All this talk about seat height. The BMW is substantially taller than the Pan Am.

BMW::


Where as the Pan Am is:

Unladen seat height is 32.7 inches in the low position and 33.7 inches in the high position.

So, maybe your not supposed to flat foot the adventure bikes. Nor are they intended for long term two up riding.

 

Where'd you hear that?

 

I ride a dual sport from time to time. 340ish weight with unladen 35" seat height with enough shock squat that I can flat foot. The difference to me though was the dual sport seat was much narrower than the wide seat I saw on the PA the other day. I saw little shock squat while bouncing the PA at the dealer. Pretty sure I'd be on the ***** of my feet or toes. <-- That, the extra weight and near 70 years just told me... As much as I like the PA, it has been said;

Great bike for sure.

 

Pan America seat hight is lower than most ADV bikes it is competing with with ARH and stock seat in low. Can get a lower seat that will make it almost 2 inch lower.

ADV bikes are all tall. They need to have room for suspension travel and they need to have ground clearance for obstacles.

I'm 6"0' with a 34 inseam. I can flat foot the Pan America with stock seat in high on a bike without ARH. With ARH on, I have a slight bend in my knees.

ADV bikes are not mounted like traditional Harleys, the bikes are tall. Most all are mounted by standing on a peg and swinging leg over

 

Fake news.

 

Let's admit that off-road ****ery is definitely limited with a passenger. (for many reasons)

 

is there a rear suspension adjustment or are they meant to be that high up?

 

Oh absolutely. But for highway miles or mild off-roading they're just fine.

 

Have you been living under a rock for a few months? It's an Adventure bike and is meant to be tall. BUT, this one has by far the lowest seat height in it's class - especially with the Adaptive Ride Height feature that drops it down when it comes to a stop. That makes it accessible even to those of us who are somewhat vertically challenged.

 

Maybe stick with a trike if you want passenger comforts. This is an entirely different genre of riding for people that aren't 100% on the highway. Its another learning experience entirely- from mounting the bike to riding it on dirt.