well i've had a bit of a tinker around with the xr and things are now much better.
I'd ridden it straight off the trailer and struggled a little.
I've now had chance to give it a bit of a service, adjusted throttle, clutch, and have put some small 1 1/4 inch risers under the handlebars.
I've also gone back to factory setting on the suspensionand am now focusing on getting that setup to suit my needs.
all very small adjustments in themselves but they make a big difference to the level of control and feel i get for the bike.

I dont regret buying the 400 but have to acknowledge what mollydog says about the bike feeling a bit heavey for a begginer.
I think the choice of engine size basically comes from being a road rider for 20+ years where we are led to believe that bigger IS better and the old male macho thing that refuses to admit that something as small as a 400 could possibly be to much of a handful for a rider with all those years under his belt.
the bike is also being used as a commutor and thats where i feeel the extra 150cc comes in handy.
so If i was going for an out and out off road only bike i think now i would definately go for the 250 but as i need a little bit of umph on the road each day the 400 is pretty much what i needed.
When riding off road i've gone from this

to this

to this
.
so things are definately getting better

For smaller bikes consider the XR250 Baja (see pics below) which I will be riding on my Africa trip in 1 months time.

Also look at the Suzuki DR250 Djebel and the Yamaha TTR250 Raid.

These are the 'desert rally' versions of the bikes and generally the difference from the std models is they have bigger tanks (my Baja has 14L which gives me approx 200 mile range), wider seats for better long distance comfort and bigger headlights for off roading at night (not sure about that one)...the Raid and the Djebel have a single extra large headlight, while the Baja has two.

I think their gearing is also more orientated to longer distance riding than a pure enduro style bike.

Attached Images

  

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Africa Trips web journal

Hiya

I got my first bike when I was out in Kenya last year. A 1992 Honda XLR 250 Baja (same as xr250l but with big twin headlights). You can pick one up for not much more than a grand an they are bomb proof!

Took it on a 10 day tour round kenya as its first ride and it behaved perfectly, even with a passenger and a big bag of stuff. Off road or on road its great. Worked in the heat or the rain. Really light (120kg) and easy to ride. Stable on the road. Kickstart is reliable but tricky for short riders as the bike is quite high and can be a pain when its cold. Easy to service! Will cruise at 80mph on tarmac. Watch out for cracked discs. Saw a lot of xr250's with cracks. Parts easy to get in UK. Enough power for a newbie!

Cheers

PS Now does 1000km off road in kenya a month delivering footballs in the bush! Up to 26000km and still no spares needed. Make sure you keep the oil clean! Can buy decent engine oil in most service stations in east-africa.

or............ how small is small and how small are you.
Someone like Lois who toured Africa on a 250 cc bike, fits on that bike because she is a small lady.

I'm +/- 100 kg and prefer a bike like my F650GS for tarmac and off-road touring or my 23 year old GoldWing for luxery touring. Occasionaly I drive two up with my wife and the two of us on a 250 would be.... well... funny.

You need a bike that suits you. If you are 60 or 70 kg and not to long, a small bike is fine. If you are 100 kg or more, or longer then average, you need a bigger bike to feel comfortable.

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Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a BMW R1200GS

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

Dear small bike fans,
I fear I must intervene and put the record straight. I am 5ft and 4 inches tall.
And I would agree, it's not polite to discuss a lady's weight (especially after she's just spent 4 months in Africa surviving on a diet of Laughing Cow cheese, white bread and crap biscuits).
Tata for now!
Lois

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www.loisontheloose.com

Lois is referring to this culinery delight:

The Laughing Cow - Wedges

Possibly the most vile substance known to human kind - after a long stint in Africa - (where this 'cheese' - the only one that will stand up to 50 degeee C heat without going off - beceause of it very high salt content) - looking at a packet of this is enough to make most overlanders wretch - with a wry smile - knowing that piles of this stuff is waiting for us in nearly every vendors store -(does it ever go off ?) the next time we go back there....and we will eat it - beceause there is no other cheese - it somehow tastes half decent when your there......on some dry bread covered in sand......

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Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

I'm sorry Lois, my apologies for discussing your weight :-)
Patrick you're right, it's not nice to talk about a lady's weight.

BTW, how was the book promotion in Utrecht ?
I was looking forward very much to come but I was (an am) in bed with a nasty flu :-(

When will the book be for sale in the Netherlands ?

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Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a BMW R1200GS

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

Hi Folks and hello again Patrick!
Thanks for all your messages. Africa was fab, except for the cheese. If you are what you eat, then I am surely a very jolly bovine now! Patrick - my book is out in the States on 20th March and I told the publishers to send one to Citybike - so hopefully they'll get on with it. It's already out in the UK, so it's all very exciting at the moment.
As for my stint in Holland - it was great - you Dutch are such civilised people!
Bye for now and hopefully see some of you at Lumb Farm.
Lois

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www.loisontheloose.com

The cow that laughs

Attached Images

 

__________________
Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a BMW R1200GS

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

I was just looking at the Lois on the Loose pages. Awesome!

I've always thought that if you're not riding the interstates/autobahn type highways, you really don't need a large bike for riding. Personally I prefer smaller lighter bikes. It's cool to see someone riding around the world on a 'small' 225cc...

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Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250