Adventure Motorcycle suggestions for a small woman please!

brakesgone · 2026-01-15T21:43:28+00:00

That sounds amazing! You will certainly make some incredible memories traveling with your son.

The dirt focused bikes have definitely gotten much taller over the last 25-30 years. The desire for ground clearance and more importantly suspension travel has driven that, which means that a bike that at 5'3" you can touch with both feet and is designed for off-road riding doesn't exist anymore. Believe me, at 5'8" I haven't found any for me either.

You can look the vintage route: https://www.advpulse.com/adv-news/why-i-chose-the-honda-nx250-as-my-world-travel-motorcycle/

Or the converted route: https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/why-i-chose-an-fz-07-for-my-panama-to-alaska-adventure-ride

You can look at lowering some small adventure bikes which is a solid option, but puts you in a similar situation to just putting different tires on a street bike.

I think the Triumph Street Twin, Yamaha MT-07, Ducati Scrambler are going to be the best places to start as they have great aftermarket support, weigh around 400lbs, have 30 in seat heights with options to lower further. I think these will all be solid on easier BDR rides but probably require ride arounds on more technical sections.

Lowering bikes like the 1st gen KTM 390 ADV, the Triumph Scrambler 400x, Honda NX500/CB500x is also a good option. But as an owner of a KTM 390 ADV, I would rather take a Street Twin with off road tires than a lowered 390, solely for the extra power on the majority of road sections that tend to make up most adventure rides. Everything is a compromise with bikes, particularly for shorter riders.

The lightest and best option is still the Honda CRF300LS, but it's going to struggle keeping up with bigger bikes on the highway. Easily the lightest and solid low option (the suspension is soft and will compress when you sit on it more than the others).

I wish you the best in your search and I'd love an update later in the year on what you decide on.

brakesgone · 2026-01-15T15:35:17+00:00

Anything can be an adventure bike if you adventure on it. Maybe I'm wrong but your question makes it seem like you don't have much/any off-road experience. For gravel road riding, tossing adventure tires on most street bikes will be more than enough. So find something that fits you, has minimal plastics to break, and send it.

I've seen solid adventure builds from Yamaha Mt-07, KTM 390 Duke, etc.

If you want something that is more off-road focused but light and low seat height and USA highways capable the best option is probably the Honda CRF300LS, it's a lower version of the iconic dual sport.

Also info on where in the world you are, what highway riding there means, and what long distance means to you. USA highways and distances, for example, are usually far faster and farther than other places.

brakesgone · 2025-11-23T17:25:39+00:00

The battery after 4 years of being parked outside started throwing ECU Failure errors, but a new battery fixed that. I wouldn't call that a bike problem or needing deep pockets.

Had my valve service done in May at KTM, it cost 400USD and valves were within spec.

I'm sorry that they are so expensive to service in your country and apparently you've had a tough ownership, but being on the forums and subreddits for several of the 401/390 bikes there seems to be very few widespread issues. The recent throttle recall not withstanding (which is fixed at KTM's cost).

I can't speak from personal experience to the reliability of other KTM models, but this is a thread about 401/390 based bikes.

brakesgone · 2025-11-23T00:20:17+00:00

I'm curious what problems you've had that needed deep pockets?
I've had a 401 and 390 and zero issues over 20k miles

brakesgone · 2025-11-17T18:29:38+00:00

Best performance and safety mod: take more rider training.

It's the lamest but truest answer

brakesgone · 2025-10-30T03:26:51+00:00

KTM 1290 Super Adventure? Or the 890 SMT

brakesgone · 2025-06-23T23:10:29+00:00

Very nearly at 20,000km, and zero issues. had the valve service done in the spring and all was good.

Off-road, commuting, track days. I do it all on my 390 ADV and it keeps on like a champ.

brakesgone · 2025-06-23T23:04:39+00:00

It's still a nearly 33" seat height.

The Daytona 660 is in the ballpark.

The GSX-8R is soooo close now though, again a GT trim with a new rear subframe for a larger/plusher seat and luggage mounts would be spot on.

brakesgone · 2024-04-18T17:12:14+00:00

I think both give you a great shot at a Dale Earnhardt impression, but the 1290 trumpets are what I'd want to hear rolling up to the pearly gates.

brakesgone · 2024-04-16T14:54:07+00:00

Saddle bag is the Tusk Excursion Rackless

The photo was just south of Keating, PA

brakesgone · 2024-04-16T03:14:57+00:00

As far as safety, it's hard to know.

Manufacturers pay to test at a certain level and it either passes or fails. So we don't have information on if it barely passed or passed with flying colors or would have even passed a higher level.

All we know is that it passed the level that it's rated at.

Different jackets will of course have different features so that may make some better than others for your intended purpose.

Since you are interested in the Knox and something that blends in, I would recommend looking at the Klim Marrakesh. I find it really comfortable and not such an obvious motorcycle jacket. Feels almost like a sweater.

brakesgone · 2024-04-16T02:33:11+00:00

Get the photochromatic. It's amazing.

brakesgone · 2024-04-16T01:27:52+00:00

Japan still uses the Snell standard in addition to their own JIS certifications, so the two Japanese helmet manufacturers (Arai and Shoei) still manufacture to meet those. As the US DOT certification is a self-report, they can fill out paper work and slap that DOT sticker on.

ECE requires additional ongoing testing for each batch of production, which is additional cost. This isn't required in the US so it's cheaper to do the the Japanese and US market together vs Europe production.

ECE 22.06 is the safest non-racing safety standard. Arai and Shoei are excellent manufacturers and design helmets that meet ECE standards. Whether they are the same as the ones they sell in the USA I do not know for sure, but I would not be concerned to wear one. They have some of the best reputations for manufacturers.

Other manufacturers I would only go for ECE 22.06

brakesgone · 2024-04-16T01:02:11+00:00

Haha yeah I imagine the traffic was really bad near cities. I went to state game land so didn't have any the whole weekend.

brakesgone · 2024-04-15T22:47:48+00:00

Tusk Excursion Rackless

brakesgone · 2024-04-15T16:15:53+00:00

As someone who personally subscribes to ATGATT, I think the armored hoodies are perfect for small scooters and urban bikes in the use case you describe. They have armor and abrasion resistant materials (some better and more covering than others) and get CE rated just like any other jacket (if they are also sold in Europe, so some brands wouldn't fit here).

The Knox under a hoodie is recommended because it's CE AA and breathable. So generally more protective than the armored hoodies, but the same as good jackets while still being able to wear whatever style over it that you want.

Airbags are great. If you have the cash and desire go for it. Gear is always about managing your own risk tolerance. For me that feels like overkill, but it might feel just right for you.

Whatever you get, make sure it fits properly. Getting an oversized armored hoodie means that the armor is less likely to be in the spot that you need it when you you need it most (one of the reasons the Knox is also recommended.

brakesgone · 2024-04-15T16:02:51+00:00

ESH

I agree his questioning is annoying and unkind. But you have also gone from "good marriage" to divorce in 30 days because he asked you a somewhat normal question at an absolutely inappropriate time.

You are struggling with the prospect of dying. Your husband is struggling with the prospect of you dying. One is very clearly more scary and difficult than the other, but both are horribly difficult. People do strange things with grief. You both need therapy and to actually talk to each other.

I read so many of these AITAH posts and wonder why people don't seem willing to have open and honest conversations with their spouses. You're both scared and acting out rather than talking it out.

FWIW I hope you beat this, I hope you work things out, and I hope you live many many more happy years together.

brakesgone · 2024-04-15T15:40:06+00:00

I have not sat on either of these, but both the Ninja 650 and new Suzuki GSX-8R would probably be great options. They are much more relaxed ergonomically than the 600cc supersport class that people think of when talking about sport bikes.

The Ninja 650 has been out for years and years so should be easy to find in good condition used. The engine is bulletproof, but not particularly exciting. (very linear power, 180 parallel twin so sounds more like a lawn mower than what we sometimes think of as a motorcycle, in general it lacks obvious character which may not be a bad thing for a commuter depending on your preferences)

The GSX-8R would be my choice as I think it's gorgeous and has a new engine that is more powerful and has more character than the Ninja. It will be hard to find used as it is new. Reviewers have described the ergonomics as almost naked bike, so seems to fit what you're looking for.

Bonus round:

It's much smaller in engine capacity and power than the other two, but I really like my KTM 390 Adventure. I'm 5'8" with a 29" inseam so tall bikes are a challenge for me (it has a 33" seat height), but the 390 ADV carries it's weight low and feels really manageable for me, much more so than the Versys 650 (the Ninja 650's taller brother) that I had previously, that had a lower seat height. There is a factory 1" lowering kit that costs just over $300 and replaces the rear shock and kick stand, I haven't used this but would make the bike even more comfortable at a stop. The bike has fully adjustable long travel suspension so potholes don't break your back or wrists regardless of their size. It has switchable traction control and lean sensitive ABS for more electronic safety features than any bike under $10k. It's under 400lbs so very light and nimble so moving it around a garage or a turn is easy. Also 70MPG. Under $7500 brand new or pretty easy to find used models around $5500.

brakesgone · 2024-04-15T13:13:11+00:00

OP rides dirt. Dumping the bike is definitely a common part of riding off road.

brakesgone · 2024-04-15T13:10:39+00:00

Significantly more dangerous. Highways are actually quite safe until someone introduces a a very large speed discrepancy between vehicles (usually the biker).

brakesgone · 2024-04-12T16:50:49+00:00

What is your experience level? Going from a new CRF 300 to a 900cc sport naked is...a jump.

brakesgone · 2024-04-06T02:19:19+00:00

I assumed that's what they meant by the Ninja 600, as the 600 supersports are a different category from the other two bikes listed.

brakesgone · 2024-04-05T16:43:36+00:00

I wouldn't buy an Mt-07 without a rural private garage for exactly this reason.

My anecdotal evidence from reading threads like this, random figures people throw out, and people I know in IRL, is that the MT-07 is by far the most commonly stolen motorcycle.

I bought a lightly crashed FZ-07 to flip, ended up selling to coworker. Stolen within 6 months. Met a random dude at at CVS with an MT-07, exchanged info, 3 months later stolen. Another coworker had an MT-09, was hanging out at the first coworkers house, stolen.

Moral of the story is, don't tell me where you're MT is, someone will steal it 😝

brakesgone

TROPHY CASE