Reviews

Best Motorcycles for Taller Riders

These are our favorite motorcycles for those blessed with extra inseam.

Kurt Spurlock

Updated: December 13, 2024

Adventure bikes aren’t your only respite if you’re a tall rider looking for a comfortable ride.Ducati

Being tall has its perks: You can reach things off the top shelf, you see over crowds at concerts, and you’re welcome at every amusement park ride on the planet. If you’re tall and into motorcycles, however, you can have a hard time finding something that suits your extra-long inseam, especially considering today’s current trend toward smaller, lighter machines.

With that being said, there are still more than a few rides out there that feel tailor made for taller folks, and we’re not just talking about adventure bikes and tall-rounders either. If you’ve over 6 feet and looking for your next two-wheeler, here are seven bikes of all stripes we’d recommend checking out this year.

Sportbike: Suzuki Hayabusa

Senior Editor Adam Waheed proves the Gen III Suzuki Hayabusa is more than just a straight-line weapon.Suzuki

Heralded by our editor-in-chief as a “sportbike fit for professional basketball players,” the Suzuki Hayabusa’s plus-sized dimensions have made it a favorite of taller riders for more than two decades now. Yes, it still has clip-on bars and rearset pegs, but the Hayabusa’s generous wheelbase and reach to the bars mean taller riders have more room to stretch out while still getting the dynamic ergonomics of a proper sportbike.

Suzuki’s latest iteration of this dragstrip dominator sports the same massive 1,340cc inline-four riders have come to love, but also boasts sharper handling, less weight, and a top-of-the-line electronics package to keep its bottomless pit of power under control. We’ll also note that the Hayabusa’s combination of relaxed ergos, cruise control, and a bidirectional quickshifter make it a great option for occasional sport-touring duty, though you’ll need to source your luggage in the aftermarket.

Sport-Touring: Ducati Multistrada V4

Ducati’s latest Multistrada V4 is bona fide sport-tourer in ADV clothing.Ducati

Ducati’s latest Multistrada V4 is a sharp-handling, hard-charging, all-day comfortable motorcycle with relaxed ergonomics and limitless potential. What’s even better is that as of 2025, this raucous 170 hp sportbike on stilts now starts at just under $20,000, making Ducati’s most advanced technology and performance more accessible than ever.

As an added bonus, Ducati’s V4 Granturismo engine now sports a conventional valve spring design rather than the Italian firm’s trademark desmo valve train, which pushes valve clearance intervals out to a whopping 37,000 miles. Throw that savings into Ducati factory accessory high seat (which can be adjusted between 34 to 35 inches) and you’ve got a low-maintenance canyon carver that’s built for weekend getaways near and far.

Adventure Bike: Yamaha Ténéré 700

The Ténéré 700 is about as close to an oversized dirt bike as you’ll find in the ADV world, which is great news for taller riders.Yamaha

While all big adventure bikes are typically great for taller riders due to their higher seats and open ergonomics, Yamaha’s Ténéré 700 remains our favorite to date, especially after its big redesign this year. At its heart this is still the same unkillable all-terrain travel machine it’s always been, but Yamaha has added new looks, new tech, and upgraded suspension for more capability than ever.

In stock form the Ténéré comes with a fairly tall 34.4-inch seat height, but we highly recommend upgrading to Yamaha’s “rally” seat option for optimal comfort. Compared to the stock saddle, this adds another 1.6 inches of height and its flatter, grippier surface is better suited to off-road use as well.

Touring Bike: Honda Gold Wing Tour

Honda’s Gold Wing Tour packs plenty of room for riders (and passengers) well over 6 feet.Honda

It’s no secret that Honda’s Gold Wing is a big bike. Weighing in at 845 pounds and loaded to the gills with every creature comfort a rider could dream of, the Wing has plenty of space for the largest riders to stretch out and ample wind protection to keep them tucked in a pocket of sublime comfort at cruising speeds.

The Gold Wing Tour remains the weapon of choice for one of our 6-foot-4 testers who consistently burns through at least one rear tire a year riding two-up with his wife. For the extra-long-of-leg, he also recommends adding a set of highway pegs, which double as engine guards to protect the bike from low-speed tip-overs.

Dual Sport: Suzuki DR650S

Suzuki’s legendary DR650S is tall, simple, and exceptionally capable with a little modification.Suzuki

Bulletproof, capable, and incredibly versatile, Suzuki’s long-running DR650 is as easy to love as it is to keep running. With a 34.8-inch seat height, a wide handlebar, and a neutral riding position, the big DR also fits taller riders like a glove and its big oil-cooled single has plenty of grunt to haul bigger folks to all corners of the globe.

Related: 2025 Suzuki DR650 Preview

As an added bonus, because this big thumper has enjoyed a production run spanning more than three decades, the aftermarket support for Suzuki’s DR650 is second to none. That means you’ll have everything you could possibly need to tailor this bike to your ergonomic needs from taller seats and higher bars to lower pegs and better wind protection.

Cruiser: Harley-Davidson Road Glide

Arguably the world’s most coveted bagger, the H-D Road Glide remains the cruiser of choice for riders of all shapes and sizes.Harley-Davidson

While we’ve been vocal fans of the current crop of club-style performance cruisers, their mid-mount controls often draw criticism from taller riders in the comfort compartment. Bearing that in mind, we’d give Harley-Davidson’s latest Road Glide models the nod for taller folks looking for as comfortable a cruise as possible.

With front-mounted floorboards, a healthy reach to the bars, and a comfortable scooped saddle, the Road Glide fits taller riders like a glove and delivers that big-twin bagger feeling like nothing else on the market. The Road Glide ain’t cheap and will set you back anywhere from $26K to nearly $45,000 in its top trim, but it’s also the most powerful, refined, and sweet-handling bagger H-D has built to date.

Supermoto: Ducati Hypermotard 698 Mono

Ducati’s new Hypermotard 698 is sheer, unadulterated fun in an extra-tall package.Ducati

It doesn’t get much taller than a big-bore dirt bike, and considering supermotos are essentially just dirt bikes on street rubber, Ducati’s Hypermotard 698 Mono is a clear winner for taller riders with a hooligan streak. While the Duc’s 35.6-inch seat height may fall short of your typical YZ450, it’s still sky high by streetbike standards, and despite the fairly high footpegs, there’s plenty of room on the flat seat to slide around and get comfortable when you aren’t giving it the beans.

As for performance, you’re looking at what Ducati claims to be the “most powerful single-cylinder ever made,” with 659cc of desmo-actuated displacement cranking out 77.5 hp. Combine that with a 333-pound weight (before filling the tank), a downright staggering electronics suite, and roughly nine inches of fully adjustable suspension travel and you’ve got everything you need to lose your driver’s license this year.