I dont know your budget, but dont write off the CRFL. They are super reliable, easy to ride, low/no vibration, 6 gears, fuel injection, 337 watt alternator and more horsepower dan the xt.
Easy to lower with a kouba link.
A lot off bike for the money.

We are traveling around the world on two of these bikes for the last two years/76000 km without problems.


www.amsterdamtoanywhere.nl

Wow the water is even muddier now, Thanks Petrus, the modern benefits of a WR and 2" lower seat height. I see you are/were in Alberta recently, let us know if you make it to Vancouver , we live in Squamish, 40min on the way to Whistler if you would like to stop in and need a shower and a bed.

I think what we need to do is set up a day and see all these bikes at once and ask folks if TK can give them a quick ride. This so far has been super enlightening and made me look at other bikes that I did not before.

Thanks for the invitation but we wont travel further trough Canada, way too cold. We will ship our bikes to indonesia in a month and ride home. If you or TK find your self in Calgary in the next 3 weeks, you can try one of our bikes. Just PM me.


www.amsterdamtoanywhere.nl

Glad you chimed in ... and corrected what I said about the CRF250L. Really good to know it puts out 337 Watts! This is BIG is you plan to run elec. gear or accessories. I assumed it would be around 200 like so many other Dual Sport bikes. Pretty sure the DRZ400SM only puts out 200 Watts, not sure about WR250R.

Your ride is a great test and proof how tough the new little Honda is over the long run. Great report! :thumbup1:

For sure - Honda may have sold a couple of bikes because of that endorsement. I am in the process of cleaning up our other bikes for sale and likely wont buy anything till the new year but will be sure to continue the dialogue and keep you all posted

From my research the DRZ/dr600 output 200w, the WR250R 350W - I guess they upsize them for the fuel injection

Calling Doctor Zee...
 

Another vote for the XT250 (Serow) here - ideally the latest EFi version - that really would be pretty much ready to go out of the crate.

Personally though, if you do want appreciably more power (than the Sherpa - which is similar to the XT to be honest) for longer highway stretches, I think the DRZ400SM with a set of 17" TKC80 tyres and a lowering link on the rear would be near perfect for a shorter rider. A similarly short friend of mine had one set-up like that and it was damn near unstoppable.

http://i492.photobucket.com/albums/r...smssi71y9.jpeg
photo. I think the tyres are Avon Distanza SMs here, but it shows the height well.

Plenty of aftermarket (comfy) seat options and larger tanks if required - although I'd try and keep it as simple as possible, and certainly leave things like electric heated clothing at home...

Ultimately it also means you'd both be happy on effectively the same bike, which makes a lot of sense for an extended trip?

Hope that helps...

Jx

Update
 

After endless deliberation we purchased a 2015 CRF250l for her last night w 500kms on the odo, brand new really.

After I lower it I am confident this is a good choice. Thanks to all who chimed in, especially Petrus without whome we may well have overlooked this bike.

I on the other hand let my ego have a vote and bought a 2012 KTM 690. Coming off an f800gs the gnarly stuff is going to be soooo much more enjoyable.

Which bike?
 

Kerschbaumer--I'm reading your posts and have the same problem of short legs, although not as severe. I'm 5'6", with an inseam of around 29-30". I recently tested a DR650s and I think I found the bike that I can lower to fit me. My question for you is when are you leaving BC for your trip? My friend and I are planning a trip to the tip of South America and back, and plan on leaving from Seattle around October 1st, 2016. I'm excited as I have never ridden a motorcycle on an extended trip.

If you've read my earlier posts you'll see I ride a DR650 and am a big fan. Great travel bike if set up well.

Note what Maria 41 says in her post. Weight can be an issue even if your feet can touch down. The DR dry is just 324 lbs. Wet, 367 lbs. Add luggage, big tank, bash plate, bark busters, racks, figure "around" 400 to 430 lbs. if you're careful and don't overpack. (most do)

That's a lot of weight over most 250 cc bikes. If you have very good upper body strength then you should do OK. Lowering the bike can help but more important is your riding skill, balance and defensive riding ability.

If you feel the DR is OK, then start your prep. Go onto DR Riders forum to ask for help. I'd suggest doing some fairly significant, week long shake down trips during Summer ... before you depart. Work on your skills, fine tune the DR's ergos to fit you best you can.

PM me if you want my short list of what should be done to a DR for travel. My '06 DR is now up to 65K miles. Doing fine.

Good luck, have fun!
bier

Reading through the posts here has just got me wondering how tall is too tall.

Over the years I've had a number of bikes with seats high enough that to reach the ground I've had to slide sideways to get one toe down when coming to a halt. With a well balanced bike that's not too heavy and riding on tarmac it's just about ok. On the open road it's not really an issue and you can forget the ground seems a long way down. It can be a bit tiring in urban situations where you're stopping every few seconds but it's doable.

It's when things are not so predictable that I'm really thinking about. Dirt roads, rough tracks, sand, or even snow etc on normal roads. Conditions where the bike is likely to move around and need "rider intervention". I'm not talking about competition here, just the normal stuff that overlanders find themselves faced with. With tiptoe access only the bike will be quite a way over before I can apply any significant amount of foot support - particularly if I have to slide to one side first to do it, and on a heavy bike it may have gone too far by that stage. Feet flat on the ground on both sides of course would be ideal but for those of us with short legs that would mean either excluding most of the 400/600 trailies or lowering the bike by whatever means are available - links, preload etc.

So, where do you set the bar - what's a reasonable amount of "foot access" to have?

For Women
 

For women as close to flat foot as possible, :thumbup1:regardless of riding ability.:scooter:
Bikes get pretty heavy for most women after an 8 hour day in Africa !!!
& there riding ability never matches the length of there fuse when tired.:(

Cheers
Paul

We look too at the DR but felt it would be too heavy for my wife - although it seems it can easily go much lower than the DRZ. I may be over estimating the amount of truly technical dirt we will be riding that we couldnt survive on a heavier more cruisy bike but oh, well, I am just so glad not to be endlessly agonizing over which bike - and now have moved on to agonizing over which tent....

I am not sure how low we can get the CRF but will keep throwing money at it till it works for her I guess...

We dont have a departure date set. We are still trying to decide if we go just for the winter months or make it a full year. Money is a big question mark - still many variables but will take one step at a time.

I'm glad you got the bike sorted, good luck with the conversion.
I currently ride a Sherpa, previous bikes have been the XT225 and a DR250, the Sherpa out performs both, although, I guess the difference of 15 years mechanics.


Interesting thread to read other short rider bikes. Also 5'2 with 29" inseam.
I've owned many taller road bikes as I'm confident to just put one toe down, but off road, it's totally different.
I would love the DR650 but the fact that I ride alone a lot makes me very hesitant as I'm concerned I'd get stuck. Whatever terrain I ride with the Sherpa, I know for definite I can turn it around or drag it out of a difficult situation (most of which common sense deters me from getting into).

@ short legs,

Make your 'shakedown' trip a ride up to the HUBB meeting at Nakusp in BC, Canada in August, its a great way to figure out what does and does not work - and you will get lots of ideas, help, advice, networking, assistance and motivation from the HUBB community :)

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nnual-hu-84521

and as the Canadian Dollar is currently so crappy it will be cheap!