Bingo. That has to be the best solution all viewpoints considered (except maybe some say it is ´ugly´).

I am actually surprised, that no manufacturer has so far come up with an ´ADV bike´ with enclosed chain. Oh yeah, but they want to sell those chains more regularly...

My goodness i'm truly humbled by all of your comments and supportive replies.... what a way to welcome a novice into the HUBB.

I've red all of the replies and I understand now, Lighter, Nimble and most importantly Chain is much easier to handle and to fix as well, and it's a much better fit for me budget and experience wise.


I would like to thank all of you again for taking the time and going through my post and getting back to me with your advice and experience.


Thank You:

*Touring Ted*

Walkabout

mollydog

backofbeyond

Lowrider1263

Lonerider

Pongo

Threewheelbonnie

ta-rider

Danny Diego

Gipper

pecha72

+1 here for the enclosed chain design. I favor the shaft but view it as a wear item just that it doesn't need such regular attention. I got fed up with chain when riding two up on an xt600 over twenty five years ago but hopefully chain technology has improved. Enclosed chain, there must be a reason why not used, perhaps not so good with long travel suspension?

Ok Everything had been told
So I will just point
to train a lot , no matter you have the licence or the light bike ( of course it is better/cheaper more pleasant ) or the very-up-to-date stuff on it
That means
- ride as much as you can on different types of road, gravel : in wet conditions
- try to unfix a wheel , and fix the -famous- chain in real conditions with the tools you have on your bike and so on .
-train yourself too except if you are already trained ( by your job, by sports, by anything ) it this case, carry on !
- find some buddies to ride with .
It will be a good experience, also to make the difference between riders

and go you own way by your own experience

You've got it right!
It's nearly impossible to maintain the enclosure guard intact with any sort of long travel set up ... or when doing any sort of rough ground.

I assume you're old enough to remember back in the 50's and early 60's when quite a few bikes had enclosed chains. On bikes I had ... the first thing done was to tear off the entire enclosed chain guard system. They came loose anyway, or rattled, flew off, got tangled in chain.

But there is a place for them. On short travel, small cc bikes doing mild urban riding, should be OK.

I believe you can see Indian and Chinese bikes today with enclosed chains. Perhaps the best early ones were made by Jawa. I had a Jawa 350 twin 2 stroke. Enclosed chain set up only needed periodic tightening up and a careful eye. With too much movement they all seem to self destruct. The Jawa one was really well made with rubber accordion fittings at each end.

Modern chains are HUGELY improved from the BAD OLD DAYS. The best DID X ring chains are quite amazing. Never needing adjustment ... and will even last well without oil or cleaning.

With decent care ... mine go past 25,000 miles: DR650, DL1000. A total swap (Best DID X ring chain, new sprockets) costs me about $300 and two hours of my labor. Done!
Is that too much to do for trouble free travel?

A chain always tells you where it's at wear wise. Easy to see any kinks or stretching or dryness or need for adjustment. All easily dealt with side of the road in 10 minutes. Wise riders see chain condition and plan ahead for a swap long before things get bad.

Also live in UAE, the DR650SE is available new here for 22,000 AED or less. Bought one myself and added a FEW parts from Procycle US. Shipping it to UK in a couple of months, although I have KTM1190 and Scrambler (and others) there will always be a DR in my garage for the solo trips.

I haven't had a chain bike for a long long time, but plan on an old model Africa twin or Transalp - what do long trippers do in terms of chain maintenance now?

I believe (from when I had a bike shop) that stiff links are the modern chains main enemy and therefor reason for needing maintenance or replacement, they also produce an annoying vibration on motorways as the stiff links pass the motor sprocket. This to me would imply that over and above lubrication some sort of cleaning to remove dirt and dust occasionally would keep things lasting as long as possible? I've heard of an old toothbrush and paraffin cleans without degreasing.

Would ALL long trippers use a scottoiler or similar as it may not always be possible to find aerosol chain lube (or chainsaw oil)?

Thanks for any incoming wisdom.

Start by going back, read this thread.
Start with my post from above:

Sounds like you've not ridden since the 60's ... when chains were removed for cleaning and dipped in Paraffin. Not how it's done now (hasn't been done this way since the advent of O ring chains in late 70's) We've now got X ring chains (DID chain) Game changing!

Vibration can come from a number of areas. Misalignment of chain, worn front sprocket (most common cause) or worn chain. Also, worn Cush Drive rubber dampers or even worn wheel/hubb bearings ... ALL can cause vibrations. Get everything right, put a bit of lube on your chain ... smooth!

The original Africa Twin used a 525 size O ring chain. This is a good thing ... 525 are very tough, long lasting chains ... but DO UPGRADE to a X ring chain. Buy the most expensive DID X ring you can find. Use quality OEM or JT sprockets.

Bring a spare front sprocket to be changed at 10K miles. This will extend chain life by 5K to 10K miles.

With even casual care, your new 525 X Ring chain/new sprockets will last over 20K miles ... or further. If riding in constant rain (UK) a Scott Oiler is a good idea. But do not use the Scott off road ... just makes a mess.

When on tour clean chain daily with WD40 or Kerosene. Just a quick one minute wipe down. (use your main stand) Easy. No fancy lubes required. In a pinch you can use 90W gear oil. Cheap and available worldwide. Excellent chain lube if a bit messy.

I use Dupont Teflon chain saver when close to home, but on the road, out of USA it's 90W for me. Done over 200K miles on X ring chains. Never a failure or problem. Use a RIVET link for master link, not clip type.

There is a TON of good knowledge on the Africa Twins. Use it to your advantage. No need to bring a spare chain on board, just a spare front sprocket. This should get you over 20K miles down the road. So plan for a complete change at that point.