Dan.
I have a little bit of experience with HPN BMW's. I visited them in Germany earlier in the year and took an HPN sport out for a test ride. Absolutely lovely bike, very light, very flickable and lots of silky smooth power. Unfortunately they are very expensive and even if you can afford one the waiting list is something like 6 months.
In terms of using the bike for overlanding, it would be spot on providing you went for the "sport" or "rally" versions which use the R11XX oilhead shaft. The other versions use a modified monolever shaft which is extended by 100mm - if this snapped on you in the middle of nowhere, getting a replacement could be very time consuming although I do believe there is a company in Italy who also manufacture 100mm extended shaft drives.
There are also a couple of BM special builders who are based in the UK. If you are really interested in getting one it would be worth getting hold of the BMW club UK magazine and checking out the adverts. Andrew Sexton is very well respected and has built some fantastic BM specials over the years - actually owned one myself for a short amount of time.
HTH and good luck!
Alfie.
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