Off road "experts" advices request please for a new adventure bike selection
 

Hi Everybody !

As it is my first post on this forum, a short introduction :
name : Yassine
City: Brussels (Belgium)
29 years old.
Education : Automation engineer & Business management.
Hobbies : Is that really a question in this forum ? :-D


My situation :

I learned riding when I was 12 on a small KX80 off road. ( Too much fun with that bike ! ) I used it for several year on real off road days.
Afterwards, I got only on road bikes. Actually I ride a Triumph Street Triple R ABS.( 2013)

My objective :

In a few months, I will sell it to by an adventure bike. The objective is to make a RTW trip with it and keep it afterwards. (beparture expected by the end of next year)

My problem :

I am 1m 71cm only.

The question :
Do I need to be able to put completely flat me two feets to be able to travel in a confortable way on "dirt road". I know that with a bike of more that 200kg with all the stuff and me on it that i will not jump on fully off road area, and that is not my objective off course. But what about " adventure riding" on asian and north african dirt roads.

I know that of course that will also depends on my "skills". SO what ever the bike, I will take it for some off road for training.

I need first to answer to that question before to start selecting a motorcycle.

( Please excuse me if I did any mistake in my english)


Thank you in advance for your advices guys!

Yass

Hi Yassine. Sounds like a great plan! go for it! We plan to leave spring next year towards the east from near Brussels as well for a couple of months.

You definitely do not need to be able to put your feet flat on the ground. If you can get the ball of your foot on the ground that is enough for a reasonably secure footing on most circumstances. My girlfriend is 3cm smaller than you and has no problems on either her DRZ400 or her TR650 Terra, even with full luggage.
Of course, those are both reasonably light bikes. On a heavy bike like e.g. a R1200GSA it can be a bit more difficult to keep the bike up, especially on uneven ground. But as long as you are riding none of that matters :Beach:

My personal preference is for lighter bikes, but many others have shown that it can also easily be done on a heavy mastodon or even on a none-adventure bike.

Hi Yaz, no worries on English, I'm sure your English is better than my French or Flemish! (Zero!)

Your early training is important. All the skills you learned at age 12 are still there ... you just need to remember them again.
:mchappy: An off road course is a good idea!

I calculate you at around 5'4" tall. No problem riding on many 250cc bikes:
Honda CRF250L, Yamaha WR250R and XT250, Kawasaki KLX250S.

Riding a loaded bike off road requires not only skill and balance but also some strength. Upper body strength is most important. Ideally you should be able to lift bike up from ground, even fully loaded. There are RIGHT way, and WRONG way to lift.

I know the CRF Honda listed above can be made lower, I think at your height, all OK.

NO ... you do NOT need to have both feet flat on the ground. Tip toes are fine. You must learn to move fully forward on seat and slide over to one side so that one foot can touch, that is really all you need.

But with a lowered bike it should not be a problem touching feet down. :thumbup1:

250cc bikes will not have the power of your Street Triple, but for travel they are really good for many reasons: Fuel economy, light weight, good off road, lower cost than big bike, reliable and tough.

If you learn to pack and travel VERY light and do not carry too much stuff you do not really need ... then you should do OK. Most travelers learn this lesson once out on the road.

Read ride report below, two Dutch on CRF250L's, good info on prep :
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...anywhere-77588

Short legs!
 

I suffer from short legs which makes it fun to ride taller bikes. I currently have vstrom 650 which I am fine with on and off road, but have dropped it a few times off road. The reason is simple. When you stop you must be sure the ground is flat. If its bumpy or not flat, your foot will go in a hole and you will fall down. I know this will happen and do everything to avoid holes but now and again it happens. Put the wheels in a hole and it makes it better. A loaded bike is quite a challenge to pick up, but can be done safely using the right technique. Better with help. I'm no expert but I manage OK.

CRF250L :thumbup1:

Get the suspension sorted and it will be great for a trip,and if you want to get better at offroad get a trials bike as it makes you a better rider when enduro riding.

I would use your choice of bike to get used to the weight of it for green lane enduro riding and also use a trials bike to build up your skills in the tight stuff if you can

I make 171cm to be 5'8" which is my height. In the past I've had a 1200 GS Adventure and Tenere XT660Z and I currently ride a KTM 690 Enduro R. All of these are considered quite high.

But the important measurement is the leg. My trousers are 30-31" inside leg which is about 76cm. Some bikes have wide seats which pushes your legs apart and makes the seat seem higher, but then narrow seats are less comfortable.

The one thing I've learned is that you never, ever wish for a heavier bike when you are on difficult roads and tracks, so "more than 200kg" without luggage is already too heavy (in my opinion). It's much easier to hold my KTM upright (149kg with fuel) than the 1200 GSA (256kg with fuel).

Outside of Europe and North America you don't need a bike that can cruise at motorway speeds, you will probably find you are doing 70-80 kph maximum speeds. So I would suggest you look for no bigger than 650cc (absolute maximum), but also one that has a rear subframe strong enough to carry luggage.

.

171cm comes in at just under 5' 8" according to my ruler as well, so a perfectly normal height (he said, being that height as well :thumbup1: )

The only thing I would add to what's been said is that while it's perfectly possible / safe to ride a bike tall enough that you can just touch the ball of your foot down, it does wear on you on a long trip. I eventually stopped riding my XR600 because of the effort / concentration / hassle involved every time I came to a stop. Get a top heavy bike, a wet greasy forecourt or an off camber road (or all three in one particular Ceuta filling station) and you'll wonder how you're going to get off. Wake up with a hangover, a stomach upset or even just on an off day and you won't want to put in the effort to get on. Have enough of those days and you'll come to hate the bike.

Hi Guys,

First thanks for your answers !

Ok then, I suppose I can ride nearly everything then. ( I already pull up a loaded Tiger explorer off road, I was sweating but i did it lol )

For the Bike selection, to be honest I do not know yet.
I just finished reading the AMH ( Adventure Motorcycle Handbook, it is really an interesting book !! ).
First I will check the countries that I will visit and try to get a clear idea about witch kind of road i will have to take, or at least a proportion.
But for me, the motorcycle MUST be confortable : I will pass 8 hours on it (maybe more), so that is my first priority.
I was thinking about something like the XT660 R or a KTM 690 with some modifications, but really nothing is decided yet. I will open a new thread when i will know my exact budget and where I am going. (I must think about the Carnet deposit too, so... :-D) so maybe a 6-7 years old cheap bike ( for the carnet :-D) that I will upgrade afterwards....I will see. :scooter:

Anyway, for the subject I got my answers. So really thank you guys for your time! bier

+1, completely agree

Sorry for getting Cm to Inch conversion wrong doh... we never have to deal with it ... but yet somehow build F-22 Fighters and Stealth Bombers all with inches, feet and yards, how is that possible? :oops2:

I was also mistaken on your Gender ... thought you were a girl! ... (details important when asking for help!) and that is why I suggested a 250cc bike and talked about upper body strength. I was WAY OFF. :blushing:

Since you're taller than me and can lift a Tiger Explorer, it's clear you can easily handle any bike you like. :thumbup1:

I like your choices of the XT660 and KTM 690. You also may want to consider my favorite in the 600 class ... The Suzuki DR650. It's popular in Oz, New Zealand, Canada and USA ... but few other places can get them now. Best travel bike in class for a number of reasons. One, you brought up: Seat time.
I go 10 hours a day riding all the time. Corbin seat makes the difference. No KTM will match that ... not even with a Renazco saddle. (I know, I've ridden a 690 with that seat on it)

The Yamaha is a tough, reliable bike, but about 25 kgs. heavier than DR650.
Ride as many bikes as you can. Check everything out. Sometimes the bike you have turns out to be OK. :innocent:

bier

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q...-Rbgkd5N-L.jpg
Another 10 hour riding day in paradise! :scooter:

For the KLR in Europe, it is vert difficult to find a new/good one.
But really, it will depends on which route I will take and the feeling when I will be on it :-D

I will start the main destination list :palm: mid jun normally. (Too much work for the moment :rolleyes2: )
The idea is to get a budget and "lead time" that I will need to do it. :smartass:
If I have enough money, the departure will be in the summer 2016. :mchappy:

For the moment I just get this to prepare it. Here some pictures of my cockpit :-P

If you want a light bike with great offroad suspension but manageable seat heught, you might want to consider the new CCM 450 GP Adventure. You will for sure get thr best possible support from CCM owner Austin Clews and his dmsll team if you present a good concept for an rtw trip!

low is better
 

First message on this forum so hello fellow travelers !
I am 1m70 and i completly agree with this message.
Although it is possible to ride on the road a bike just touching the ball of the foot down, I would not advise to do that off road RTW. As soon as you will have to stop where there is a hole, you will fall down. Once is ok but if you do that again and again when the road is difficult you will regreat your choice of bike. Also you might hurt your bike witch is not good thousand of km home !
Choose a light bike and lower it if you are around 1m70.

Maybe the perfect bike is just around the next bend.

KTM 390 adventure:scooter:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d...ure-mockup.jpg

It indeed COULD be the perfect bike! For a few years we've heard speculation about an ADV version of the 390 to compliment the Duke and RC390 models already in production. Above is someones fantasy ... just a digital mock up.

But then, about 6 months ago in an interview CEO Stefan Pierer stated KTM would NOT make an Adventure version of this bike. Of course no one (including me) ever believed that. Today I saw this ... but it's a NOTHING piece, total speculation with zero verification. That web site isn't much.

KTM 390 Adventure a Step Closer to Production - TheRideAdvice.comTheRideAdvice.com

HOWEVER ... It seems likely something is coming ... probably sooner than later. bier
Why KTM are keeping so quiet on this is mysterious. They better hurry because MANY other OEM's are currently working of small, lighter, less expensive Adventure bikes.

Best interview with KTM CEO Pierer I've read, a few years old but good, LONG but it's two part by Alan Cathcart:
Interview: KTM Boss Stefan Pierer - Cycle News

Interview: KTM’s Stefan Pierer Part II - Cycle News