Top 10 best low-seat adventure bikes

The adventure motorcycle market boom means that this is perhaps the hardest-fought segment in the two-wheeled world. As a consequence, there’s a dizzying array of options to choose from, and that includes an increasing number of low-seat adventure bikes.

Traditionally, ADVs have been tall beasts, and there are still plenty of bikes in this sector that are best left to taller riders, like the Ducati Desert X Rally, which puts your rear end 910 mm from the ground 

Things have changed since the early days of adventure bikes, though, and if you’re a shorter rider who’s happy with a little less suspension travel (and let’s face it, few of us are going to truly stretch the capabilities of these machines), the world’s your oyster. Some come with low seats out of the box, whereas others can be brought closer to the ground with accessory seats or even clever suspension technology. 

Seat shape, and tank and chassis size can play a big part in getting feet down so - as always - nothing can compare to first-hand experience. But, based solely on seat height here are our top choices.

10. BMW R 1300 GS - 830/800mm

We are required by law to mention the GS in any and every adventure bike article. No, not really. Fact is, the new R 1300 GS does indeed qualify via the use of clever technology combined with an optional low seat.

At speeds below 15.5 mph, the Adaptive Height Control system automatically lowers the bike to 820mm. You can get that down to 800 mm with the low comfort seat specced. Go above 15.5 mph, and the height rises to 830mm, or 850mm with the standard seat fitted.

There’s quite a big caveat to this, though - Adaptive Height Control costs extra, and it can only be added after you’ve already selected the Dynamic Package, adding a few thousand pounds to the cost of your R 1300 GS before you’ve even looked at the other (many) options. Ouch.

9. Ducati Multistrada V2 – 830mm

The Multistrada V2 is Ducati’s ‘entry-level’, more affordable version of its range-topping Multistrada and was originally launched as the Multistrada 950 in 2017 (Ducati renamed it as the V2 in 2022 following the arrival of the all-new V4 Multistrada 1200). As such, it’s also the most novice-friendly of the Multistrada family with the lowest seat height of 830mm, something which can be lowered further to 810mm with the aid of a kit. (The V4, meanwhile, has an adjustable seat height of 840-860mm, lowerable to 810-830mm with an optional kit). Although no true off-roader, the Multistrada V2 is a great, versatile V-twin road bike with bags of Italian character.

8. Suzuki V-Strom 800RE - 825mm

While the V-Strom 800DE doesn't have a hope of getting on this list, its more road-oriented sibling, the  V-Strom 800RE, is one of the most accessible ADVs out there. It gets a comprehensively tweaked riding position featuring lower bars plus slightly higher and more rear-set footpegs, and yes, an 825mm seat height that's a chunky 30mm lower than the DE. A reduction in suspension travel helps in this regard, and to make the RE even more friendly, it also gets a taller windscreen. 

7. Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 – 825mm

The Himalayan 450 was introduced for 2024, providing an alternative to the Himalayan 411 with its more powerful 'Sherpa' 452cc single-cylinder engine - Royal Enfield’s first water-cooled engine. Along with a bigger engine the 450 gained a taller standard seat height. Whereas the 411 would earn a second-place position here, the 450 has to settle for 7th. It's still not exactly lofty, though, with an adjustable seat that lies 825mm off the ground in its lowest setting. An optional seat drops that to 805mm.

6. CFMoto 450MT – 820mm

Chinese brand CFMoto’s lower middleweight trail bike is a blast either on the road or off it, with a gutsy-sounding parallel twin and plush suspension that bellies the £5,699 price tag.

As explained in our CFMoto 450MT review, it’s a great option for those wanting something with better on-road manners than a low-capacity trail bike like a Honda CRF300 without ending up with a machine too heavy and expensive, and it’s not only accessible due to how much CFMoto charges for it, but also the seat height.

As standard it’s 820mm, but by adjusting a suspension linkage, it’s possible to drop that figure to just 800mm, matching the lowest-slung bikes on this list. 

5. Triumph Tiger 900 GT – 820mm

What was previously the 'winner' of this list now only has a mid-table finish. The updated 2024 version of the Tiger 900 GT - for now, at least - does without the 'GT Low' variant, which came with a seat with an adjustable height between 770mm and 790mm. You can get close to the latter figure with the refreshed, three-cylinder ADV, however, by purchasing a 20mm lower accessory seat. The Rally Pro version doesn't even have a hope of getting in our top 10, with longer-travel suspension giving a lowest seat height of 860mm.

4. BMW F 800 GS – 815mm

Checks notes... Yes, it appears BMW is still selling the road-focused F 800 GS. The newbie- and commuter-friendly BMW F 800 GS  has the lowest seat of all the current GS machines. Based on the parallel twin F 900 GS but with a softer tune, more basic spec and lower seat and suspension, the F 800 GS comes as standard with a seat height of just 815mm which can be lowered to 780mm via a low seat option and all the way down to 760mm with a suspension lowering kit.

3. QJMotor SRT 600 S - 805 mm

QJMotor is relatively new to the UK scene, but it's hardly an upstart. Its parent company, Qianjiang, has been around for 40 years and produces more than 1.2 million motorcycles each year. How good those motorcycles are in the long term will be proven over time, but certainly we like the QJ machines we've encountered so far and the quality of other brands under the Qianjiang umbrella (see below) gives us hope.

Driven by a 554cc parallel twin engine with a V-twin-like 270-degree firing order, the SRT 600 S claims peak outputs of 55 bhp at 8250 rpm, and 40 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm. With a seat height this low you wouldn't really want to be exploring anything more rugged than a National Trust car park. A 236kg wet weight reinforces that. 

2. Honda NC750X – 802mm

The lower a bike's seat goes, the more intense the 'Is this actually an adventure bike?' debate becomes. Honda’s low-revving, commuter-orientated NC750X might spark some discussion – after all, it’s not the sort of thing that you’re about to ride across the Serengeti. But despite sharing most of its underpinnings with the Integra scooter, the ‘X’ model is clearly styled to fit the adventure mould, is immensely practical (there’s even a storage compartment in the dummy tank), comfortable and novice-friendly and even comes with Honda’s very clever, semi-automatic DCT gearbox option. 

Perennially a top seller in Europe, the NC750X was restyled and made even more appealing for 2025. It's still got the user-friendly spirit it had way back in 2012, when launched as the NC700X, but feels more desirable than ever before.

1. Benelli TRK 702 - 790mm

Not to be confused with its spoke-wheeled X sibling, the road-focused TRK 702 offers a seat height that wanders toward cruiser territory. Outside of the X's spoked wheels and some adventurey bits like crash bars, both bikes are essentially the same machine - powered by a 702cc parallel twin engine promising 68.3 bhp at 8,000 rpm, and 52 lb-ft of torque at 6,000 rpm. 

Benelli is owned by Qianjiang Motorcycle Group - the same mega-company that own QJMotor - but has been in the UK just a little bit longer than some of the other Chinese names that are close to saturating the market. As such, we have a little better sense of the quality of Benelli products. On the whole, people like them and issues are no more frequent or troublesome than those experienced with better-known brands. Most of the owners we've spoken to have been quite happy with their TRK 702. They're not alone. The bike was the best-selling machine in Italy in 2023 and 2024.

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