Getting into adventure riding can be tough for shorter riders. Some bikes like the Honda
XR650L and KTM 640 Adventure are so tall you need to be at least six foot to ride them
comfortably. Much of it is driven by the apparent need for huge amounts of suspension and a
comfy seat. In the early days, motorbikes were so low even a kid could have both feet
flat on the ground.
First... bike selection. If you are keen on the bigger adventure bikes, here is a rough
guide to some of the lower bikes available. It's great to see Triumph offering the lowest
seat height in a specially lowered model. It's also one of the lightest bikes in this
category too. Remember seat height can vary across year models. For example, in 2019 the
CB500X had a bigger front wheel so it sat higher. The figure for the Africa Twin is
using Honda's lowering link. One potential problem? These larger bikes are still quite
heavy, especially for very short and/or inexperienced riders.
Lighter adventure bikes with low seat heights? The Royal Enfield has a low seat height, but
unfortunately it's crazy heavy and has a very detuned engine. The 300 models from Kawasaki
and BMW are both worth looking at. While the DR650 isn't technically an adventure bike,
the lowering link does allow a low seat height for the big engine capacity. And you can drop
the height a lot more with aftermarket seats. The KTM 390 Adventure is getting a bit tall,
but KTM have a factory lowering kit that will lower the bike by 25mm or one inch.
How low can you go? Well, there are dual sport bikes with very low seat heights, look at
the Suzuki VanVan and the Yamaha TW200. And yes, quite a few riders take these fat-tyred
wonders across the country. Many of the small dual sport bikes have quite low seat heights,
the Yamaha XT250 and Suzuki DR200 are among the lowest.
But what about those experienced adventure riders who are short and want a quality bike
with good performance? This is usually when you look at modifying an existing model to
suit. Your most basic mod? Cut the seat down and recover it yourself. Or buy an lower aftermarket
seat. The width of the seat is usually a problem too, so you can taper the seat at the front
for when your feet need to be on the ground. If you can dramatically reduce seat height,
you may want lower footpegs too so your legs don't feel cramped.
Suspension mods. If you are short, chances are you are lighter as well. So softer springs
front and rear might give you enough suspension sag to be comfortable on the bike.
The cheapest and most basic suspension mod is a lowering link for the rear shock, and
slide your forks through the triple clamps to suit. It's very easy to change back to
stock as well. Most riders find this works great, but a few might find the rear shock
doesn't work so well with the changed geometry, and it might change the handling of the bike.
You usually need a shorter sidestand too. The other option is have your shock and forks
both altered by a suspension professional to sit the bike lower. Expensive and not easy
to reverse, but it might be the best solution.
Handlebars. Usually the height will be okay, but some shorter riders trim the bar ends
to feel more comfortable on the bike.
Get riding boots with thicker soles. I can't find any adventure boots specifically made
for short riders, but some do get their boots modified.
Riding style! Get used to just putting one foot down when you stop, not both. If you
need to get one butt cheek off the seat to do this, practice putting a foot down on each
side of the bike at a standstill, until the 'butt slide' becomes second nature.
Work on your balance. Nothing perfects this like balancing at a standstill, check out
Ina on her DR650. A less ambitious way to do this is with full lock turns, both standing
and sitting. Learning to ride very slowly will also improve your clutch slipping skills.
Get comfortable standing on the footpegs. In rougher terrain, you can move your body
around much more to maintain balance.
When parking, don't be embarrassed to get off the bike and just walk it into parking
spots. Anything that gives you more control and less risk can't be a bad thing. For more
tips, see our dirt tips for short riders on our enduro channel.
If you have any bike choice recommendations or other riding tips, let us know and we'll
add them to the pinned first comment on Youtube and our Facebook post. Ride safe!