My wife and I are looking to get two bikes to travel from the UK into France/Spain/Portugal....maybe further.... Over the next few years with no single trip lasting more than 1-2 weeks (so we are not going round the world!)

We will also use the bikes for green laning in the UK (where any trails are left!)

In an ideal world, we would be the same size with the same experience and get two identical bikes for ease of maintenance/spares... But we aren't!!!

I'm 6ft6 250lb...have done a few weeks solo in Namibia and can pick up a GS1200 like it's a MX bike.

She's 5ft6 120lb...passed her test this year and can just about pick up her Arai

My original plan was two DRZ400's (possibly getting SM and converting them as they seem to be a few more about) but I am worried it will be to big and heavy for her and to small for me?

So plan 2 is to go for a CRF250L for her and something bigger for me - meaning I can carry more of the gear leaving her free to just worry about riding the bike. Possibly an XT660Z? I realise it's not the best thing of road but I'm pretty confident that if I encounter a trial I can't manage on a bigger bike, she will already run into trouble even though she's on a smaller bike (although, when she gets better and ends up leaving me behind I will need a rethink!)

So....DRZ400 and shrink one/boost the other?

CFR250L and a Tenere?? (I rode a Super Ten in Namibia and loved it...just a big lump for anything other than African gravel roads)

Something better? Don't want BMW - have done the Off Road Skills course in Wales a couple of times and love the GS1200 (she used the 700) but wouldn't take one on a trip without a backup truck....too many bits to go wrong.

The riding will be as much of road as possible but simply getting to the ferry port from our home in the UK will involve a decent chunk of motorway.

We are not mechanical experts so something simple is important.

Thanks guys/girls

Mark (and Jen)

I recently met a couple who are travelling in North and South America on a pair of Honda CB500X which they said had been great bikes. I know they can be modified with different height seats, shock linkages and even different front wheels and wonder if there is enough height adjustment that a pair of those would do the job.

My partner and I recently rode 2 rally raid cb500x bikes. I am 6ft2 and she is 5ft4. I had a stage 3 bike while she had a stage 1 with lowered suspension. We were both happy with them and she was easily able to flat foot on her bike. If I hadn't already got plenty of bikes in the stable I would have been hard pressed not to buy them. I am currently lowering an Xcountry for her which may be an option for her as well as they are quite light.

Even a modified CB500X will be TOO SMALL for a 6'6" rider, IMO. It's really really low!

I think the Honda CRF250L is perfect for your partner. A great bike that she will have FUN on off road instead of being terrified and miserable.

Tougher problem for you. I can only assume you won't be doing the Erzberg Rodeo type off road riding?

Several bikes will work for the big and tall. Ideally, if in the budget, I would get the new Honda Africa Twin.

Also consider the Suzuki V-Strom ... either the 650 or 1000. Both are quite good for tall riders, dead reliable and low and easy maintenance. (Vstrom has same leg room as R1200GS) Very roomy for big guy.

For any bike you buy you would probably want to build up the seat a bit. (within reason) and perhaps buy a Peg lowering kit.
All this to allow better leg room. Makes a huge difference for my friend Bob who is 6'7". He lowered his pegs about an inch, and raised up his seat 1.5 inches. (I can't even touch the ground on his bike!!) Perfect for him and 10 hour days!

The 800 Tiger XC is also pretty good tall man bike. Heavy but FUN to ride and very reliable.

Any KTM. Very TALL bikes. Try out one, see what you think. Expensive and maintenance intensive ... but a GREAT ride.

Any bike you buy to both tour european roads AND green lane in the UK will be a compromise. I know the "meejah" is full of pictures of big BMWs backing into corners, huge KTMs airborne and all manner of 800cc plus "adventure bikes" covered in mud and ridden like trials bikes. Marketing people are adept at selling you a dream that in reality is a nightmare. The first time the front wheel washes out in a muddy rut in Surrey might be a good test of pick-up technique. Do it four times in a row and the novelty will have worn off.
UK green lane riding is a fantastic passtime, and there are still many good lanes, but I strongly suggest a small, light, cheap e-start trailbike, at least for your wife, so that the whole day out is enjoyable, rather than just the first half hour followed by 3 hours of mounting exhaustion followed by an early run home. The CRF250L is a suberb trailbike, but don't discount Yamaha's TTR250 or current XT250 (or the slightly underpowered 225 Serow) Suzuki DR250, Kawasaki KLX250S (might be a bit tall), Honda XR250L (if you can find one) KTM's little Freeride is a fun bike but not comfortable for a day in the saddle (similarly Beta Alp 2.0)
DRZ400s are a bit buzzy on the road, and the seats are torture. The Tenere is probably not a bad bet for you with your Namib experience. They're plentiful and cheap. If your highway speeds are not a huge issue I think you are on the right lines with a Tenere and a CRF250L, maybe just swapping tyres between knobblies for security on the green lanes and something like Heidenau's K60 or Conti TKC patterns for longevity and better road manners when touring.
I don't think that for touring europe or even down to Morocco, having identical bikes is necessary - spares backup is only a DHL away, if the local dealer can't handle it. "Keep you moving" spares like universal cable repair kits, spark plugs, clutch lever, tyre repair kits etc are all you really need to carry. (With the tools to fit them)
Enjoy the decision making process, join the TRF to get the easiest access to UK trails (a quick request to your local group will bring up several offers to take you out, or at least give you some ideas) and have plenty of great trips. (The new Trans European Trail project looks very promising)
Ride safe,
Simon.

I recently switched from a BMW 650GS that I couldn't pick up myself (I'm about the same size as your wife) to a DRZ400S, and while luckily I haven't dropped it yet, I'd definitely be able to pick it up - that being said I'm in relatively good shape.

However, there's two problems with the DRZ400 - one is that bike thieves LOVE that bike. If you're anywhere near a city, particularly London, you'll have to be paranoid about that ALL THE TIME. Secondly, it's not a very fun bike to ride on the motorway for long periods, much past 65MPH and things get strained, vibey, and wobbly. If my primary goal was to tour europe, I wouldn't want to do it on a DRZ.

As mentioned the CB500X's are really great bikes, and low centre of gravity makes them feel much lighter than they are.

Another option not mentioned might be the Kawasaki Versys 300 (for a more road-focused light off-road bike). I've not test ridden one; only sat on one, but they feel quite balanced, and the reviewers seem to love them (more than the more dirt-oriented CRF250L Rally). You could even get semi-matched bikes with you getting the bigger Versys and her with the 300!

Great suggestions on this thread..

After 30,000 K through South American countries with rosa del desierto riding an XR250 Honda Tornado and me on an NX400 Honda Falcon we discovered that the six gear v five gear changes were frustrating.

Imagine an olympic butterfly stroke event.

Most important is not the cubic centimeters but the compatibility of the gear changes. Rosa soon upgraded to an NX400 and for the next 30,000 K through eight South American countries we were synchronized.

Foto: rosa del desierto on her XR250 and me on my NX400 outside our parking garage in Buenos Aires.

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