Some additional thoughts:

Concerning air shipment of motorcycles, the 'cube' of the motorcycle is always the ruling factor for freight cost calculations on bikes over 1,000 cc's. Weight is negligible. The only exception to this rule would be if you are paying for shipment on a very small aircraft, such as a Twin Otter or Cessna Caravan.

One advantage of the larger bikes - at least, the Gold Wing and the ST1100 Pan European - is that they don't actually fall over if you drop them. I've owned both, and if you overbalance, the bikes just tip sideways at about a 45º angle. Both of these models are very well proven mechanically - the ST1100 is virtually bulletproof, it's very rare to have a mechanical problem. Both have excellent range with the standard fuel tank - the ST1100 in particular, it will go well over 300 km per tank.

A disadvantage of the larger bikes is that the sheer weight of them can be a real PITA at times, such as when manouvering around in tight spaces. The later model Gold Wings have a reverse, and it's there because they really need it - don't laugh!

I have done a lot of riding on gravel roads on both the Gold Wing and the ST1100, and both handle gravel and dry dirt surfaces well. They are both real headaches on wet, slippery, muddy roads, because you simply can't stick a foot out to correct a slip or slide.

One possible consideration, if you are going to travel two-up, would be to get either one of these two large bikes, then put a small trailer behind it. You could do gravel roads no problems with either of these bikes and a trailer - lots of senior citizens pulling trailers with GW's travel through Northern Canada each summer, on gravel roads there. One of the Iron Butt Rally finishers this year did the haul road to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska and back on a GW - in less than 48 hours, yet.



[This message has been edited by PanEuropean (edited 06 January 2002).]