If youre located in parts of the world where the carburated bikes you mention such as Suzuki Dr650 or Kawasaki Klr 650 are available both will be good alternatives. The Dr650 will need more upgrades but are much lighter than the Klr, thats worth considering. Carburated bikes will struggle more in altitudes though.

Edit: The new KLR now comes as EFI from 2021.

Crf450L? Did you check the service intervals on that one? Oil change every 1000 kms and valve check every 3000 kms. Forget it mate, you are planning the adventure of your life, not let it be ruined by spending time or money servicing the bike every other day.

Some guys have already «adventurized» the KTM 500 - and get good results(?) I still havent understood how often oil change and valve jobs are required on such «adventurized» bikes, but I hope its not as often as standard.

Tenere 660 - I have taken one rtw, 200 k kms, too heavy and to unreliable. Not recommended!

If you can live with 27-28 HP I tend too agree with the last poster - the CRF300 RALLY will be all you need. Lightweight, reliable, economic, ok range (not great) not great on highways but will do 100 km/h, but not much faster. Will need better suspension, handlebars and hand protectors, bash plate and a few minor things more. But then again - most bikes will need some improvement.

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Start your trip in Australia and buy a new DR650 at AU$9480 on the road.

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@Snakeboy: I hadn't looked at the service intervals of the CRF450, so thanks for pointing that out. It's not gonna be a CRF450 then. That's also why I didn't want to go with the KTM 500.

27-28hp is just a bit too little for me, I already know that I'll get annoyed by it on the long rond.

Looks like it's gonna be the DR, tho I'm still interested in the XR650L/R, depending on the service intervals...


Thanks for the invite but I was planning on starting it from western Europe, it's a bit easier to prepare the bike while I'm still at home.

Another vote for the CRF300, one of the lightest on your list but still perfectly capable and spares available in many places.

Whatever bike you choose will be your lifeline for a couple of years. You don't really want to go with something that will drive you mad after a month. There's a few bikes on your list that go back a few years so finding decent ones will be the biggest challenge.

Re the two 'X' Hondas - the XR650 is one I looked closely at years ago but concluded it was too crude for travel. It's kickstart only for a start and while that's ok for a small engine there will be days when the effort will be just too much - maybe you'll be feeling lazy or hung over or ill, and you won't want to do it. The XR600 that I have was like that. I either used to leave it idling outside shops or pay the the local kids to push start me. Plus the 650 rear subframe isn't designed to take any weight. You'd need to rebuild / reinforce it considerably.

The 650L is a different animal altogether (and quite rare in the UK). Chris Scott went through the process of turning one into an overlanding bike and the story might still be on his site. Worth reading if you can find it but the big thing for me is it's stepladder high to get on. You're taller than me but it's another one of those things that's fine for a month but you come to hate after a year.

I've done a few miles on KLR's (in the US) and that would be my choice from your list - if you can get a decent one. They're two a penny over there with a huge backup of bits / fixes etc so very much a known quantity. It's not the most exciting bike but six months or a year in what you'll be most grateful for is that it starts, not that it feels 'sporty'.

The Western Europe equivalent of the KLR 650 is the KLE 500 I think... same 35 KW, decent enough offroad and on tarmac, they are plentiful here and can be had for 2-2,5k EUR.

I helped a couple Israeli guys buy a pair of them in Estonia... they rode them along the Silk Road all the way to Vladivostok and sold them there in good working order.

OP, I would say - think of how difficult an offroad experience do you want to have for most of your trip... Chances are, a Suzuki V-Strom 650 or Honda CB500X will do 99% of anything you will ever need, and for that last 1%, you can walk!

You will be able to lift the Teneres if dropped, multiple times over, do I would not worry too much about that. You will likely drop it more often though, and have to muscle it more - than the lighter options.

I second the Honda Rally, CRF300. You might find the suspension a bit plush, but an upgrade won't break the bank. You might also want go up a few teeth on 4he rear sprocket to improve low end torque, a cheap and easy fix. And the other bits and bobs mentioned - the typical for most bikes.

I will never again buy a carbureted bike for serious travel. I will never again buy a bike without ABS, but it must be easy to switch it off, atleast the rear.

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As far as I can see, none of the bikes you have listed adhere to your rules.
Perhaps general rules are too ridged. The ‘bike’ is both a personal and technical choice.
May I suggest you plan your route, time frame and style of travel eg wild camping, site camping, hostels, hotels etc.
Then see how technical the off road sections are and cross reference that with a realistic view of your skill set.
Are you limited to 2 years or can you keep going till the money runs out?

That will give you a better idea of the bike you will need.

Then think about the bike you would like to travel on, this is very important - are you riding a motorcycle RTW or are you doing a world trip on a motorcycle? There is a difference.

Don’t forget your skills will improve as you travel so at the moment your rules say a lighter bike but by the time you reach Mongolia you might be happy do river crossings on a 200kg bike. However a smaller bike will be cheaper, all round, on your travels so will keep you going longer.

I will argue the case for a CRF300 Rally:
New - the bike will do 50K miles at least with only oil services and general replacement parts - tyres, brake pads etc.
Light - cheaper on fuel, easier and cheaper to ship, easier to get it into the hotel lobby. Good for off road sections.
Cheap and reliable.
Honda network of parts - not that you’ll need any, unless you crash.
Looks - it’s a light adventure bike but looks like a big adventure bike so has presence.

As for highways - the 6th gear on the new 300 Rally is an overdrive, this is good for 75mph cruising which is faster than the speed limit of 99.9% of countries in the world. BTW, after the first week, I suspect your percentage of highway riding will be minimal - unless you’re on a time schedule.

Hope this is helpful - good luck with the trip

Where are you based at? Western Europe you write..... just for your information - the DR650, the KLR and those other carburated bikes have not been sold in EU since around year 2000 where they were banned due to emmision standards. You can of course with a bit of luck find a 20-30 year old bike in western Europe of those models, but chances that you wanna take that bike on a journey to the other side of the world are not so high.

Yes some guys have imported Drs to EU from USA, but for most people thats not really an option you want to do.

Remember that you need a bike for the worst part of your trip, not the best part. A big, heavy and powerful bike is not what you need...

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