Quote:
Originally posted by liketoride2:
Heikki, would you have any concerns or worries about taking a DL 650 on a RTW trip, of which only about 1000 miles (in Siberia) would be unpaved?
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Roads are not the biggest problem (even though even Russian paved roads - not to mention their gravel roads - are not up to Western standards), but the availability of spare parts is. As 650 is a new design, it is loaded with electronics - everything goes fine as long as they work as intended but what happens if a "black box" breaks in the middle of Siberian tundra? Major problema técnico! Mind you, this is not only V-Strom's problem but concers virtually all new bikes with EFI etc. In TV series Long Way Round Ewan "Obi-Wan" McGregor and Charley Boorman made RTW through Siberia with R1150GS Adventures but they had the full backup of the factory (yeah, and even support vehicles...) in case electronics went berserk or something else happened so it didn't actually look like "ultimate two-man adventure"...
Personally I'd choose something older / simpler: airhead GS, Honda AfricaTwin / TransAlp (guess even the new ones are carburetted?), XT600/DR650/XL650/KLR650 or MZ 660. Probably Strom would function perfectly all the way but still a portion of healthy paranoia is needed.
-heikki-
[This message has been edited by TenereHeikki (edited 05 January 2005).]
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- Heikki & R1200GSA + V50 Monza -
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