Hope you all do not mind me posting here for my wife....

She has a few questions about the wee strom

She is 5,7 with her boots on and currently rides a Kawasaki KLR 650 lowered.
We have talked about upgrading to a strom for better highway comfort but we ride lots of gravel roads and jeep trails.

How much off pavement do you all normally ride and how rough is it?
The weight of the bike is the largest concern, we know we can get the seat height down like we did the KLR. She is concerned she may not be able to handle it on the gravel well. We ride about 50/50. Her dad rides a cruiser and some times we ride a few hundred miles a day pavement with him. She is unemployed right now and tends to take rides with her dad when I am working also. When its just us we normally stick to back roads and gravel where the KLR is great (I also have a KLR). Currently she normally doubles up with me on my strom 1000 often due to hwy comfort of the KLR. We also attend dual sport rides, the last being 500 miles of gravel. We rode around 40 to 45 mph most of the time. We also get off on pretty easy ATV trails at times. I am pretty sure some places we go she could not on the strom but she continues to surprise me with her skills.

She is out of town at the moment but may be back to post herself in a day or so. It will be under my name tho....

attached is a pic of her on one of the roughest sections we would ride and this would have been avoided if possible. We were to far out to turn around at this point. The last attachment is her in the rain on what we normally ride.

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Arkansas. I'm not a female but thought I would give an opinion. I, like you, have a KLR and a Vstrom 1000. The reason being different uses that each bike excells at. Your wife sounds like a real trooper and I think she should have the same opportunity. Get her a DL 650 for the same reason you have the DL 1000. Tires, air pressure, head angle, rake and trail have as much to do with how a bike handles on rough stuff as the weight does. I'll bet she can handle the wee just fine and the seat height will be close to the lowered KLR stock. Have fun riding together!!!

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All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. RWE

My wife just bought the DL650 , 2012 model. That one has a slightly smaller tank than my '08. Still a little top-heavy, but not too bad. I think. She has also discovered dirt roads this year, and is having a blast. Only once did bke take a nap, it was a nasty huge rock exposed piece of road, she was too close to me and stuff happens.
The foto's you show are mild, I don't see a problem. Wife is also about 5'7", but has 34" legs. Just keep in mind once a bike starts to go down, it's usually best to just help it go down easy, then get help to liftit back up.

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FB MEMBER #133 - 2008 Wee

If we had the money I would get her a wee to add to the stable, and hopefully will in the future. It will be awhile before its an option. I would like to have a vehicle other than my bikes first and her vehicle will need major repair or replacement soon.
I originally wanted a 650 that we could both ride and see how we liked it. I wish I would have done that at times but the 1000 was a great deal at the right time and place. She was behind getting the 1000 because at times she just wants to ride pillion and the power of the 1000 is nice in places like the 240 loop around Memphis TN which is common for us going to visit her family. She would just ride with me and she was happy with the KLR everywhere else. after riding with me on the strom and seeing how much smoother it was than the KLR she was like.... wait a minute..... I want one

I have taught her to let the bike go down and don't try to save it. The bike is cheaper and easier to repair than her body.

My wife's legs are not quite that long... but modifications if needed to lower it can be discussed later in the appropriate section.

I'm 5'7, 5'8 with boots, long legged, and still lower the 2012 wee 3/4". With low air pressure and stock tires off-road was difficult for me. Will probably try different tires and more practice. The wee is great on the road and on long trips, but I don't look forward to dirt and recently graded gravel. The weight of the bike isn't an issue, it is so easy to ride and not nearly as top heavy as I thought it would be. Love the bike, no regrets, but not great off-road yet.


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I'm not a female, but i'm 5'4", with a 30" inseam. To be fair, i'm comfortable with one foot down wherever i go and comfortable on the balls of my feet. Just have to be careful not to put my foot down in a pothole or dip in the road.

This bike is among the taller ones i've test road, but i find it comfortable as is, stock. I've cranked up the preload on the back as well. I think with a little lowering, (perhaps an inch on either side) i'd be a lot closer to flatfooting and depending on your wife's inseam, it would probably help a lot. The bike is wellmannered, doesnt feel very top heavy. And the roads you show i believe are well within its capabilities (especially if they're hardpacked and not muddy/slippery).

Alexi

That one pic was a steeper hill that the pic looks with ruts and loose fist size rocks. We often get in deep fresh gravel and muddy and slippery not all that uncommon either.

I am not concerned with the seat height. She already has to deal with that on the KLR. Its no issue for her anymore. Lots or roads are not hard packed and we also cross the occasional creek or two. Some times flat rock but slick, other times large rocks, with the weather here lately, usually dry