Ducati Monster 696 height mods

[Bo Eder]

Hello everyone, new guy here. I'm beginning to shop for a motorcycle and am settling on the new Monster, however, I'm rather short (almost 5' 0").

I was at Bert's MegaMall today in Covina, CA and got to sit on my dream bike only to be disappointed that even with a 30.5" seat height, it's still too tall for me (couldn't toe it on one side with my right foot on the peg). A salesman there pointed out to me that a modification can be done to bring down the height of the bike. I was at first elated, and then even more elated when he said it could come down almost another 3 inches (this would put it where I am on a Honda Rebel).

Question: Is this salesman correct? Are there special chop shops who can do such a thing? Anyone out here actually have this done?

I realize my height is going to determine which bikes I can ride, and as standard motorcycles go, this Ducati would be the ultimate for me. The other choice would be the BMW R1200R. However, being new to motorcycles in general, how safe is this type of modification once it's done?

Thanks in advance!

[Buffy]

I have a similar problem, 5ft 1. I am coping well with the 696, in fact it is the best bike I have had, and I am delighted.

I have dropped the forks 1 inch through the yokes. Wound the rear shock down by about an inch. The rear shock is stiff for a light weight, so it still performs very well even when wound back. The suspension mods are free; the ideal would be to get a specialist to modify with correct spring length and stiffness. The most effective mod was having the seat re sculptured. There is a lot of foam in the seat and having some taken out has helped my short legs and importantly is still comfortable. I guess you would need to find someone who is good at doing this kind of job, my dealer (in the UK) sorted this for me.

[cdgraf]

My wife fell in love with the 2009 696 however her 5'2" frame had her well up on her toes. We had the seat sculpted, they removed about 2" of foam, lowered the front forks 1" and wound down the rear shock about 1". She is flat footed on the ground now. It's a great bike and it works well for her short frame.