As a bike enthusiast, you want the best bike to explore new lands, deserts, and even the nearby expansive woods.
The highest ground clearance for an adventure motorcycle is the Honda XR650L. The Honda XR650L comes stock with 13 inches of ground clearance.
The ideal adventure bikes must have superior qualities compared to other regular bikes. This includes various features such as a strong windshield, comfortable seats, beaks, and even high ground clearance.
All these prominent features help in off-roading which is why the bike was built in the first place. Even though these bikes will come with most of these features, they are not the same. For instance, in terms of the comfortability of the seats, not all the seats will have the same comfort. Some will be more comfortable than others.
The same case applies to the other features of these motorcycles, like the ground clearance. This guide looks at the ground clearances of these off-road bikes and determines which one has the highest. Follow along to find that out.
Which Adventure Bike Has the Highest Ground Clearance?
Ground clearance is very important, more so for these adventure bikes. With a higher ground clearance, you are sure the bike will not go knocking every boulder you come across with the bottom part or other obstacles. Most bikers love bikes with high ground clearance, but the problem is that it is not easy to determine which adventure bikes have the highest ground clearance.
Lucky for you, this guide covers some bikes with the highest ground clearance and even covers their functionality. So far, the highest ground clearance adventure motorcycle is Honda XR650L. If you are looking for a high-ground clearance bike, then this is the bike to go for. This Honda bike comes with a ground clearance of 13 inches.
If you are keen enough, you will discover most of the adventure bikes have a ground clearance of fewer than 10 inches. However, this beast will conquer diverse terrain whether you are riding in rocky terrain or a muddy one. The high ground clearance ensures that the bike goes over any terrain you subject it to. The Honda XR650L comes with other stunning features such as wind protection, adjustable rear shock, and capable suspension.
The bike is only 345 pounds, which is among the lightest dual sports bikes you can ever come across. Its functionality is unique and offers the rider an amazing experience. With a seat height of around 37 inches, riders will have an easy time on this bike, especially when carrying luggage on rough terrain.
Highest Clearances
Below are motorcycles with high ground clearances and more information and features about them.
Honda XR650L
Few changes have been made to the XR650L series of adventure bikes. These bikes are prominent in desert races and other bike races. They come with an adjustable shock and adjustable cartridge forks. The bike also features an 18-inch wheel which makes it quite stable.
Most bike enthusiasts love this bike for dirt trails and rugged terrains. As mentioned earlier, this bike has the highest ground clearance of 13 inches. The seat height is a staggering 37 inches, making this bike quite high. Honda XR650L is light which is why many bikers love it.
Even though a single-cam motor can be cooled by air and is quite easy to maintain. The bike is reliable whether you want to use it for off-road or paved roads. It is a versatile motorcycle, and the fuel tank can be added to accommodate more fuel.
KTM 640 Adventure
With a 6.7-gallon fuel tank, this bike will offer riders an experience like no other. Its earlier models had reliability issues, but this was sorted in 2004. The bike is smooth comes with a powerful 625cc liquid-cooled motor. KTM 640 Adventure has a modern suspension and a huge gas tank to store sufficient fuel.
When talking about ground clearance, the bike has a 12.4-inch ground clearance which makes it among the highest ground clearance bikes available. These bikes are reliable to cruise the countryside or deserts even while carrying your luggage.
The bikes are well-off in terms of agility and speed, giving you an unforgettable experience. You will not go knocking objects due to the high ground clearance.
Suzuki DR650SE
This bike is often called “The Doctor” and can be ideal for adventure seekers looking for a balance between a street and dirt-friendly motorcycle. It is also a budget bike, meaning you will not have to sweat to bring it home. Apart from being budget-friendly, the bike comes with other awesome features such as enhanced suspension and an oil cooler.
Suzuki DR650SE has sufficient ground clearance. With a 10.4-inch clearance, there is almost nowhere this bike cannot conquer. Bearing such a clearance, even the most rugged terrains will feel like a simple ascend to the rider.
The bike will not hit objects such as boulders with its bottom. It comes with a seat height of around 35 inches which lowers the center of gravity, making you more stable.
Even though the bike is more suitable for dirt trails, newbie and seasoned riders can enjoy this motorcycle.
Why Is Ground Clearance Important?
Since ground clearance is the minimum distance between the ground and your bike, you may wonder what its importance is. Well, the first obvious thing is that it helps keep the underbelly of your bike safe. With a small ground clearance, your bike will go knocking every large obstacle you come across on the road.
Such a bike cannot handle rugged terrain because the lower part will easily get damaged from constant knocks. Higher clearance ensures no objects reach the underbelly of the bike unless they are pretty huge. Most adventure bikes require a high ground clearance since they are for touring off-road itineraries, especially a rocky or rough terrain.
The other major advantage or significance of higher ground clearance is that the rider is taller on the bike, and this enables easy visibility. More ground clearance means that the motorcycle is high than the typical ones. If the bike has high ground clearance, you will see every boulder or obstacle before hitting it.
You will be surprised at the number of bikes that are damaged by obstacles hitting the underbelly just because the rider never saw it.
Higher ground clearance also helps the bike absorb the terrain’s shocks and keep the motorcycle in balance. Some enthusiasts may decide to enhance the ground clearance of their bikes. This is not recommended since it may affect the riding dynamics and stability of the bike. Even though it may make your motorcycle quicker, it will affect the high-speed stability.
However, the conservative ones may not easily notice a handling difference.
Does a Higher Bike Make it Less Stable?
Understand that the stability of a bike will largely depend on its weight. That means if the motorcycle is quite heavy, it will be more stable when cruising at high speeds compared to a lighter motorcycle. The other factor that affects a bike’s stability is the forward-slanted design. If the front fork is long, that bike will be more stable.
Before answering this question, you need to learn some facts about motorcycles. A lower bike has a lower center of gravity, while a higher one has a high center of gravity. The low center of gravity means that you can easily hold up this bike with ease while at rest. However, that does not mean that the motorcycle is more stable.
On the other end, with higher bikes having a high center of gravity, it does not mean they are not stable. Understand that a high center of gravity will help you balance better when moving at low speeds. Adventure bikes are not designed for cruising the highways at high speeds but are made for tough terrain and rugged surfaces.
When riding such surfaces, you do not require speed but rather stability to keep you in balance. Motorcycles with a high center of gravity are more stable at low speeds. You will easily maintain balance with a bike when traversing rugged terrain. Here the low motorcycles will have a problem getting through.
These lower bikes are made for flat surfaces and highways where they are more stable. But they cannot conquer tough terrain since only the high motorcycles with a high center of gravity can withhold difficult terrain.
Final Thoughts
Adventure motorcycles require ground clearance because of the nature of surfaces they have to go through. Different bikes come with different ground clearance, and depending on where you want to explore, you will know what bike to purchase. If the terrain of the area you wish to explore is full of boulders, rocks, and other obstacles, a high-ground clearance bike will be perfect.
If you can lay your hands on a bike with more than 10 inches clearance, then you are good. This is not the only advantage of these high bikes. They have a high center of gravity, which keeps them more stable as you move at low speeds. When discovering the woods or a muddy region, the speeds are low, and only the high bikes will be efficient here due to their stability.
