Do 250cc (or so, e.g. Enduro style) engines survive long highways?

[luckyluke84]

Hi all

As you may know from my previous posts, I've been looking into getting a small 250cc bike for a RTW. Something like a TTR250 or a DRZ250.... As it turns out there are loads of 250cc out there and even light 350cc or 400cc ones... My main aim was LIGHT bikes.

One thing that keeps cropping up, is whether these bikes are ok for highway travel. And I don't mean seat comfort or top speeds. I mean, can the engine survive repeated long days of sitting on the highway at closer to its top speed? We like going on smaller roads, off the beaten track and gravel off road fun. But experience has shown, that sometimes you just end up doing a day or three of just highways. So the little bike has to survive these (and many of them over the years).

So... are there street legal enduros that fulfill the above requirement? If so, which?

When comparing possible options, what (technologically) must I look for?

I know Lois Pryce and Steph Jeavons have taken such small bikes round the world... did they simply never exceed 50mph (even if the bike could) or ride more than 100 miles a day?

As you can tell, I know next to nothing about this, so any input would be helpful...

Thanks