Dual-sport bike for a short guy?

Hi,

I'm new to the motorcycle scene; planning to buy by first bike. I would like the off-road capabilities of a dual-sport (to deal with rough roads and to go camping), but I'm wondering if a short guy like me - 164 cm, or 5'4.5" - can comfortably/safely ride a dual-sport, given the seat heights (which, I gather, are around 36 inches).

Can short guys ride dual-sports? Are there dual-sports built for short guys?

Or, how would a street bike fare on China's rough roads, and off-road? I hear that in rural areas, farmers take street bikes everywhere, including off-road.

Thanks

Dan

Hi Dan, while I'm no expert on the china enduro bikes, I can tell you the Zongshen (sp?) is shorter than my Hanma 200GY" by quite a bit. I think the rear suspension can also be setup to lower the bike. The Hanma/SLD/MDL "Tomoto" type bikes are pretty darned tall, but there are quite a few lower. Also, the saddles tend to be hard and darned thick, so a shorter enduro type with a different seat might be just what you're looking for.

I'm sure the guys with more experience with these bikes will jump in here with some brand suggestions and good luck with whatever you end up buying. I like mine a lot :)

Seer

If you want a dual-sport, they are fairly tall; however, the perfect compromise would be a motard, IMO. As Seer mentioned, the Zongshen Sierra (not sure what it is called in China) has a low seat, but a better bike (again, IMO) is the Qingqi motard, which is essentially the same engine as the Suzuki DR200, because Qingqi manufactures the Suzuki 200cc mill as an OEM. Galaxy's XTR 250 motard is a stout bike, Kinlon's 200 motard has given one of our Australian members, Bigdamo, good performance in Australia, and Ratomoto (another member who joined is one of the managers for Ratomoto sports and goes by that name) either rebadges the Kinlon motard, or Kinlon rebadges theirs, but either way, I presume the is short enough for you. http://www.mychinamoto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=602

Oh, and the new Shineray motard looks like a winner. My suggestion for a good cross between dirt bike and street bike, and lower size is to find a motard. Search through here for suggestions, and other members will chime in. Let us know what you find!

I should have mentioned that I am only 5'7" and rode my Jetmoto enduro with a 36" seat pretty well; but you will want boots, and there should be enduro bikes in the 33" range, too, if you look around.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Culcune, what exactly is a motard? A certain type of dual-sport?

I went to the bike market here in Wuhan yesterday. I sat on a few dual-sport bikes. I hadn't realized how much the bike "sinks" when I sit on it, so that's encouraging.

I think the shortest seat was on a Shineray 150GY-B:

http://www.shineray.com/products-liebiao.asp?id=75

I could put the balls of both my feet comfortably on the ground.

Looking at Shineray's online catalog, the Shineray 150-17 also got my interest, because it's listed seat height is only 790 mm, as opposed to the 150GY-B's 870 mm. BUT, I wonder how accurate the specs are? I did some on-screen measurements with a ruler, and calculated (based on wheel-bases) that the seat heights of those two models are within 20 mm of each other. What gives?

I also talked to a dealer who was exactly my height and rides dual-sports as his hobby: he said he can ride any dual-sport without a problem. He also said that the seat heights on all models can be adjusted, but other people I spoke to said that's not true; and besides, just because you can adjust it, doesn't mean you should, right? I suppose there's a give-and-take: the high seat goes hand-in-hand with better suspension and ground clearance, no?

On a Zongshen 150, I could also touch the ground with both feet, but felt like I had to sit near the front of the seat (where it's lowest), which felt awkward.

In the Qingqi shop, the guys said they won't help me get a plate, so I just left.

Dan, motards are dirt bikes that come with 17" front and rear wheels and street bike tires, vs. the usual enduro's 21" front/18" rear combo and knobbies--allows for a lower seat height, but not always the best for dirt, but not impossible, either, and are usually better than riding a street bike on dirt. On the street, they handle better than sportbikes, usually. Too bad Qingqi blew you off, but I think if you find a Chinese citizen, they can register the bike in their name, which will plate your bike. Chinese residents can chime in about this right around now, or contact member ZCM888 as he heads up a group of European and elsewhere expatriates who help other riders on vacation, or moved to China, get bikes to ride in China.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Dan H.

I also talked to a dealer who was exactly my height and rides dual-sports as his hobby: he said he can ride any dual-sport without a problem. He also said that the seat heights on all models can be adjusted, but other people I spoke to said that's not true;

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This is typical of know-alls spouting s**t. Of course bikes can be lowered, the problem is finding the parts to do it. There are lots of "lowering kits" on the Internet, but only for well-known high volume dual sports and road bikes. No one I know makes anything for Chinese stuff.
Another way is to fit a shorter rear shock. Once again the people that tell you this as a matter of fact never chime in with the part number and supplier of such a unit. It's easy to pontificate, not so easy to provide workable solutions.
I've have had the seat foam shaved by 2.5" and recovered by an upholsterer, but then again I'm very short.

Interestingly the ever-decreasing sales of bikes have spurred manufacturers to search new markets: Shorties like me and women is one of them. Witness several makers now offering adjustable seats and factory supplied lowering kits. (BMW for example). Another one is Triumph with their 2009 Bonneville SE. This has been lowered from 775 to 740 mm by a combination of a shallower seat, 17" front wheel and 100 mm shorter rear shock. This was to appeal to a greater market that has been neglected until now. Even I'm considering one now.

Culcune,

Which Shineray is a motard? Looking at their catalog,

http://www.shineray.com/products-liebiao.asp?id=75&cc=

I can't find any that match your description of a motard.

thanks,
Dan

Dan,

would you mind telling us where you are located?

If someone is not too far away from you, you may have a chance to test a bike.

Andy,

I'm in Wuhan.

Dan

Just a side note, my antivirus/antimalware software goes nuts when I click on that website..I'll have to see why... anyway, here's a pic of what a motard generally looks like :
http://www.qlinkmotor.com/products/products.php?pid=96

note, there ARE some 'motard' type bikes running around with 17" knobbies but generally you'll see some kind of street biased 'dualsport' tire. Good luck :) must be fun to be in China tho, from what I see from the export offers there must be nearly a hundred different manufacturers there :)



Seer