Sadly not - the CCM still figures large in some of my travel plans and is still used regularly.

I would have thought that any of the "old skool" CCMs - 604s or 644s must be cheap as chips now and with a bit of prep work I'm sure they would be good overlanders. They're solid enough and simple enough anyway. The main problem is the lack of off-the-shelf upgrade bits that makes modding XTs and DRZs straightforward. I don't know how handy you are with a welding torch or similar but having to make everything totally from scratch is something you either love or hate doing.

Re tanks, where there's a will there's a way and the only real problem with fitting a larger plastic tank is getting something that fits over the frame tube. Making up mounts for it isn't really that big a problem (you may have seen some of the lash ups that Acerbis concoct for their factory fit solutions). I suspect the 644 may be a better bet for this as the cam drive on the 604 sticks out a bit and can hit the bottom of some tanks, preventing them sitting down far enough. I was lucky with mine but it didn't stop me buying the bike.

Despite some initial misgivings I'm coming round to the new 450, but it is a lot of money that could go into the trip.

Keith1954, where did you source your 7 litre blatter? Got a link? tnx

You can never have enough fuel capacity if it's easy to aquire. Up-front in your tank is the best place for it too.

However, spending £500-£1000 on a tank (like some cost) is just a bit crazy unless you're doing some kind of endurance Desert rally. And weighing your bike down with 30 litres of fuel at a time for the sake of it doesn't make much sense either.

If you can get a cheap large range tank then it's a 'No brainer'.. Just get it.

I travelled all over South America on an XT600E and used the 23L Acerbis tank. It gave me about 250 miles and that was more than enough 99% of the time.

I rode to Capetown on a DRZ400 with a 15L tank which gave me 200 miles range and that was fine 99% of the time too.

The times you will be short on fuel, you will know in advance and you can just fill up some bottles or a fuel container that you will be able to buy pretty much anywhere in the world. Strap it down and empty it into your tank as soon as you can.

One time on the RTA 40 in Argentina I ran dry because the fuel stop was empty. I got lucky with someone selling me some but I'd of just had to put my tent up and wait for the delivery for a day. No massive pain.

In Malawi there were fuel strikes too.. I had to hold up in a campsite for a few extra days. I could have had a 100 litre tank and it wouldn't have made a difference.

It all depends on where you want to go. If you want to ride for days out in the wilds with no fuel stations then buy the biggest tank you can. If you're going to stick to roads and highways (like 99.9999% of folk do) then 250 miles is enough.