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Alex
4/3/2012 08:45:14 am
Awesome web site! Lots of good info here.
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Rebecca
6/3/2012 06:44:08 am
Hey, thanks for the blog, I was wondering what lowering link you used. I am also 5'2" and would like to bring my 2006klx down a bit...any advice!?
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We used Soupy's Adjustable lowering link for the KLX, but be aware we had to grind down the sides to make it fit (otherwise it won't fit). In my mods page you can see where we had to grind (different color; the metal shows up silver where we shaved off a smidge). We like Soupy's, despite the necessary grinding, because it is an adjustable link, meaning we can later twist it to make it shorter or longer and fine tune the lowering amount. If you do not want an adjustable link, try the Kouba link. Everyone recommends the Kouba link as the way to go with KLXs, and we almost bought one of those until we saw the adjustable link at Soupy's. But given what we know now about grinding, we probably would have gone with the Kouba link. Good luck!
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Rebecca
6/6/2012 04:42:01 am
Great! thanks....Yes, I read a bit about Kouba and was trying to find an adjustable option, but yep, not excited about grinding! (And I wasn't excited about the comment on the website about the "nonagressive riding") but it looks like I can get a different model if I don't want to lower all the way. I'll try your seat shaving option too! Thanks again Thx for taking the time to post all your info. This is very interesting to me. I decided I want a dual sport moto. I have never owned a motorcycle and was shocked to walk into the moto store and find out a 27" inseam is a problem... I love your little black KLX - very stealth and sexy looking. Cheers!
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Lynda, that's exciting!! They are really the best. I love the feeling of going from tar to dirt, then back to the country highway again. I like how dual sporting gives you more options; you are both a dirt biker and also a road biker. Super fun. I love my KLX so much, and feel it gives me a lot of freedom. Enjoy the journey! Good luck and have fun!
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I just bought a supa nice 2006 Yamaha XT 255 with 725 miles on it :-) I pick it up at 4pm today. I can get the balls of both feet on the ground with sneakers. Psyched!!!!! Now I have to learn to ride it cause there are lots of places I need to go. See you in the dirt sometime maybe.
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7/31/2012 11:23:59 am
Congratulations on the cool blog and setting up the KLX to suit your needs! My wife's DRZ 400 has kouba lowering links, forks moved 1" up in the clamps and a lower seat. One thing to be aware of, is the lowering links are longer than stock links. The extra length increases the leverage on the rear shock spring, effectively softening the spring. Thus the rear of the bike sags too much and causes the handling to suffer. So, we increased the shock spring pre-load to set the bikes sag properly. Now the shock and fork compress evenly.
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DSW
8/1/2012 09:34:25 am
Thank you! Great advice and I will be sure to test the sag and adjust the pre-load if necessary. Ride on :)
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Hey, thanks for all the info and advice. I have went from a 2008 Yamaha xt250 to a Honda CRF230F and each bike performed differently both on pavement and off. Both bikes had to be lowerd, the Yama i bought lowering links from Emig Racing as they seem to be the only ones offering them. This bike was super nice after lowering and moving the forks up. Turning was MUCH smoother in the pocket. I decided i needed a little more agressive bike for off road and purchased a virtually new 2003 Honda crf230f. This thing was spotless, rode a handfull of times (by dealers dad) and kept on the showroom floor until 2011 when i bought it. I had Emig Racing put a Baja kit on it so i would be legal on the pavement. They also made adjustments to the suspension and she now rides smooth off road. I drilled the seat out a bit as the Honda seat was a little stiffer than the Yama seat. Worked like a charm, no more sore buns!! :) I know, i know....stand up! I recently got to ride a friends KTM 450 and man is that a sweet ride. I think it weighs less than my little Honda. The Emig suspension/triple clamps, etc. makes that thing handle like a dream!! Getting off and on is a little tricky, it helps to find a rut to drive down into. At 5-1" I am learning the fine art of the leg hang technique. :| Or i should say the foot hang!! Happy trails girls. Remember to stop and enjoy the beauty that is around you!
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Frank Garrison (OrangeBear)
11/24/2012 07:39:07 am
Just saw your post on the Ride Dual Sport forum site, right on! So much more fun to have your own bike that to hang on the back, especially for dual sport riding... Hope the word spreads up here (Chico) for more "girls gone wheeled." Most of my biker GFs are doing the road bikes for now, but they are riding!
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Stacie
11/29/2012 03:00:41 am
I just stumbled across your website. As a fellow female dual sport rider, I laughed at your "beginnings" as they are similar to mine. Although, I rode on the back of my boyfriend's bike ONCE and realized I wasn't passenger material...I would rather ride my own. And it was truly my idea to learn how to ride - he never pushed or even ASKED if I was ever interested in riding. One day, I just decided I wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle - how to use the clutch lever and the pedals. It just seemed like something I needed to learn how to do in life. So, I learned on a friend's dirt bike. After that day, I was hooked and I never stopped talking about wanting a bike.
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Tara
6/1/2013 12:40:21 am
Great site and I enjoyed all the info. I've always wanted a dual sport bike but I let too many things get in the way. Getting a bike is now my goal for next summer as a graduation gift to myself. My hubby rode bikes in his earlier years and he has also let things get in the way of doing something he loved, so we can do this together. Thank you from Ontario, Canada
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Juli
7/18/2013 04:07:23 pm
Hi my name is juli been riding dual sport on my 2013 klx 250S. Have enjoyed riding in big Bend national, Ozark mts, Ouray co. I live west of Fort Worth tx so glad to see more ladies on the dirt scene. Lots of chix on harleys but not really very girly or friendly. Maybe we will make girlz on dirt the norm!
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Kelly
8/16/2013 06:04:57 am
Nice to see other women riders, we need more to join us so we can be a force that engineers will start building better bikes for. I had a 2009 Yamaha XT250, sold it and bought a Honda 230L. I've been looking at the BMW F650GS but I think its too heavy. Not very many choices when you need a 31" seat height max.
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8/16/2013 01:37:56 pm
Very nice site. Thank you for taking a step into this great sport.
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Brad Collins
8/16/2013 11:09:41 pm
I am a certified MSF DIRTBIKE coach. I would guess that 50 to 70 percent of my students are GIRLS!!!! I have a girls only class for those that want it or I will coach one on one with the student that feels like they need the extra. I would guess the average age of the women in my classes is about mid 30's. I saw your post on RDS and thought I would let you know there are more and more skirts in the dirt everyday
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8/28/2013 09:19:25 pm
Hello there - I am a fellow female DS rider and leader of Northeast Dualsport Riders. I've been riding over 35 years now but my heart remains firmly planted off-road. I've had several bikes both on & off-road, but keep coming back to DS machines that can go anywhere. My group is now up over 50 riders since New Year's 2013 and we've had 15 rides already that were all well received. I had done a bit of research to find there were no DS groups within over 400 miles of my home in CT - so it was time. After co-leading a road group for three years, it was a natural evolution to start a DS Meetup. The guys in the club are all truly gentlemen. Fun having the pack chase me through the forest trying to keep up - funny how they're always surprised how fast an old lady on a 250cc bike can be! Hee Hee.
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Amanda
9/7/2013 12:01:36 pm
Great site! Do you have a Facebook fan page?
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11/2/2013 04:44:31 am
Great site! Love reading your journey as well as all of the comments. Just purchased my 2005 DRZ400S this summer. With no riding background and a few days of great advice from some friends, I fell in love with riding the dirt. Ended up on a 3 month solo adventure around the state of Colorado and Utah covering 6400 miles in total, 65-70% off road! It's addictive, as all of you know! Met great folks to ride with for many of the technical trails, and those who taught me mechanics along the way. Hope I have the chance to ride with others who have chimed in on this site....love the inspiration and drive. The DS community is a great one. Keep it up, 'er wait, keep the rubber side down!
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Johanne
11/13/2013 03:55:25 am
Hi! I'm a new rider this year. I am 5'2" as well and bought a Sherpa 250cc and absolutely love it! Love DS a lot more than cruiser! I find that my little Sherpa might not be strong enough to ride for long periods on roads over 100km/hr I guess around 60 miles/hr? Am I wrong to think that? I live in Calgary (Western Canada) and the Rockies are at our door. Any idea?
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11/15/2013 04:57:53 am
Hi Johanne! My KLX 250 starts to feel too light and not powerful enough on freeways when I go over 50 mph. If I was going to do a lot of cross-country long-distance treks, I would probably purchase a 650 or similar moto (with a windscreen and softer seat!). Not saying I would get rid of my trusty KLX, only that I would have to consider getting a second bike for long hauls... the more bikes, the better!! ;-)
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Ann Tremblay
11/14/2013 10:56:23 pm
Comme je te comprends ! Quel magnifique sentiment de bonheur que de se retrouver «nowhere» sur notre moto. Je te souhaite de nombreux kilomètres de bonheur sur ta monture !
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Céline Aubé
11/15/2013 06:10:13 am
Wow...... to cool....there is a lot of us!!!!!
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Bruce Wilson
1/6/2014 02:04:32 am
Hi fellow adventurer. I enjoyed your perspective on this. I'm in Canada near Toronto. I've ridden to Mexico and the Yukon and out to Gaspe and down into GA and TN. It's an exciting life. You must be very thrilled to be able to ride like this.doing this. I thought I might get your opinion on something. I'd like for more people to have this opportunity. So, I'm thinking of starting a business to introduce people to adventure touring/dual-sporting. I would given them some training off-road and then take them on some introductory tours. What do you think? Don't we all run into people who think that what we do sounds like fun but for whatever reason they don't move on the opportunity. I think that women, in particular, might feel more comfortable taking this approach. I appreciate your considered replies.
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GGW
1/6/2014 06:03:13 am
That sounds great! I took a dual sport course called Coach2Ride.com in San Diego that was fantastic. I think adventure touring and lessons are always a great idea-- what a fun business venture!!
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Maria
3/24/2014 02:21:12 am
Thanks fot the website
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Great! I'm not alone! Loads of girls ride dirtbikes (like me) but so far I've only seen a very few on adventure bikes.
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Kimberly
6/5/2014 10:08:41 am
Great to see other ladies on a dual sport! I sold my ST1300 for my 2014 KLR and I'm excited and enjoying it! I'm 5'5" so the height was a challenge to lower w/o suspension loss, but a new seat worked great. Riding has been in my blood as my mother was a lady rider as well. My husband and I are instructors and have been riding for some time together. My son's are at the age they can ride on the street. My youngest rides a Yamaha XT250 and I also have a Jeep. We live in AZ so we have plenty of dirt roads to enjoy with our toys. I'm a girly girl too, but there is something about a motorcycle that I find is the best accessory I have!
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GGW
6/5/2014 11:00:38 am
Nice! Love all the latest comments. Keep ridin'!!!
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7/16/2014 07:51:24 am
Free to anybody !
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Russmax
8/22/2014 07:28:47 am
Looking to get a bike for my wife, who is also 5'2". I have a KLX250, so I like the idea of getting another KLX250 and lowering it. I'll likely do the Koubalink, however.
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Margaret Mallon
9/5/2014 03:29:03 am
My son and my cousin have taken me to the track now a couple of times and I have to say, I'm hooked. I'm doing research on dual sport bikes and stumbled onto your site - great story! I am 5'4 and 120 so kind of petite myself. Your experiences and insights are welcome as I'm a total nube to all this :)
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Phoenix
10/8/2014 12:22:30 am
I stumbled across your website. Very nice. I've ridden for 46 yrs and it wasn't until about 10 yrs ago that I got my first dirt bike. Now all I have is DS. Moto Guzzi Stelvio and Yamaha WR250X. I also owned a MC dealership for 10 yrs. Can't count the number of bikes I've had to lower to suit my 5'4" body and 29" legs. I've also helped guide set up of countless bikes for other women with the same challenges. Size is not an issue in most cases. She can still ride with proper help and good training, the right bike AND the right customization. So good to see so many women interested in riding. It wasn't so in the '70's. Funny though - still some comments from non-motorcyclists about "Oh - you ride that thing?!" I would have thought the years would have stopped that. This site is especially a nice relief from the sport bike or harley riders. Nothing wrong with either, its just that there don't seem to be very many female riders doing DS. Keep it up!
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Jared
10/13/2014 02:21:28 am
Great page! I am always happy to see more of societies pretty half on 2 wheels.
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Mallory
5/17/2015 10:34:49 am
Hi! So glad I found your blog. I too am vertically challenged, although a bit more so (5' 1") and just bought my first Yamaha TW200. I thought it was the only bike I'd ever be able to lower just enough to be able to ride! Not a huge fan of the looks of it and I'm sure I'll want more power eventually, so it's awesome to know that I have more options. Thank you for sharing!
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GGW
5/17/2015 11:14:04 am
Yay! Go Mallory!!! :)
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Liane
5/18/2015 04:39:41 pm
Yay! Nice to find some female advebture riders! I just wish I could find more female adventure riders here in Cape Town, South Africa. I ride a Honda 750 Africa Twin and I am ALWAYS the only female rider in our group and often the only female on tour as we do quite technical riding which is not suitable for pillions.
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GGW
5/19/2015 02:29:30 am
That's the hard part! Finding other gals to join you as a girl gone wheeled. Do any of the guys have wives or GFs who might want to learn??? Taking a class is a fun way to check out the sport and is low commitment... best of luck finding some friends to join you as a GGW!!!
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Garry
2/17/2017 10:19:29 pm
Great website. I've been running an F800GS on and off road but will have shoulder surgery shortly so I bought a KLX250S as my rehab bike. Just love the litttle gal! Was going to sell her once I've rehabbed but now I'm going to keep her and run the AZBDR when I get back to AZ in '17.
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jen
4/18/2017 03:53:46 pm
I dig your site it has been very helpful. I am a new rider, super short 5 ft nuthin and just bought myself a Yamaha XT250. Very happy with my bike but I am tippy toe and it is a bit of a challenge. Plus, I'm still figuring out how to ride, got the logistics now I just have to smooth it out. I think lowering links will be the way to go. That those bad ass Daytona's...
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