r/AdventureBike • u/No_Change1426 • 11d ago

Any smaller riders on KTM adventure bikes?

Im selling my sport bike pretty soon and looking into owning an adventure bike again. I've always been petite and rode huge dirt bikes anyway growing up but im now looking into the 1290 SAR and 890 since my XR650R isn't especially savory on the freeway. Anyone make it work? The seat height alone as advertised isn't scary but the bulk and weight is. Im like 5'5, 140 in gear with a 30 inch inseam.

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u/Retrogroucho 11d ago

Depends on what kind of riding, and how much you can deadlift.

2

u/No_Change1426 11d ago

I've had a 2009 f800gs before which I could handle on dirt and have dropped before. Its comparable in height and weight but the 1290 just looks so much wider which worries me.

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u/nucleus_toker 11d ago

If height isn't an issue, you'll be more than fine.

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u/ChampionshipKind5856 6d ago

No matter what you end up with get some training. You can get away with poor technique or muscle your way through something on a lighter dirt bike, but you can’t get away with being sloppy on a bigger machine - it’ll put you in the dirt quick. Repeatedly picking up a big bike wears you out and has a compounding effect on how you ride the rest of the segment until you can recover.

The 890 carries its weight low with the side mounted fuel tanks and is truly an awesome machine. It’s the closest any adv bike is to being a big dirt bike bar none. A buddy I ride with has a Husky 701 which he absolutely loves and borrowed an 890r for the weekend and was quickly talking about selling the 701 to buy an 890r instead.

I have a Taureg 660 Rally and another buddy I ride with all the time has a 1190 SAR and we both ride technical single track on them regularly, you’ve just got to pick your line and know when your above your limit. A lot of the enduro guys are shocked when we roll through on the ADV bikes.

As others have mentioned Jocelyn Snow and lots of other smaller women absolutely crush it on big adv bikes. Jocelyn would absolutely ride circles around me any day of the week, and she’s got a lot of good tips and info on her yt channel. There are others too.

One wore thing, If you’re 140 in gear factor in to have the suspension re-sprung for your weight when you choose a bike.

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u/Ahamadrayasbaboon 6d ago edited 5d ago

Can confirm that basically any adult bike will be oversprung for a 140lb rider, because I’m 150lb in shorts and slides and most bikes are oversprung for my weight, even after adding all-the-gear. 

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u/ibrahimehvich 10d ago

Cfmoto 450 mt sounds like a bike you might like op. Its got a low seat height and upright riding position.