Hi Folks,
For some time we have been mulling over getting a bike for my wife. The problem is that she is very short at 5'0" and compounding the problem is that proportionally she has a long body and short legs. We now have the $'s for a new or near new bike and for the last few weeks we have been touring the bike shops trying every thing we can find for size. Being short with short legs has made finding a suitable bike a real drama. The obvious shorties bikes are Yamaha XT225/XT250/TW200, Honda SL230/CRF230L, Suzuki DR200 & Kawasaki Sherpa 250. We hav'nt been able to find a Sherpa or TW200 locally to try out, however all the others are way too tall without significant lowering, and opinions vary regarding the feasibility of doing it. All have a similar seat height but the XT225/250, CRF230L are the closest to fitting due to being very slim bikes, but she is nowhere near being able to get a toe on the ground while seated, let alone both feet touching. We would need to lower the bikes by approx 100 mm which can be acheived by a combination of suspension mods, seat re-trimming and even built up soles on her riding boots.
Are there any bikes we have overlooked? The bike will be used for adventure touring. It needs to be able to maintain open road speeds comfortably, suitable for seal, gravel and formed back country tracks. It won't be used off road/trail riding. It won't be required to carry luggage other than spare riding gear etc (I have a Transalp 650 which is capable of carrying the gear for 2).
Is there anyone that has first hand experience in lowering any of these bikes substantially and properly? If so how and how did it work out?
We've trawled the interweb which as usual is totally confusing.
Any input would be appreciated.
Cheers, Tim.
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