Hi,

I´m going to South America for a bike trip. I have a BMW 650 F from 1999 with carburetor which we used (the 2 of us) for our trip in West Africa. It was a great bike to carry the 2 of us with a lot of our stuff. BUT, it was too heavy and tall for me (I´m 1.65). Then I had another trip to Pakistan & Iran with another person on a simple Kawa KLE 250. It was great although not too fast. I´m just afraid that it would not be able to put up with riding to fast for long hours.

This time I´m looking for a bike for myself which should be lower and LIGHTER than the BMW650 but also reliable and FAST when you are on tarmac. I was thinking between Yamaha XT650, carburetor (I have to lower the bike) or a BMW 650 xcountry with injection. The latter is light and low but I´m a bit afraid of not being able to fix it in SA if there are any problems.

I would appreciate any other suggestions and if the x country would be a good choice or the most fetal error I would ever have made! What about a KLR 650?

Thanks a lot.

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www.notjustatourist.com

Hi all try this site out Motorcycle Ergonomics tells you the hight of the bike & where your sitting for some of you it could just be the case of adjusting the bike
a lot of men & women do not the yget on & ride & get used to it.

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We are the Pilgrims, Master, we shall go Always a little further: it may be beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow, Across that angry or that glimmering sea.

If you intend to buy your bike in the USA then you have some good choices ... and better prices for used bikes than EU. You are lucky to have good luck with your F650. Many do not have this luck. The X Country is better but still needs up grades to be a good travel bike. It is quite tall ... and is now out of production for 4 or 5 years. Expensive.

Less expensive Japanese bikes also need modification but IMO, are more reliable, less expensive to modify, simpler to work on yourself ... no BMW agency required. No computers, no ABS, no CANbus.

I would not recommend the KLR650 for a shorter female rider. It's a great bike, but better suited for a BIG, strong rider. KLR is a bit heavy ... and because of fairing, BIG fuel tank and shield, it "feels" bigger than it is when sitting on board.

The DR650 is a good, inexpensive choice for sale in USA. At 324 lbs. dry (147 kgs.), one of the lightest 650's. With 20 lts. fuel, luggage and extras loaded on, estimate 400 lbs. (181 kgs.) Compare to anything ... even a 250.

Seat height lowering
The DR650 has lower factory option about 1.5 inch. (All DR's have this ability) You can add lowering links to lower it 2 inches more if needed. Cheap and easy to do. I've seen a woman 5' 2" riding a lowered DR650, feet on the ground.

The F650 is 55 lbs. heavier (dry weight) than DR650. The BIG plus with the F650 F.I. models is good fuel economy. DR650 gets about 50 MPG. F650 about 60 to 65 mpg.

As a DR650 owner for 55,000 miles (88,000 kms), I've not had one problem.
A few good points about the bike:
Simple, reliable, easy to work on (DIY). Nearly maintenance free!

Good on rough off road trails/roads yet can easily cruise highway (even two up) at 70 MPH all day long. Smooth, low vibration. 500 mile days done easily.

Suzuki dealers in USA, Colombia, Ecuador (where Police use the DR650). (Parts!)

Inexpensive if bought used in USA. Low kms newish ones from $3000 to
$4000 USD are common.

Simple Air/Oil cooled, no radiators, no water pumps, fuel pumps, radiator fans, no hoses to fail. This bike never overheats, will run on garbage fuel at 4000 meters.

Simple, common and reliable Mikuni Carb that any roadside mechanic can repair or clean. Parts available worldwide.

With a few key accessories and upgrades the Suzuki DR650 can make a good travel bike.
It has a Super strong frame and sub frame, 43mm KYB forks (once upgraded, very good!)
Better shock needed too or upgrade of stock shock.

The bike needs a better seat. Not a sheepskin ... a real aftermarket seat.
Bigger tanks and many other used aftermarket parts for sale everywhere and quite cheap. (tanks, seats, pipes, pannier racks, rear racks, carbs, engine guards, luggage, bags, bars, Aux lights, lower foot peg kits .. on and on and on)
Great aftermarket and Forum support from hundreds of dedicated owners with lots of useful knowledge.

the DR650 thread - ADVrider

www.DRRiders.com

I'm keen to know what bike you chose and have you left yet?
My partner and I have DR 50S for a 2015 trip n and I am only 5'4"

Hi,

After much thinking in the end I decided to go for a Yamaha XT660 R from 2006 -injection- doing a few modifications to it.

I chose this bike because:

1. It´s a powerful bike and comfortable for riding at a speed around 120km/hr
2. It´s a trail bike so I can use it whenever I have to
3. It´s not that heavy -guess around 155 kg or so-

The only thing was that it was too high -1.86cm- so that I had to lower the hight with links to 181.5 cm. As I´m 1.65 with an inseam of appr. 30 I had to lower the seat a bit too taking out some of the foam.

The only downside is that the bike is going to be shipped to me and I´ve not tried it yet! News to come soon!

I´m going to be in Chile & southern Argentina till the end of March. Hope to be able to meet some of you over here.

Safe & happy rides

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www.notjustatourist.com

¡Saludos!
That is a great choice! ... es un Moto muy Padre!
Excellent machine, and to me, better travel bike than the Tenere' version.
We do not get either one here in USA. I wish we did!

Are you shipping the bike to S. America?

The claimed weight by Yamaha is 181 kgs. with fuel. But claimed weight are typically LOW, not realistic. My "guess" would be true weight is closer to
200 kgs. ready to ride. Still, OK. Just pack light and stay away from hard Aluminum panniers. (they add about 20 kgs. for boxes/racks alone)

I believe, if you like, you can go LOWER by using different lowering links. But make sure to lower the front as well ... try to "match" the amount lowered with the rear. (move fork tubes UP in triple clamps to achieve this)

You are "Muy Brava" to buy a bike "sight unseen" ... I wish you ALL THE LUCK! Good planning .. ¡y que le via muy bien!

My partner's looking for a capable mid-weight bike with a seat height of around 700mm. Any ideas?

I asked the question on the 'Bike for shorties?' thread so Iguess it's polite to put answers there:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...072#post529973

some of the info needs double checking

F650 twin, range 200 miles.

FS700 twin range 140 miles.

as its essentially the same bike with the same tank capacity, seems unlikely.

triumph have also brought out a low height version of the 800.

might be worth adding the CCM. low height version is around 780mm, I think

Charles

You're right - both are about 200 miles. In reality both bikes will deliver +15% if cruising at 50mph, -15% on motorways at speeds >70mph.

I ride a DR 650 and Im 165cm. Ive had lowering links put on it and chopped the seat a bit and its absolutely find.

I ride a WR250R - it's been lowered by professionally adjusting suspension as opposed to a lowering link. I also have a lowered seat. I can put one foot down and that seems enough, although it would have been a terrible bike to learn on - too tall and heavy. I'm 5'4" - 164 cm.

If you ride as a pair, I think it's ideal to have both people on the same kind of bike. It's ok to adjust each to the rider's liking as far as ergonomics are concerned, but keep the engines the same as much as possible. If you have a 650 paired with a 250 - it can become dangerous because the one riding a 650 will be tempted to go faster, and the one on 250 will be suffering and often having to take unnecessary risks to keep up. Ask me how I know

Not to mention that it really helps with troubleshooting and maintenance when you have two identical bikes. Is this part supposed to be like that? Hm, let's check the other bike. Keeps it simple.

One of life's basic truths.
The phenomena also occurs between, say, a 1200 and a 650; for any substantial disparity actually.
A sub-optimal solution is for the smaller bike to lead with the rule of the road that the larger bike is not permitted to overtake the smaller bike, ever.

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Dave

The choice of bike really depends on what sort of roads you want to ride.

For tarmac and most gravel, any bike pretty much can do it and weigh is not too much an issue. I have had a couple of Versys, an ER6N, while living in Brazil which I took through sandy trails and, lately, I have a Honda CB500X. Totally adequate and easy to ride bikes.

However, if you want to ride more off the beaten trails and mountains tracks, my choice is an enduro bike. I have an XT 250. I took it all around Russia and Central Asia in 2016, and is the bike being shipped next week to CApe Town. Why? Because it can go through anything. It is tough as nail and will survive any sort of abuse I will give it. It is almost unbrakable ( I tried hard!)and easy to maintain.

I can take it through rivers, sand, deep gavel, stones, rocks etc.... it will serve me well in Africa.

I wrote a post on bike choice on my blog for those interested.

https://franglaisridersblog.wordpres...dventure-bike/

Cheers

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Maria

www.franglais-riders.com

I honestly don't think there is such a thing as a gender specific bike - though I tend to think that women more often than men make more sound choices when it comes to choosing bikes. Men seem to have a tendency to let testosterone, personal image and desried id weigh in on their choice more than most women do.

Rather than prescribing a specific bike, which in the end is highly personal, I think it better to instead provide advice in terms of what you need to think about - the things that will lead you to the right choice for you.

Having left my enduro bikes and aventure bikes at home, and traversing much of africa on an overloaded classic Vespa scooter twice (much of it off road), I can honestly say that all bikes are capable... though not necessarily suitable - this I know since I also have my share of experience with much more suitable bikes as well.

An honest aproach in choosing a bike is to consider: ones fitness and height, riding experience, type of trip (mix of riding conditions and length of trip), and finances - seeking advice from someone with experience that has been where you are now, also physical stature - irrespective of gender. My girlfriend for instance is quite tall for a woman, and both stronger and more fit than many men of equal age and height. My best male firend is shorter and not very fit for his age. My gf has far more bike options than he has.

My opinion is that most overlanders I've met would have benefited from a ligher and more simple bike than they are actually riding - the exception being women who tend to be more honest and pragmatic towards their needs. I've met very few overlanders that could really argue the case for anything greater than 600cc/50hp, or that really need all those farkles, gadgets and upgrades they have spendt a fortune on and many sleepless nights over. Many would have been better off with half the engine displacement or power, and keeping the bike closer to stock. Savings made from choosing a simple design and a small displacement engine, could be put towards upgrades making the bike more; comfortable, safe, easier to ride, more enduring and more enjoyable- with money to spare towards "off the bike" luxuries.

When questions like "gender" are raised, I quickly assume lack of experience. Hence mye reccomendation is usually to choose a bike that is light weight, small to medium displacement, is japanese or german, that is more tarmac oriented but also invites to offroad riding (70/30), even when the person has no initial plan of going offroad (because most overlanders will at some time end up wanting to try it, and then end up falling in love with it).

As for japanese bikes, I prefer Honda, Yamaha and Suzuki - in that order - much do to both reliablilty and world wide access to parts and service. Kawasaki is another option, but more for the Americas than for instance Africa and other parts of the world. No one sells more bikes than Honda, not even close.

Like I said, any bike will get you through allmost any terrain - at least the type of terrain that a novice would commit to - though not equally well. Hence a bike that is designed to do both off and on road riding is preferable.

I would look for a 250-800 cc bike, ideally somewhere in between. I would favor a bike with low center of gravity (i.e. most BMW GS series). I would aim for a dry weight of not much more than 185 kgs, with something lower than 150kg being ideal. A dry weight of 210 isn't crazy heavy, but the added weight will come into play many a time.

I don't think a novice rider should go manic over having for instance spoked wheels if the bike you like comes with solid rims, Many think spoked wheels is a must. But I do think spoked wheels are preferable if the option is available - especially for more experienced riders who tend to ride a bit harder. For an RTW that will take you offorad I would highly reccomend a front wheel greater than 16 inches, preferably as big as 19 inches.

If the choice stands between a lighter one cylindered bike vs a heavier twin, I would opt for the one cylindered if the weight savings are substantial (+15 kgs) - it is usually the case. If there is not much difference in weight savings, I would opt for the two cylindered bike - a smoother and more comfortable ride usually combined with far more power to weight ratio (but lower torque). Although I've said you don't need all that extra power, it does come handy when for instance overtaking up a steep hill at high altitude with a heavy loaded bike. In my opinion approx 50hp is a great compromise for many, giving a lot of options for regearing to suit most riding needs. Still, even half of that power is sufficient for most... you could likely endure a long trip with even a quarter of that power.

I also prefer chain drives over anything else for long distance travelling, but I could perfectly well live with other options for very large displacement bikes.

As for upgrades:
Many are convinced that the stock bikes are pretty much uselss, and hence end up spending unneccesary money on upgrades for the rides that lie ahead. If for instance the bike comes with a stock bash plate and radiator protector (which many will argue is inadequate and needs replacing), I wouldn't advice a novice to spend much money towards an upgrade before they have gotten to that stage where they will be riding hard enough to really warrant such - take it easy and the stock will likely suffice. On hte other hand, if the bike doesn't come with neither a radiator protector or a bash plate and you intend to travel long distances to rural areas far from home, I would probably reccomed to all to have it installed. The point I'm trying to make is that there are many great bikes to choose from if you take a moderate approach in terms of nice to have vs need to have.

This much said, I believe that the original seat, wind screen and bark busters (hand protectors) are the three most common areas where stock dual sports or adventure bikes come up short and where upgrades ar tuely warranted. In addtion, the more off road biased the bike, usually shorter the range is and the more it can benefit from an upgrade in fuel capacity. The same goes for strengthening the sub frame. The good thing though all of these things can be easily fxed on just about every make and model.

As for the endless discussion of hard lockabble vs soft panniers it is my general opinion that hard panniers is the better option for most long distance traveling - even though they arguably are not as safe and usually come at a more hefty price tag. I would much rather buy a cheaper bike and afford hard panniers than an expensive bike and having to live with cheap soft saddle bags.

It is also my opinion that ABS is highly preferable, as long as it can be disconnected (i.e. for braking power down steep inclines with surfaces that give poor traction, or for more experience riders who might want to skid through turns, etc). It is also my opinion that bikes that instead of ABS have opted for interconnected brakes to satisfy new minimum regulations (a fraction of rear vs front is applied simultaneoulse when you push either the front or rear brake), that these are an absolute "no go" and outright dangerous, especially on surfaces with poor traction. Personally I will never again buy a bike without ABS (studies showing a reducing effect on crashes by 30-40%).

Bike options
A few has mentioned the BMW F650GS. It is a great bike. It is a bit heavy, but not too heavy as it has a low center of gravity.

The WR250R has also been mentioned - a bike that I have conscidered for myself on many occasions - even at that time when I owned both a BMW F650GS and the racing version of that same Yamaha. I highly reccomend that you read Louis Pryce's books - it may very well push you towards the WR250R. She convinced me that smaller is better than larger!

The XT660Z Tenere seems to come up more and more often as a great overlanding bike with a side by side comparison to the F650GS, hence I feel the need to comment it in particular. Bikes such as the Yamaha XT660Z will be waaay too tall for you. Although it can be lowered to fit, it is still heavy for what it is, and it has a high center of gravity making it feel even heavier. Although much better looking than the BMW, more relaible, and cheaper, in your case I would probably buy an older BMW F650GS with low mileage and have it kitted... this coming from a guy who has the the Yamaha at the top of my list for bikes for myself (but I am taller, stronger, quite vane and also have the experience to deal with the cumbersome weight and dynamics of the bike).

Another bike at the top of my wish list, and a serious contender for an RTW, I is the Husqvarna 701 Enduro - fully kitted for overlanding (wind shield, long range tanks, strengthened sub frame, etc). It is feather light, has lots of power, is stock 50/50 offroad/on-road biased, looks awesome and can endure any terrain - but it vibrates, is not built very robustly when it comes to fairings and sub frame, and it has short service intervals (though are much easier to service than the bimmer). Getting it fully kitted for long distance travel would probably cost upwards of 4.000 USD in adition to the bike itself - which is the main thing that puts me off. The F650GS or the XT660 Z Tenere, although more expensive, is pretty much ready to go right out of the box - and I wouldn't loose so much money when selling it.

One notch up from the F650GS in terms of long distance comfort, and price, is the f800gs adventure. It is heavier, but still has a low center of gravity that combats the issue somewhat. Most people would find the seat and riding position comfortable, even for two up. The strong twin is super smooth and gives tons of power. It is offroad capable even though it is a bit on the heavy side. It is for myself likely my next choice of bike, followed by the more economical Tenere. I'll probaly buy one next season and keep it for a few years ubntil I can find a used and fully kitted 2020 Africa Twin Dual Sport with DCT and wheelie control, at a reasonable price.

The F800GS, as well as the 850 and the 700 could all likely be lowered to fit you well, and could all be a great options for you. My hunch tells me that you would be most happy with the F650GS because it feels more nible - which btw is a popular option for lots of women overlanders across the globe.

If you can afford it though, consider the 2020 Africa Twin Dual Sports with DCT (automatic transmission) and wheelie control (i.e. if you need to get your front wheel over a high obstacle). Although it is heavy, the center of gravity is so low that it feels more nimble and lighter than even most 650cc bikes. It also has all the riding assistant tech to aid you in all riding conditions you can conceive of - preventing stalling, cangarooing, skidding, etc - making a novice rider capable in dealing with riding conditions to equal level of that to far more experienced riders. For myself, if I could muster to spend so much money on a bike, it would come at the top of my list for an RTW trip.

I support the benefit of riders in the group riding the same type of bike, prefarably the same make, and even better if it is the same model. You can share knowledge, share parts and tools, have the same service intervals, etc. Also, you will likely attack the roads and terrain more evenly, making for a safer and more enjoyable ride for both. But, it is more important that both riders have a bike that fits them than one or both riders having to make large compromises.

Of all the bikes that have been mentioned so far, I would test ride the WR250R and the F650GS, possibly also the F800GS Adventure - and take it from there. It should give you a good indication as of what type of bike is a good match for you. Let us know what you go for my bet is that you will end up with an f650gs with spoked tires, hard panniers and an upgraded wind screen.

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If you're fine with a small cc moto, look at the Honda XR190CT. My wife sat on one in South America. Although she did not ride one, it checked a lot of the requirements: Low seat height, fuel injection, electric start, light weight, 21 inch front wheel. I'm sure it will do fine anywhere in South America. It's a 90 to 100km/hr moto, but in much of the world, that is just fine. No issues riding dirt switchback roads, detours, and narrow mountain roads; plus of course good tramac, fast gravel, and crazy South America city traffic.