Man so many questions:

I want to ride London to CapeTown where the intention is to sell it or keep it or trash it. I currently have a BMW R1150RT and ride about 500 miles a week, previously I rode 28,000 miles in a year on a BMW K75s, so am happy with big comfy bikes. My experience with the type of bikes in the question is: Sat on a show room FMX 650, and thought it was a toy!

I’m looking for advice on a bike to ride long distances on bad, but not metalled roads. I am not scrambling, or for the matter (excluding the excuse for a transport link leading from Dodoma to Lake Tanganika, and that nasty East coast road to Turkana) going off road The Kind of Northern Zambian potholed roads, and African Desert tracks but not motor crossing.

I am not joining the Dakar rally intentionally or not
Answering one will definitively answer a host of others, but please share your thoughts for me on the following:


1> New bike versus Old bike
My thought is buy an old bike and doing a complete rebuild with accessories will work out cheaper than a new bike alone. Wheres the advantage of New, I am going to ding it up and put dust in new and unusual places.
2> Single cylinder versus Twin cylinder
Is it really a case of more effort in servicing, or is there a significant benefit? I have a BMW Twin and have never owned a single, so have no goal posts, or maybe a very high one, but the simplicity of single makes sense. I will have no problems with Vibration.
3> Easiest bike to service by me?
Like a Baboon with a calculator, I know what to do and how to do it, but maybe there is a training issue, its all nuts ‘n bolts right? How hard can it be, take apart, put together just need a Haynes manual!
4> Air vs Water cooled Bike must not cook itself in the African heat (eg Chalbi desert)
Yeah I need something that will be able to remain cool headed once I have lost mine! I tend to run very warm when things are going pear shaped with no fuel at this station and the next delivery stuck in the mud 200 kilos behind you with bandits due in any moment now. So need a bike that will stay cool. (I don’t care about –5 degrees, cos I will be wrapped in a duvet somewhere.)
5> It needs to be able to handle massive changes in Altitude, ie Sea level to 9000 ft in one day, and also will not phutt out at altitude? So either a way to change carburetion/jetting, or turbo charged J or simply masses of power It does not need to be a 2 up machine but be able to if one bike breaks down and we need to.
6> Can anyone tell me about Chains vs Shaft drives in the context of what I plan, about 25000 kilometers: A shaft drive no problems at all, Chains in deserts? (not supported by a race crew) I have the misfortune to have never owned a chain before. Shafts are great, but I guess almost out of the equation here.

So which of these bikes? (oh and I’ve only ridden the 1150GS the rest are whimsical thoughts.)
Honda XL600LMF - Big ass Tank looks like the strongest Bike ever made and will be easy to fix. Probably the cheapest option and my sort of gut feel bike.
Kawasaki KLR650- My Number two choice just ahead of the Suzuki DR650, only because it’s the same bike but in green.
Suzuki DR650 - Got the feeling that the DR was the best option here, and possibly my strongest candidate so far. But suspect strength for taking overloaded panniers will be iffy, and the DR650 has easy to source larger tanks so not a problem. Is it powerful enough?
Yamaha XT660/Tenere –The same sort of thing as the XL600LMF, but still need to buy the bigger tank, So less mildly desirable than the LMF. I saw a blue DR 600 start up when I was a kid and have always had a thing for that bike (seems as good a reason as any).
Kawasaki KLE 500 – Has been growing in my estimation, but don’t like the newer looks, and need bigger tanks as per most of the rest. Is there any benefit over the KLR650?
BMW 1150GS - the one I am familiar with, and have ridden. Big bikes and in Adventure clothing they are formidable beasts. Shaft drive: whoo hoo! I don’t think the cooling without some additional support is sufficient so more needed there. Also need larger tanks. (Expensive) Though better, the 1200GS is not reliable enough and has too much supported by electronics. May be more interested in an older 80/100/GS
Honda Africa Twin - A big bike and probably designed on the Nairobi-Mombasa road, that suspension easily soaking up those potholes. Was over taken by one once going up a hill in a VW camper van, the pillions head was above the roof line formidable!