Wheel: Must it be 21' or doe not matter in the end???

[maria41]

we're planning to cross the Stans, Mongolia, Siberia then South Korea, Japan and Australia.

I realise it may be difficult to find tyres. So far I thought my next travel bike should have 21' front tyre, as in my experience it was easier (in South America) to find those for my husband's bike than the 19' tyre required in my previous travel bike. (BMWs GS and Dakar)

SO I was determined to get bike with a 21' front wheel for next trip

My problem is that I am short and bikes with 21' front wheel would require a lot of work to lower to my level.
Also we want to ride the same model (husband and me).

Am I over thinking that? Should I just get a bike with 17' front tyre for my size and forget about tyres?

Alternatively I thought I could send a parcel ahead of us to Almaty (family of friends). Including tyres, there couls be enough to get us to South Korea?

IF anyone has any answers to these questions! Thanks!

[Threewheelbonnie]

Tyres make the difference between heaven and hell on mud, sand and snow IMHO. With a 21" front you get a huge choice, with 19" it's decent enough these days, with 17" it's road tyres although "classic" block tread types sometimes work. The choice of tyres in Europe can be poor enough in any size, never mind elsewhere, so I wouldn't plan to pick up any sort of decent tyre on the road regardless of size.

I'd get the bike that works for you height wise (and tyre wise) and plan to post the tyres.

Andy

[mollydog]

Hi Maria,
This is a good question and something to think about for sure.

[maria41]

Hi guys thanks for your posts.
So it's 21' then! I will send tyres ahead for us to ALmaty. From there we should make it to South Korea without need for another set.

Hi Patrick! How are things? I don't think my Versys is cut for this trip. The ground clearance is not great, the exhaust is under le engine and at 180 kgs a bit heavier than I would like once I hit nasty dirt roads. And little wheels.

It is great around Europe/east europe, on gravel should be ok. But Mongolia? I would prefer something more rugged for that! And more ground clearance!

In term of choice I am leaning toward the XT600E. seat is 85.5cm (easy to lower down to 78 - 79) weigh of 155kg is fairly light. A good tough workhorse. This bike is top of my list.
Others I looked at were heavier and taller. I just need to find 2 XT600E, 2004 (last year you can find here!) and prepare them. My worry would be, by teh time we leave they woudl be 8 years old... Shame we can't find the DR650 on this side of the planet. 2 DR650 2006 would have been ideal.

Departure date is early 2011, so far away yet. But preparing this trip is the only thing that make my current work bearable.

Anyway, bye for now!

[Sambor]

Originally Posted by maria41

I just need to find 2 XT600E, 2004 (last year you can find here!) and prepare them. My worry would be, by teh time we leave they woudl be 8 years old... Shame we can't find the DR650 on this side of the planet. 2 DR650 2006 would have been ideal.

My AT is 19 yrs old and has done last 12 000 in Stans. In my opinion you have to wait. Bike is not field-proven yet

[normw]

Personal experience supports your abandonment of the 17" wheel idea. On trips to the Yukon/Alaska and Baja my otherwise stellar 17" wheeled street bike (a UJM-ish Kawasaki ZR-7S) was truly useless on gravel or dirt roads and, in my view, unsafe unless I brought the speed down to 30 - 40 kph. The physics involved are not particularly intuitive but science does seem to prove that larger diameter, narrower tires are more capable on unstable surfaces.

Perhaps some street models fare better but, interestingly, I was chatting to a Versys owner at last summer's HU meeting in British Columbia and he had less dramatic but similar comments about difficulty coping with dirt.

Normw

[mollydog]

Just remember Patrick's Baja rules
Hang in there baby, you're gonna make it!