It's the old story, "horses for courses". A big bike will be better and more capable on the road, a smaller one vice versa. You *can* tour on anything, as I'm sure we have all seen, but if you tailor your ride to the style of journey you want to do, you'll probably have a more enjoyable experience.
For me, 650-900cc has always been the sweet spot. Most of my travel is on blacktop but it's important to me to have a bike that isn't quickly overwhelmed by a bit of rough going, or impossible to pick up unaided. OTOH, I don't want something I have to cane flat out to get between cities at more than pony pace. Upper-middleweight bikes are also better for carrying luggage long distances. I don't carry the kitchen sink but for a long trip you need a reasonable amount of clothes, tools, spares and camping gear.
Where I think we can agree is *nobody* needs 1300cc and a 30 litre tank. There's no place anywhere in the world where that's necessary.
|