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Since I bought the ST for my son to ride with me, and he has 29-inch inseams and it's his first bike, I lowered it. I used Jaxon's 1 inch lowering links and followed the directions I found on this forum. I also raise the forks 1/2 inch, which is about 12.5 mm, again following the advice I found on this forum. I absolutely hated how far over the bike angled on the stand before I lowered it. Now, it's perfect. It stands fine, but not so angled that it makes me worry when I get off using the left foot peg. I lowered the stock seat using the shorter little rubber bumpers I ordered, again following the directions I learned on this forum. Those two mods gave it two more inches of leg reach.
I also lowered the rear brake pedal a bit to make it easier to rest my foot over it with the thicker boots. It is almost a little too low for me now, even though I only have a 30-inch inseam. I do have thick soled boots, though. I added a 1/4 inch midsole and a vibram lug sole to my Gaerne shorties, which I now think are the perfect daily boot for me. A installed the Altrider crash bars a while back. Next, and probably the last major addition, will be the ADV Rider bash plate. I am actually thinking of lowering the forks to about 11 mm. It seems to want to drop into turns a little faster than it did stock. I like it. But, for a new rider, it might be a little too much.
... I know that lowering it reduced ground clearance, and the bash plate will reduce it some also.
...
After he gets more proficient, I can raise it again. Besides, when he's not on it, I can take into the local desert mountains and camp to my heart's content on a bike that I also enjoy. By the way, changing the links and raising the forks took a sort of non-mechanic like me about an hour and was downright easy. Just remember to support the rear tire with something adjustable to get the holes for the links to line up more easily. I used a 2x4 wedged against another one at an angle.
