Hey folks,

I sure hope you never get tired of this thread. I posted a while back pondering a sidecar for a Strom, and was pleased with the results. However, my next question goes beyond that.

My wife and I are planning on a trip to S.A. from central Alberta. I am planning on taking a Wee Strom, and we decided that we would rather take 2 bikes than go 2 up. Because of that, we need a bike for her. Requirements? We've got a healthy tension between them...

*Seat height has to be low. Her inseam is 28-29 inches, so finding something outside of a Honda Shadow has been...difficult.

*Must be able to maintain 120 kmh without sucking gas like a shop-vac or blowing gaskets/cooking valves/making expensive noises, etc...

*Must be a capable on-road machine with the ability to jaunt through some gravel roads and hard packed dirt stuff.

*Shouldn't cost a billion dollars. That includes maintenance costs.

*Ought to be able to carry stuff.

*We'd LIKE for her to be able to flat-foot the thing. I know there are some that don't think of this as a requirement, but we both believe in hedging the bets in our favor. I have done TONS of looking around for solutions, and realize the challenge this poses. If she can't flatfoot the perfect bike but gets close, we will have to deal with it. But flat-footing is the preference.
Oh yeah, and this would be nice too:

What are your thoughts? We don't plan on any really technical dirt stuff, and aside from this trip they would be mostly on-road machines with a hankering for the odd fire road or range road. I was kinda thinking a slightly lowered GS500F with some more aggressive tires, or something in that neighborhood.

It really makes sense to have two bikes the same. Isn't there a lowering kit you can get for the wee strom?

South Africa sounds nice, or was SA somewhere else?

Tim

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There's a thread on lowering the Strom HERE at stromtrooper which might be worthwile looking at. Seems like there's lowering links available and you can adjust the forks too.

Might be worth a try, no doubt you could try some of the things mentioned there on your own to see how your wife got on.

Or there's always:

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Yeah, I've looked into lowering the Strom, but I am 6'2" with about a 33" inseam, and I am light on my heels with this bike. She was tiptoeing an '84 Yammi XS400. I'd really like to do the 2 Strom thing, but I just don't think we could pull it off without lowering it too much. It would get to the point where ground clearance would be minimal, and who knows what would happen to the stability of the bike.

So are there any more thoughts on this? I am actually looking at a Ninja 500 for her. Proven design, upright/sport seating position, low/narrow seat...

Only problem is, how would it fare as an overlander? It isn't really a true sportbike, but more of a do-it-all-kinda-well bike. Whaddya think?

Both your first choices, IMO, are pretty good

mollydog,

Good call on the DR650, I never knew it could go so low. It looks like a good bike, especially when it comes to tough stuff. This has been a difficult search, finding a ride with a low enough seat, good design and proven engineering all in one. The only things that concern me are that aside from our upcoming trip to Argentina, this bike won't likely see too many rough dirt roads. The other part is that liquid cooling is a kinda nice feature to have in terms of engine longevity. And with a single cylinder, would DR handle superslab duty without putting too much strain on the motor? Forgive me if I seem nitpicky, I am just trying to see beyond the trip to what the rest of the bike's life will be used for.

Just finished looking at the GT650 from Hyosung. Any reports on this bike here? Low seat, decent clearance...

The Hyosung could be an excellent choice.

What about the F650GS twin cylinder bike?

Available with either a low seat free of charge or a low chassis version (low seat & shorter suspension both ends) for a small cost (£98 in the UK). Seat heights as follows:

Standard chassis & seat: 820mm
Standard chassis & low seat: 790mm
Low Chassis option: 765mm

16 litre underseat fuel tank keeps the CoG low, they're economical (20km+ per litre easy unless you're riding it hard) and 6,000 miles / 10,000km service intervals. Servicing is cheap, the 6k in the UK is about £120 & the 12k under £200, the valves need checking every 12k.

19" front wheel allows fitment of knobblies if needed, 71bhp & decent midrange power allows for reasonable overtaking from 70mph which some singles will struggle with, especially when loaded up.

There is not another similar spec bike capable of tackling gravel roads & some offroad tracks that's got a comparable seat height. If you buy one, make sure you get the On Board Computer (gives you fuel & temp gauges, gear indicator, average speed, average & instant MPG, ambient temp & mileage to go until you run out of fuel). Without it, you only get a clock, odometer & two trips. Factory centre stand is cheaper than having the dealer reftrofit it later.

Plenty of BMW & aftermarket luggage & crash protection options available.