I have a BMW 1150 GS and am thinking of swapping it for a new Gold Wing when I go RTW. OK, sounds barmy, but hear me out.

I'm 5'10" (180 cm) and for much of the trip I'll have a 6'2" (190 cm) passenger. My very limited experience off road suggests to me that under these circumstances the dirt tracking abilities of the GS will be virtually wiped out. I'll fall off every time the bike goes a little bit past the vertical. I think it'd be easier to keep a road bike upright, purely because of the lower seat. (I once took a ZZR11 two-up up a steep, rocky river bed in the Alps. I don't think I'd have made it on a GS.) So I'm thinking, why not get a Wing, or maybe a 1200 LT? The stereo, comfort, luggage and reverse gear would be lovely. But....and this is where I particularly need the help of the old hands...what bits of the world will be off limits on such a bike? I have already ruled out the Sahara, but would a Wing grind to a halt on the KKH, or what passes for a main road in Cambodia? If not, would a fully loaded GS really cope much better? I want to see Greece, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia, Oz and NZ. Amongst others.

Feel free to advise me to just get better at off-roading - the usual advice is, when in doubt, gas it, right? I'd be happy to do this on an XL250, or perhaps even an unladen GS - but add a gigantic passenger and several cubic yards of luggage, and I think I'll be struggling. Help!

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