I'm starting to look into doing a trip this winter, from Budapest, where I live, down to Spain, Morocco, then further into West Africa. Going with my Hungarian girlfriend.

Trying to decide on what vehicle to take.

I've got a 1998 diesel Nissan Primera 2.0TD here in Budapest. I think it's quite simple and robust as far as modern 2wds go. It held up quite well all over Ukraine over appalling roads:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=f9ad6069ab

We slept in the back a lot of the time, it worked quite well. I know the limits of the car, it can handle bad uneven tracks ok, but I wouldn't want to take it in soft sand or slippery mud, once one wheel looses traction..

I also have a 1994 CG125 that I rebuilt from the frame up, and improved with various parts: disc brake from the later model, electronic ignition, 150cc big bore, longer chunkier forks from an indonesian-market model, 12v sockets, HID headlight, soft luggage.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-I...909_060201.jpg

Mechanically it's like new. But I wonder if it's a suitable vehicle for travelling this route two-up. Physically the bike is not too small for the two of us, but I wonder how the engine will manage (12hp) in soft sand loaded up? Also the suspension travel is not very long. Yet I read about a forum member 'birdy' who did the trip two-up on a CG125, said it was ideal, and people travel on C90s along this route. There are some real pluses it seems, parts easy to find, doesn't draw attention, very frugal on fuel. We would pack light.

The other option I think would be getting a XT600 around Budapest or in Austria. Our budget is small. I would check and service everything myself (bearings, valves, suspension seals etc.), but this is no small task.

As I have never been to this part of the world, I would very much appreciate any feedback about which vehicle would work the best, given the road conditions, and what we would be giving up on by taking a less capable off-road machine. We would leave in October, to avoid the rains.

it's tarmac all the way so unless you intend going exploring off the beaten track anything goes, it's down to what suits you best rather than choosing a vehicle based on the conditions you are likely to encounter.

I'm starting to look at maps and routes, but, in general, exploring off the beaten track.. is that where the good stuff is? Would we be sorry to be limited? Sorry this is so general.

In the Ukraine we could have benefited from 4wd on a couple of occasions in remote areas in the Carpathians or Crimea, but it certainly wouldn't have been worth the extra costs for us, and we didn't miss out on anything. Was glad to be in a car rather than the bike mostly, as some of the potholes could have swallowed the front wheel whole. Another plus for trailbikes I think, 21" front wheels.

Also the small bike wouldn't be great on roads where the traffic is moving fast, above 80kph. I'm guessing this isn't a problem, but perhaps on some of the major roads? In Hungary it could be a bit of problem on some of the major roads, likewise in the Ukraine, traffic is can be pretty fast on national roads (not highways), up to 90-110 kph.