Take this list with you when you sit on a bike. Wear your riding boots and the jacket you actually ride in, because both change how the bike feels. Print the page or keep it open on your phone.
Don’t rush it. A minute on a bike in the showroom tells you very little; sit on it long enough to get bored.
At a stop
- ☐ With the bike upright, where do your feet land: flat, balls of your feet, or tiptoe?
- ☐ Lift the bike off the side-stand. Does the weight feel manageable, or does it want to fall the other way?
- ☐ Paddle it backwards about a meter (3 ft). Could you do that on a slope or on gravel?
- ☐ Is the front of the seat narrow enough for your legs to drop straight down?
Riding position
- ☐ Feet on the pegs: are your knees comfortable, or pushed up into the tank?
- ☐ Hands on the grips: are your elbows relaxed and slightly bent?
- ☐ Could you hold this position for 30 minutes without pressure on your wrists?
- ☐ Can you reach the brake and clutch levers with two fingers? Are the levers adjustable?
- ☐ Can you see behind you in the mirrors without moving your shoulders?
Adventure bikes: stand up
- ☐ Standing on the pegs, are the grips roughly at belt height?
- ☐ Can you grip the tank with your knees while standing?
Passenger
- ☐ Can your passenger reach their pegs comfortably?
- ☐ Are their knees too high? Is there something solid for them to hold?
Before you go
Run your shortlist through the calculator and print the fit report for each bike. It tells you which of these checks to pay most attention to, so you’re not guessing in the showroom. If ground reach is your main worry, read why seat height alone misleads first.