HI all

After 4 years of CBT I am doing my DAS course next month and I have encountered the same old problem of what to buy when i pass budget is limited so i had my sights on maybe the old funduro for around £1500(probably less) but have read reviews that state it struggles with serious offroad. As a new rider I dont really know what that means but as I want to start doing some greenlaning etc.. I was thinking about upping the budget to the old africa twin which seems from my reading to be able to do pretty much anything so (with a good rider I mean) my concern with the africa twin is that it is heavy and tall and im only 5'7 maybe 5'9 with me boots on.

so the question is this. considering im just starting out and at this stage im not planning to ride the deepest part of Mongolia would the F650 be more than enough for say a year or should i just not bother and save an extra month or so to get the more capable AT? or something else? budget is £2500 max if I want to be on the road this summer and seeing as i AM going to drop it at some point.

Its also worth mentioning that i would be doing maybe 30/70 offroad/road I would like to be able to keep up with motorway traffic which is why i've not really considered a smaller cc dual sport +plus the short legs but I think ive mentioned those

I know this sort of question is asked a lot but i would really like some advice

hi,

If you are planning to ride green lanes in the UK, you could do much worse than joining the TRF, or at least check their website:

http://www.trf.org.uk/ full of good info.

As you are located in London you could drop at one of their monthly meetings and copy their maps if you prefer going solo. Finding legal by ways around London is not that simple. The Surrey Branch meets in Riplay: http://www.surreytrf.org.uk/club-night/

Regarding which bike, for green lane riding I recommend a light bike.

You could start with a 250cc. Most greenlane riders ride about that size. If you want bigger, a DRZ400 is very good but may be a bit tall for you?

Lots of choice around for small endure bikes.

By the way, I used to own n F650GS, I would not recommend it for green laning.

As a beginner, weight will make it harder so definitely make your teeth on a light bike, you will understand once you start.

If you stick to tarmac and easy gravel roads, any bike would do. But the very muddy and slippery lanes of Surrey and Sussex may be a bit too much for that.

And above all, try and get a day off road experience. Few companies going round London doing those. I met those guys on a couple of occasions while riding the lanes:http://offthekerbtrailriding.com/ not sure they are still in business. Few more companies around. That could give an idea what you need and what you want?

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

Hi maria41

thanks for the reply

I am trying to find something that is middle ground as I can only afford one bike (for now at least) and want to be able to do long road trips wales Scotland etc.. I tried a long trip once on a MZ125sm and it felt like it was trying to push my spine out of the top of my head after an hours riding I know this means compromise on the bikes dirt ability but as I live in Buckinghamshire now and despite all these farms, woods and interesting places on my door step I cant ride on any of them so will need to travel

Thanks for the link to Off The Kerb Trail Riding - Green Lane, Adventure Riding in Dorking Surrey ill check it out now

I plan to join the TRF once i'm up and going btw

Just started Reading about the DRZ400 not sure why i hadn't considered this bike before.

Thank you

Hi Carrison
Having short legs is not a problem when riding a bike?
It is only a problem when you stop when many riders with short legs learn how to slide off the side of the seat when stopping?

Good luck with the bike hunt.










If the above videos don't give you confidence then the last resort are these......

Something i picked up from somewhere:

MARQUE/MODEL SEAT Height
F650GS 2007 780
F800GT GT 780
F800R 2009 800
G650GS 800
F650GS 2008 820
F700GS 2013 820
NC700X 2012 790
NT700V Deauville 2006 805
CB500X 2013 810
NC750X 2014 830
Crossrunner 800 2011-14 816
RX3 795
Versys 845
ER-6n or f (to 2012) 800
Duke 690 2012 835
SV650N 800
GSF650 Bandit 780
Gladius 2009 785
GSF600 Bandit 805
V-Strom 650 2007 820
Street Triple 2007-12 800
Street Triple 2013 805
Tiger 800 2010 810
Tiger 800XC 2011 845
650TR 795
XJ6 Diversion F 2010 785
XJ6 Diversion 2010 785
FZ6 Fazer 2007 795
MT-07 2014 805

Van Van with a supercharger

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'Peaches are better than Tanks'

I am not very tall and this limit bikes i can ride. I ride Yamaha XJ6N and Kawasaki Z650 - both bikes are my max for height but i cant take any of this two for around the world adventure.

So what bike would you recommend - not going above 31inch or 79cm seat height...also i am happy i guess with 250cc up to 650cc more or less - i dont think i need a lots of power, i am more after reliable bike that i can manage.

Thanks!

You may want to look at lowering kits becasuse hard to find bike with seat height below 80cm. Honda grom is the one I could think of.

The question is too open to give you a decent answer. What might make more sense is to give us a couple of examples of what bike you think will work for you, and ask for candid opinions.

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Bruce Clarke - 2020 Yamaha XV250