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A street, sport or more so a cruiser style bike would give you the lower seat height that you need and they are typically bottom heavy so much easier to maneuver for a small/novice rider.
As mentioned dual sports is the worse kind of bike for shorter, smaller people.
Have you considered a sportier scooter? Like a 250cc-500cc one?
I thought of that (for the OP) as I own an Aprilia 500ie scarabeo...but I beleive the thread states they want a DS bike..
I think you might go for a bike more street and back road oriented than a "real" dual sport. The big difference on dirt and sand roads is the tires. Riding street tires (slicks with rain grooves) can be very slider on gravel, dirt and sandy roads but a tire with actual tread blocks but not knobblies could be very controllable. As I said my old BME R-75/5 was a really good road bike and not at all bad on sandy tracks in Arizona. I suggest you look for a comfortable street bike that fits you and has the foot pegs located so you can stand up on the dirt roads to keep from getting beaten by the potholes.
How about the old Yamaha TW200? Rock-solid dependable, newbie-friendly, and able to hold its own on forest roads or trails while sitable for street (though not freeway!) use.
You can get any of thetall bikes (BMW/KLR) lowered. Most of the beemers are lowered at the factory and it ma become a custom order but can be done. I have seen many KLRs lowered by slapping on lowering links. I had a KLR and at 6'2 it was just tall enough for me but when carrying gear it sat even lower. Just picked up a 800GS and its about the same as the KLR.
There is also the Suzuki DR200SE. I have one of these as well as a Super Sherpa. The Sherpa is much better for road trips. I have done long weekends on it, as well as a lot of gravel roads. The DR200 is less comfortable on a long trip, but it's lighter, would be good for a shorter inseam (the Sherpa is just a bit taller), and the Suzuki is a hoot on little backroads and does well on trails that aren't super technical. I consistently get 90mpg, too! (Not an April Fool).
How about the old Yamaha TW200? Rock-solid dependable, newbie-friendly, and able to hold its own on forest roads or trails while sitable for street (though not freeway!) use.
I've been seeing a few of these around SF lately. They look like a lot of fun! I suspect my next bike will be a small DS bike, probably a DRZ... my V-Strom is overkill for the city.
I've been seeing a few of these around SF lately. They look like a lot of fun! I suspect my next bike will be a small DS bike, probably a DRZ... my V-Strom is overkill for the city.
V-Strom is one sweet bike. Makes me wish I were a little taller.
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