you could do worse than considering this type of XT:
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...-sale-uk-36524

XT & TT share a lot , whereby imho the TTRE is one of the best XT's ;-)

I travelled with a BMW F650 (Funduro) for 8 month through the Middle East (2001) and did a RTW in 2004/05. In total about 150.000 km. See Welcome to Wonderful Travels. I had some problems but no major ones. This are the advantages of the F650 Funduro:
- easy to handle.
- very reliable Rotax engine.
- carburators which can be maintained and repaired everywhere by people without computers.
- chain and sprockets which are easy to replace; much better than cardan.
- exhaust passes above engine instead of under the engine (better protected against stones).
The main disadvantage for lang distance trips is the small fueltank. I replaced the tank for an Acerbis 25 liter. This fuel tank is not produced anymore.

For my next trip (Capetown, 2009) I bought second hand a similar F650. Because I know and understand this bike. Not because it is "the best". What is "the best"? Each motorbike has its own problems. Comparing BMW with Japanese bikes (Honda, Yamaha), the BMW is a bit more reliable but spare parts are much more difficult to find than for Japanese bikes. Moreover, BMW is not a very responsive company. Don't expect much from them in help. Honda and Yamaha are much more helpful. So, if you don't have a "BMW"-history, think about Japanese.

Good luck, Mart Heijnens

__________________
Voorbij de horizon / beyond the horizon: www.wonderfultravels.nl

Huh? Really? My impression is quite the opposite. You mention the upsides of Japanese bikes for overlanding, namely spare parts availability and responsive dealerships. My impression is that the Jap singles in general seems more reliable than the BMW's too.

NB: I haven't read or seen any test about this issue (I guess it'll be impossible to conduct such tests), so it's just my impression after having had an F650 and currently riding an XTZ, plus reading a bit here and elsewhere.

__________________
HansP
All you wanted to know
about riding in Norway

I agree. And also, my impression is that BMW overall, reach out to riders and help much more than any Japanese company I know of. But I'm new at this, just been riding them 40 years.

I've seen BMW cover older bikes out of the warranty period. *(they need to .... since they tend to have more problems!).

Look, the Japanese have been building small, reliable singles for 40 years. They have raced the WHOLE time. Does this tell you anything? When was the last time BMW won anything?
And how many singles have they built? All I can say, its a good thing Rotax built the F650 engine (early ones). Once BMW took it over, some problems came along, no? Rotax are doing really well, witness Aprilia and the new Buell.

The Japanese always are doing serious R&D and evolve their bikes quietly, based on what they've learned from racing and winning. They don't care about BMW (BMW represent less than 3% of total market share world wide) .... but they live to beat the other clan, uh, company. The Samurai culture lives on!

Patrick

__________________
Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I own a F650GS and loved my bike & vowed that I wouldn't replace it for the world. I've spent alot of money getting my bike adv. ready. So when my wife and I committed to do an extended trip, we had to decide, 1 bike or 2 & whether we stick with what I had or try something completely different.
We settled on a DR650 for her, cheap to pick-up, parts & accessories cheap in comparison to a BMW. Easy to maintain as I am not that mechanically minded and I find this bike simple as well. I have been sold on this bike, so much so, we are getting a 2nd one soon. There are many other options similar to the DR.
Imagine how much you could save and add time to your travels!!

__________________
Central America, South America & Africa on DR650's - BLOG