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Hey Prom,
Your forgot your smileys there!
I hope Mason and MasterHo and others of asian decent don't take offense about the topic of this thread?
But I'll interject my experience and limited knowledge on the subject.
I lived in Japan for 2 years '81-'83. The Japanese are of a shorter stature, but are growing taller now due to better nutrition. Same thing can be said for Americans 100+ years ago vs. today, however the average height of American men is only 5'9"! Surprisingly, less than 1% of men are over 6'3" tall! SO...I'm proud to be 1 percenter in that case being 6'6" tall!
Part of the MC licensing process they had in place back then was that the rider had to stop the bike, lay it over on it's side, and then pick it back up! IF they couldn't pick it up, they couldn't get a license for that size a bike, another reason why they didn't have many bikes over 500cc running around there, aside from the white knights=cops!
Being small, or making things small is a part of their culture, in part due to the limited living space they have. Imagine fitting 100+million people into the actual living land mass area of the state of NewJersey! A lot of their land is inhabitable due to the mountainous terrain. Due to the crowding, their "personal" space starts at their skin, whereas in the USA it's an imaginary zone about 18" away from our bodies. Of course this varies in crowded big cities vs. the suburbs.
One of the funniest memories I had was while I was shopping OFF BASE. CD's had just come out, and I was browsing a record shop, there were 3 little female helpers. I was wearing my biker boots which had another ~1" heel/sole! After I walked in, the three girls huddled together and started whispering with their hands held over their mouths, slightly pointing in my direction and waving 1 or 2 fingers around!?
I made my selection went to the counter to check out with the male cashier/owner. Got my change and started to walk out, when the owner said "CHOTOMATE", which meant "wait a minute". SO I stopped and turned back facing him. He reached behind the counter, pulled out a METER/Yard Stick, and measured me right there, and burst out with surprise...."Ni" to the girls, meaning that I was actually 2 meters tall!! A veritable giant! I walked out chuckling.
Occasionally I would visit a native in their home off base, built to their standards, and I was automatically POLITE, having to bend over and "BOW" to get thru the door! :P
People on here are often asking about how to lower their XS's, lower the seat, the shocks, etc.. I was one of the rare ones that actually RAISED mine with 4" over front forks, and I can still stand over it with flat feet and have a space between me and the seat!
T.C.
Your forgot your smileys there!
I hope Mason and MasterHo and others of asian decent don't take offense about the topic of this thread?But I'll interject my experience and limited knowledge on the subject.
I lived in Japan for 2 years '81-'83. The Japanese are of a shorter stature, but are growing taller now due to better nutrition. Same thing can be said for Americans 100+ years ago vs. today, however the average height of American men is only 5'9"! Surprisingly, less than 1% of men are over 6'3" tall! SO...I'm proud to be 1 percenter in that case being 6'6" tall!
Part of the MC licensing process they had in place back then was that the rider had to stop the bike, lay it over on it's side, and then pick it back up! IF they couldn't pick it up, they couldn't get a license for that size a bike, another reason why they didn't have many bikes over 500cc running around there, aside from the white knights=cops!
Being small, or making things small is a part of their culture, in part due to the limited living space they have. Imagine fitting 100+million people into the actual living land mass area of the state of NewJersey! A lot of their land is inhabitable due to the mountainous terrain. Due to the crowding, their "personal" space starts at their skin, whereas in the USA it's an imaginary zone about 18" away from our bodies. Of course this varies in crowded big cities vs. the suburbs.
One of the funniest memories I had was while I was shopping OFF BASE. CD's had just come out, and I was browsing a record shop, there were 3 little female helpers. I was wearing my biker boots which had another ~1" heel/sole! After I walked in, the three girls huddled together and started whispering with their hands held over their mouths, slightly pointing in my direction and waving 1 or 2 fingers around!?
I made my selection went to the counter to check out with the male cashier/owner. Got my change and started to walk out, when the owner said "CHOTOMATE", which meant "wait a minute". SO I stopped and turned back facing him. He reached behind the counter, pulled out a METER/Yard Stick, and measured me right there, and burst out with surprise...."Ni" to the girls, meaning that I was actually 2 meters tall!! A veritable giant! I walked out chuckling.
Occasionally I would visit a native in their home off base, built to their standards, and I was automatically POLITE, having to bend over and "BOW" to get thru the door! :P
People on here are often asking about how to lower their XS's, lower the seat, the shocks, etc.. I was one of the rare ones that actually RAISED mine with 4" over front forks, and I can still stand over it with flat feet and have a space between me and the seat!
T.C.
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