What's the shortest adventure-type motorcyle available?

2517 Views 38 Replies 19 Participants Last post by Friday, Oct 23, 2016

Brenainn

Discussion Starter · Oct 19, 2016

Maybe I can get some advice info on this one...

I'm new to motorcycles, but I've always loved the adventure bike setups that I've seen. My problem is that I'm 4' 11" (5' with boots on) and haven't been able to find a lot of options for a used bike that I can comfortably hold up. I'm not interested in crotch rockets, cruisers and Harleys. Mostly looking for something along the lines of an adventure bike.

Anyone have ideas/suggestions?

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1 - 20 of 39 Posts

NoKimberDave

· #2 · Oct 19, 2016

I'd look into a Suzuki Vstrom 650 and maybe a custom seat.
They are awesome bikes

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wsfiredude

· #3 · Oct 19, 2016

Brenainn said:
I'm not interested in crotch rockets, cruisers and Harleys. Mostly looking for something along the lines of an adventure bike.

Anyone have ideas/suggestions?

Get this and hit Highway 52 through Winston between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning on any weekday...

It'll be all the "adventure" you want.

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jlpskydive

· #4 · Oct 19, 2016

DRZ 400 with a lowering link and a Sergeant seat. On of my best friends has this set up for his 5'1 wife and it's an awesome bike

Reactions: 2

SIGness

· #5 · Oct 19, 2016

Kawasaki Sherpa
Kawasaki Versys with the right seat and setup
Kawasaki KLX250s

The Sherpa and KLX are great but with the small engine there not good for long or at least highway trips. The Versys is great but the tallest of the 3.

NoKimberDave

· #6 · Oct 20, 2016

Versys is an awesome bike but the one I tried struck me as quite tall. Which I liked being 6'2"

fishgutzy

· #7 · Oct 20, 2016

Gonna be hard to find an Adventure with your height.
Adventure bikes have longer travel suspension and higher being clearance.
Maybe a Honda Grom

https://powersports.honda.com/2017/grom/build.aspx

Even the Kawasaki Z125 has a seat height of 31.5".

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NoKimberDave

· #8 · Oct 20, 2016

Oh man, I want a Grom soooo bad. So dang cute. And, super fun.

The thing about being short is that you're gonna have challenges with just about any bike. You have to learn how to be on your toes a lot and prepare really well for stopping on hills, u turns (especially on hills), etc.

But it's doable. One of the very finest riders I have ever known was about your height. He rode a KTM 530 which is very tall and couldn't even tip toe on it. He'd have to slide off one side to get a foot/toe on the ground. As a result his slow speed skills were off the hook.

At any rate, I think you are going to be looking at a 30.5-32.5" seat height for the most part. Theres a big difference in those two inches. You can do a custom seat and gain an 1" or 1.5", then maybe have the bike professionally lowered for another inch or two. And I bet you can make it manageable. Might cost you a little so add that into your budget.

Most importantly, don't get discouraged. Height is not any kind of handicap for riding. Just watch these motorcross freestyle kids, a lot of them are tiny. Also, all of the MotoGP starts are very small. Most being under 125 lbs, and they are the best riders in the world, on bike with huge power and high seats.

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Brenainn

Discussion Starter · #9 · Oct 21, 2016

NoKimberDave said:
I'd look into a Suzuki Vstrom 650 and maybe a custom seat.
They are awesome bikes

Yes! I've seen those. I love the "look," but it the seat hight at 33" would have to come down to at least to 28". Any idea on where I could find one used? No luck so far on Craigs List...

Brenainn

Discussion Starter · #10 · Oct 21, 2016

wsfiredude said:
Get this and hit Highway 52 through Winston between 7:30 and 8:30 in the morning on any weekday...

It'll be all the "adventure" you want.
View attachment 158282

No thanks. Not knocking scooters; they would be great for urban/city living, but I don't live anywhere near where that would be practical haha Thanks for trying, though

Reactions: 1

Brenainn

Discussion Starter · #11 · Oct 21, 2016

jlpskydive said:
DRZ 400 with a lowering link and a Sergeant seat. On of my best friends has this set up for his 5'1 wife and it's an awesome bike

So seat height is 37" -- think I could get it down to 28" safely? Love the look.

Brenainn

Discussion Starter · #12 · Oct 21, 2016

SIGness said:
Kawasaki Sherpa
Kawasaki Versys with the right seat and setup
Kawasaki KLX250s

The Sherpa and KLX are great but with the small engine there not good for long or at least highway trips. The Versys is great but the tallest of the 3.

Yeah, the Sherpa and Kawasaki Versys look cool, and with a 33" seat height, I think I could reduce that a bit, yeah? Where would I find the kinds of seats and seat setup "kits" that y'all are talking about?

cloud

· #13 · Oct 21, 2016

maybe this will help www.cycle-ergo.com

Brenainn

Discussion Starter · #14 · Oct 21, 2016

NoKimberDave said:
Oh man, I want a Grom soooo bad. So dang cute. And, super fun.

The thing about being short is that you're gonna have challenges with just about any bike. You have to learn how to be on your toes a lot and prepare really well for stopping on hills, u turns (especially on hills), etc.

But it's doable. One of the very finest riders I have ever known was about your height. He rode a KTM 530 which is very tall and couldn't even tip toe on it. He'd have to slide off one side to get a foot/toe on the ground. As a result his slow speed skills were off the hook.

At any rate, I think you are going to be looking at a 30.5-32.5" seat height for the most part. Theres a big difference in those two inches. You can do a custom seat and gain an 1" or 1.5", then maybe have the bike professionally lowered for another inch or two. And I bet you can make it manageable. Might cost you a little so add that into your budget.

Most importantly, don't get discouraged. Height is not any kind of handicap for riding. Just watch these motorcross freestyle kids, a lot of them are tiny. Also, all of the MotoGP starts are very small. Most being under 125 lbs, and they are the best riders in the world, on bike with huge power and high seats.

Thanks! I think if I was looking for strictly off-roading stuff, then I'd be more open to exploring unconventional options and my abilities, but I'm looking for something that I could drive on the Parkway and maybe out to a camp sight in Pisgah. I'm a newbie (haven't even gotten my license yet, but will in November), only weigh 110 lbs., and I'm not super strong (I'm a female). It's nice to hear your encouragement because so far most of my research has been discouraging.

majicmike

· #15 · Oct 21, 2016

Dani Pedrosa is 5'2" and he does alright riding,

Reactions: 1

majicmike

· #16 · Oct 21, 2016

Someone on here had a dr200 for sale cheap,, a lowering link and you would be good to go.

Reactions: 1

SPST

· #17 · Oct 21, 2016

Also check out the Honda CB500X with a seat height of 31.8". Can you tell that I'm a Honda guy?

Reactions: 1

NoKimberDave

· #18 · Oct 21, 2016

SPST said:
Also check out the Honda CB500X with a seat height of 31.8". Can you tell that I'm a Honda guy?

This might be a perfect option.

phideux

· #19 · Oct 21, 2016

A FatBoy seat height is 27.1, you could take another 3-5 off that with seats/shocks. Them Ricers are all too tall. The newer FatBoy Lo is even lower. You can have an adventure on a Harley, so i guess you can call it an "adventure type bike".

Reactions: 1

jlpskydive

· #20 · Oct 21, 2016

SPST said:
Also check out the Honda CB500X with a seat height of 31.8". Can you tell that I'm a Honda guy?

I want an Africa Twin so bad!!!

Reactions: 1

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