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Which Bike? Comments and Questions on what is the best bike for YOU, for YOUR trip. Note that we believe that ANY bike will do, so please remember that it's all down to PERSONAL OPINION. Technical Questions for all brands go in their own forum.
Photo by Marc Gibaud, Clouds on Tres Cerros and Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia

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Photo by Marc Gibaud,
Clouds on Tres Cerros and
Mount Fitzroy, Argentinian Patagonia



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Old 8 Mar 2011
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Some good advice coming my way. But let me specify a bit more:
  • As for riding with a small kid, singles don't put me off at all, not even smaller ones
  • As for off-roading, we won't be doing much, nor fast, but the little we will be doing ought to go as smoothly as possible. The Dominator for instance is not as capable as it looks. As we will be riding with kids, we won't be going fast anywhere and be riding way within all limits - so top speed and lots of performance is less important than being nimble
  • Being able to pick up the bike on her own is a must. The Transalp and the Africa Twin are both a bit on the heavy side. Not sure about the F650GS (single and twin) and the F800GS, but they are a bit heavy as well - though with a low center of gravity. The new Tenere, fully fueled is also a bit heavy. If these are too heavy, I don't know???
  • Being able to put her feet safely on the ground, and peadle a bit is a must. Especially on sideways inclines, in ruts, sand, mud, uneven terrain, etc, where she may have to come to an unexpected stop with a child on the back - a perception of confidence and safety is key in this particular case

My wife is 170 cm and weighs 58kg - so not really a big girl. She needs a bike that she can ride with confidence. This includes being able to navigate it in the rough and be able to pick it up when dropped. A bike that is easy to do barrel turns in, pedal forward, push, reverse, etc. That the bikes we ride being the same is less important than finding the right bike for her. I have no clue as of how much a girl weighing in at 58 kgs can pick up without blowing an artery. Any experiences to share here?

I'm a bit sorry to hear that the twin bimmers are getting a bad rep as they seem like such a great option.

The f650gs singles though, I'm hoping that this won't be too big for her. The Dakar with a kid on the back would be perfect for me. But for her, I'm not so sure. What do you think?

As suggested here, I'd like to get a bike now and do shorter trips and get her into the groove of riding an offroader with a kid on the back. We rode Cape Town to Nairoby in 2006 on two heavy loaded classic Vespa scooters, but with no kids...
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