Are you the one everybody turns to, to reach that box on the top of the pantry shelf? Perhaps to grab that item up high in the grocery store? If you are on the taller size of average, you’ve probably looked at e-motos like the Surron or Talaria and thought you’d look closer to a circus monkey rather than someone who oozes coolness.
The zippy mid-sized e-motos that are storming the world are getting more and more popular at a crazy rate. Surely not everyone who owns one is vertically challenged? What are they doing? How are they not riding with their knees up to their armpits? How are they making their bike suit them?
Here at GritShift, we’re all different sizes. Ranging from 6’ lots, to probably myself at 5’5. While I’m fairly comfy on a Surron X, Talaria Sting or E Ride Pro, I’ve turned to the taller guys and girls in our team for some tips.
We’ll go through the most popular mods for tall riders and find the secret to comfy riding: Making your e-moto fit you, regardless if it’s a Surron LBX, Talaria, E Ride Pro, or any other smaller e-moto.
TLDR: These are the best mods for tall riders:
If you just want to get out on the track asap, head to the GritShift store and add some bar risers, a handlebar with a decent rise, and a seat riser to your cart right away. The parts will arrive pronto, chuck them onto your e-moto and you’re away.
I’ve made it even easier for you…
Here is the list:
Surron LBX
Talaria Sting
E Ride Pro
It’s not all about size
As you can see from the first three e-motos, the Surron X, Talaria Sting, and E Ride Pro S are considered mid-sized electric dirt bikes with seat heights in the low 30 inches. I added the Stark Varg for comparison, as it’s commonly compared to full-sized dirt bikes for some comparison.
Within each company, there are numerous different size and power options. Surron has the larger Ultra Bee and Storm Bee, Talaria has the larger Sting R (MX4), E Ride Pro has the larger E Ride Pro SS. Here’s where it can get a little confusing. But start with the basics. Where are you going to ride? On the road, MX tracks, sandy tracks, enduro through the woods? Do you want an e-moto that’s really good from stock or do you want to heavily mod it?
Each model has pros and cons for different riding styles. Check out these articles for comparisons between different e-motos. Consider the structural strength of the frame as that is the hardest to mod. For example, I wouldn’t be taking the Talaria XXX to the tracks and sending it over a tabletop as I’d be afraid of something collapsing on landing. But the Talaria Sting, with a few mods on suspension and linkages, would be awesome.
If you’re coming from a dirt bike, yes you’ll find these e-motos small in size. Much like a 125cc. But tell me you wouldn’t have fun on a 125!! Those things go! That’s part of the point, the mid-sized e-motos are made for fun. Quick in the corners, agile, and light for fast acceleration.
You still need to be comfy on your bike – whatever model you choose. That’s where the mods for ergos come in. Luckily, e-motos are made for modding! You can customize as much or as little as you want, all for way cheaper than it would be to mod an ICE dirt bike.
The Surron experience from a tall rider
If you want to know more about power increases or suspension upgrades, check out these articles, but for now, let’s concentrate on mods for taller riders.
If you already own your e-moto, after reading this, go sit on your bike and have a think. Would it be more comfortable if your seat was slightly taller, how about your handlebars? If you’re up on the pegs often, stand up on your bike (make sure it’s secure or ask a friend to help) and see if you need to raise the handlebars. Alternatively, get a mate to take a photo of you on your e-moto, then you can see yourself more easily. What is your posture like?
There is no hard rule for setting up your bike. The biggest metric is comfort.
Is there pressure in your lower back from hunching over? How about your shoulders? Your knees? Did you also know that bad posture can also hurt your riding performance? Bikes are all about balance and weight shifting, if you can’t move your body correctly, you’re not getting the best from your e-moto.
Currently I have 3″ riser bars matched with a 2″ direct mount riser. A total of 5″ rise, on Surron light bee. And an aftermarket seat for extra cushion. E-Moto Man (6’0)
If you’re still contemplating what e-moto to purchase, read on as it will show seat height can be changed, and shouldn’t be the only deciding factor. On that note, here are the mods to make:
Seat riser:
It does just that, raises the seat! This particular part, direct from GritShift R&D, raises the seat 2.5” and gives you 1.5” more reach. Designed by GritShift’s in-house team, you know it’ll be tough! Check out our Instagram page if you want to see what tough looks like!
Bar riser:
Seat risers and bar risers kinda go hand in hand. If you raise up your seat, you’re gonna need to raise up your handlebars. The first trick is to use a bar riser. This one is a direct mount stem riser, which raises the handlebars by 2”. Not only that, but it is super sturdy, again made for hard riding. Just a point to note, if you’re going to use a bar riser on an E Ride Pro, you will need to either modify your display mount or grab the aftermarket mount. This applies to many aftermarket bar risers.
Handlebars:
If you find you want just a little more height in your handlebars, or prefer a slightly different angle, check out this range of handlebars. You’ll notice there are variations in thickness, rise, and width.
Pro Tip: Make sure your new handlebar fits the bar riser you’ve just bought!
Anything else for taller riders?
Why stop at only seat risers, bar risers, and new handlebars? While you’re in the mood to mod, have a sneaky look at a few accessories that are the cream on your cake.
I would change the bar height and drop the pegs for a comfortable ride. That might not be the best performance answer but it would be best for my comfort. The Dake (6’0)
Foot pegs
It doesn’t matter what brand of e-moto you have, the foot pegs probably suck. You need to feel secure on your e-moto, especially if you favor riding standing up. There is a huge range of foot pegs and support braces that will vastly improve the ergos on your e-moto.
Comfy seat
Just like ICE dirt bikes, the seats on e-motos are not made for comfort. Let’s just say, sitting down in the office after a long weekend in the dirt, well… anyway…Many of the super comfy seats on the market also offer a little extra height thanks to extra cushioning. It’s a win-win!
New grips
Have you ever tried taking old grips off your bike? You ain’t getting those back on your new bars! Save the wrestle and frustration and just pick up a pair of new grips at the same time. The bonus is you can get the grips that feel good to you. Extra plushness, waffle, half-waffle… and don’t forget to color match the scheme of your bike.
Which e-moto is best for tall riders?
Surron LBX, Talaria Sting, E Ride Pro and many others are considered mid-sized e-motos. They’re great bikes, but they do need a few extras to make them comfortable for the taller rider. Right out of the box, we think the E Ride Pro fits a taller rider the best of the three. Of course, that’s really a matter of personal opinion – try them out and see for yourself.
With a few tweaks, any of these playful e-motos will be perfect for your size. All parts mentioned are pretty easy to fit, not many tools are required and if you run into any problems along the way, the GritShift team is here to help.
PS make sure you share this article with your taller riding buddies, I’m sure they’ll appreciate it, from way up in the clouds!
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