let me introduce myself

Hey Guys and Gals,
My name is Rich and I live in northeast Tennessee in Bristol.  I rode motorcycles from 1985 to 1991.  I started with a Honda 700cc V4 Sabre naked bike that I used to make day trips on weekends.  Then I upgraded to a Kawasaki Concours after two years.  My last significant ride was made while I was stationed in Germany with the US Army.  My wife had traveled back to the States for two weeks on the "Show Off the New Baby Tour" so I took a week of leave.  I rode my Kawasaki through Lyon France, across the Massif Central, through the Midi-Pyreneese (including Tolouse), over the Pyrenese Mountains and through Andorra, and a small portion of Spain, back along the French Mediterranean Coast, then back up to Frankfurt.  I sold the bike in Germany in 1991 and have been bike-less since.  Now my kids are  grown and I feel the call of riding again.  

Last month I took the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Basic course for the second time.  When I first noticed motorcycles in High School, going with friends to the Laconia New Hampshire races I was enamored of Harleys.  At the time, AMF was in the process of killing Harley off.  No one I knew liked Harleys, so I had to like them.  With my parents adamantly against motorcycles, I had no chance of owning one.  For some reason I have  always been interested in Guzzis.  The engine layout just seems to make common sense and at some visceral level it appeals to me.  My wife does not understand the idea of a machine being gorgeous.  Perhaps it's a guy thing, I don't really know.  Coming back to motorcycling, I thought I want an adventure type bike, because I am tall and the ergonomics make sense.  I test rode a GRiSO and a California 1400 Custom several weeks ago.  Having been off bikes for so long, a moped would have thrilled me.  I liked both.  The GRiSO is drop-dead sexy to my eyes, but the foot pegs seem high.  I will test the Stelvio in a week. Not being able to join the herd, I don't think I can go with the Teutonic brand.

If you can comment on lowering a GRiSO peg an inch or so, and what impact that has on cornering (or not) please comment.  Thanks guys.
Rich

Hi Rich and welcome. There are several options to lower the pegs. I chose Knight Designs, with a 2" drop, big difference in comfort, they are well made and are affordable. I have not noticed any cornering issues but at this stage of my life I am no longer looking to get a knee down in corners.
Mark

Hey Rich, welcome to the ghetto and good luck in your hunt. There a several folks here who can speak to the peg issue. I'm lucky enough that the GRiSO fits me just right. 6'2" with 32" inseam - long torso and long arms...

The GRiSO calls to many, but speaks to precious few.

Welcome to the madness.

I've got 1 inch lower Knight Design pegs. I've tried the 2 inch (scraped in town at low speed) and also the MFW Vario multi-adjustable pegs. The MFW's are a work of art, beautifully made, but they also offset your foot about a 1/2 inch more than the KD's. Add to this that I've raised the forks thru the triple clamps for about 6 rings worth to speed up the steering, which also reduces clearance.

End result is I still scrape, but since I don't ride as hard as some, I don't scrape all the time.

I've also got a Corbin seat, which actually raises you about an inch anyway. I can ride with the stock pegs, but it's still just a wee bit too cramped for me. The combination of the KD 1 inch pegs and the Corbin makes it very comfortable to ride.

I could go one step further and raise the rear end a bit and probably never scrape, but as it is, a little bit from time to time doesn't bother me.

Thanks for the welcome and ideas fellas. Steak I'm 6'3" with short torso and long legs. I'll try the KDs. My knee dragging days are done too.

Get a GRiSO.
I can rumble along at 3000-3500 rpm up in the twisty mountains and carve all day long.
It corners better at low revs than high revs? maybe so.
Just carry my momentum and have a lot of fun. It's a real peach.

DM

Do any of you own the Stelvio as well? What are your thoughts on that model? After touring on that Kawasaki Concours, I swore my next bike would have more comfortable ergonomics. That's even more important to me now 30 years later.

I find the ergos on the Stelvio to be stellar.

I have a Stelvio and GRiSO, Honestly The choice is more about what or how much stuff you want to take with you. The Stelvio is musch more sit up and beg, and the GRiSO is more aggressive but both give me no issue for 400miles in a day, more than that I generally take the big girl.

I replaced a vfr with the GRiSO and ride it like a sport bike, ok I ride everything like a sport bike:-)

The GRiSO removes more maturity and intelligence than the Stelvio  

The GRiSO removes more maturity and intelligence than the Stelvio

I'm not sure I can afford that.   

Yeah, the GRiSO switches on the dormant hooligan. If it was already switched on, you become the uber-hooligan.   

P.M. me if you want a set of lightly used Knight design 1" for half price. I raised my seat and put on G11 pegs instead.

DW

I was wrong about my revs: I was jamming between 4500-6500 on Angeles Crest yesterday just Happy as Hell.
But I have an 1100.

DM

I used to be 6-2 but an accident shortend me up a bit. 36" inseam. Stock the GRiSO is a poor fit so I've added the ROX bar risers and the Knight 1" dropped pegs. Both were a huge help.

I will drag a boot toe on slow speed corners in town, and once on a twisty bit on the Bartlett Lake road.

Currently I"m looking at seat options as that is a poor fit for my skinny arse. A buddy has a Russell Day Long and while a bit on the tall side seems quite nice. Another buddy has a Corbin gunfighter; less so. Considering a Laam, but he is not a good communicator via email. :p

In some ways I'd be happier with the Stelvio but as I age I want to go lighter in my bikes. The Stelvio is in the wrong direction; doubly so as the weight is fairly high up making a pickup difficult because of the extended moment arm.

Stock, the suspension is not so good but it's tunable. So is a piano and I know as much about tuning pianos as I do motorcycles so I went to a great guy recommended by a fellow GRiSO owner and that has transformed the bike. Working the mappings has been icing on the cake. Classic case of you don't know what you don't know. The GRiSO has gone from a bike on the verge of being sold off to one I'd like tour on.

I also have a CB1100 which scratches different itches. In many ways I like better than the GRiSO, but for the open road the GRiSO wins hands down. I do prefer the CB1100 for in town riding. I had to get dropped pegs for it too, which has really made it nice bike to sit on.