dont think i'll ever do a rtw or lwr but i do like the thought of being prepared for any sort of terraine should i come up against it on my travels.
thing i'm considering is how suitable are the smaller cc bikes when it comes to trips of 2 to 3k miles.
I tend to live my life on a budget so would be looking at xr250/400's, dr350/drz400..etc
would they be upto dealing with the neccersary lugage and while people say xr's are bulletproof i wonder will they hold up to occasional long days (10-12 hours) of just cruising on tarmac.

in my opinion you couldnt beat the trusty dr350. better than the 400 as a lot simpler to maintain and repair. no radiators to break or silly output shaft seals to blow, cam chain tensioners failing e ct ect. 100's about and still able to pick up a mint low mileage one on ebay for under £1750. spares a plenty at breakers and ebay.

i would suggest the estarter and retro fit a kick start. shaft, gear, seal and kick lever, bilt straight on and easilly available from breakers. large tanks are cheap second hand, and as the terra circa and mondo enduro boys will tell you they're well up for even the longest trip.

ive had mine for 7 years and toured europe and all over the uk. welsh bogs and mountains, cornish three stage trials, rolling isle of white byways. great off road,even got a few class victories in rallys and enduros on it despite being up against newer drz's and ktm's and xrs. i have thrashed mine to within an inch of its life for about 30000 miles and appart from a cam chain and rebore at about 20000miles (routine strip down, not break down) it hasnt missed a beat. the only things ever gone wrone are the ignition switch wore out due to mud and dirt ingression and the speedo drive stripped its worm drive due to being ridden whilst frozen solid with ice. incidently both were fixeed under the warrenty by suzuki.

these are of course just my opinion but im sure there are 100s out there who will agree the dr350 is one of the best TRAIL bikes ever made.
xr400 likewise are bullet proof but with the absence of an e start not for me.

Hiya

I got my first bike when I was out in Kenya last year. A 1992 Honda XLR 250 Baja (same as xr250l but with big twin headlights). You can pick one up for not much more than a grand an they are bomb proof!

Took it on a 10 day tour round kenya as its first ride and it behaved perfectly, even with a passenger and a big bag of stuff. Off road or on road its great. Worked in the heat or the rain. Really light (120kg) and easy to ride. Stable on the road. Kickstart is reliable but tricky for short riders as the bike is quite high and can be a pain when its cold. Easy to service! Will cruise at 80mph on tarmac. Watch out for cracked discs. Saw a lot of xr250's with cracks. Parts easy to get in UK. Enough power for a newbie!

Cheers

PS Now does 1000km off road in kenya a month delivering footballs in the bush! Up to 26000km and still no spares needed. Make sure you keep the oil clean! Can buy decent engine oil in most service stations in east-africa.

or............ how small is small and how small are you.
Someone like Lois who toured Africa on a 250 cc bike, fits on that bike because she is a small lady.

I'm +/- 100 kg and prefer a bike like my F650GS for tarmac and off-road touring or my 23 year old GoldWing for luxery touring. Occasionaly I drive two up with my wife and the two of us on a 250 would be.... well... funny.

You need a bike that suits you. If you are 60 or 70 kg and not to long, a small bike is fine. If you are 100 kg or more, or longer then average, you need a bigger bike to feel comfortable.

__________________
Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

Dear small bike fans,
I fear I must intervene and put the record straight. I am 5ft and 4 inches tall.
And I would agree, it's not polite to discuss a lady's weight (especially after she's just spent 4 months in Africa surviving on a diet of Laughing Cow cheese, white bread and crap biscuits).
Tata for now!
Lois

__________________
www.loisontheloose.com

Lois is referring to this culinery delight:

The Laughing Cow - Wedges

Possibly the most vile substance known to human kind - after a long stint in Africa - (where this 'cheese' - the only one that will stand up to 50 degeee C heat without going off - beceause of it very high salt content) - looking at a packet of this is enough to make most overlanders wretch - with a wry smile - knowing that piles of this stuff is waiting for us in nearly every vendors store -(does it ever go off ?) the next time we go back there....and we will eat it - beceause there is no other cheese - it somehow tastes half decent when your there......on some dry bread covered in sand......

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

I'm sorry Lois, my apologies for discussing your weight :-)
Patrick you're right, it's not nice to talk about a lady's weight.

BTW, how was the book promotion in Utrecht ?
I was looking forward very much to come but I was (an am) in bed with a nasty flu :-(

When will the book be for sale in the Netherlands ?

__________________
Jan Krijtenburg

My bikes are a Honda GoldWing GL1200 and a Harley-Davidson FXD Dyna Super Glide

My personal homepage with trip reports: https://www.krijtenburg.nl/
YouTube channel (that I do together with one of my sons): motormobilist.nl

Thanks guys, basically my situation is this.
After riding road bikes for 27 years i finally got round to doing a few
euro trips on my road bike and while i enjoyed the experiance of independant travel i felt there was probably more to see than was available to me on a road bike.
I've always fancied trying some off road riding particularly enduro or green lane stuff but as i've had to either use my bikes for transport or two up riding with the wife its never really been an option till now. (bought the wife her own bike .)
Anyway, dont want to be the next Ewan mcgregor but i want to get off the beaten track and see whats out there.
The reason for the smaller cc or less expensive option is that as a "beginer" i dont want to fall into the "all the gear and no idea" catergory, i would prefere to start at the bottom on something i feel i would be able to handle properly, learn and develop my off road abilties and progress from there.
I must admit i do prefere the DR to the DRZ so maybe i'm on the right road.
any other suggestions are welcome.
next stop the route planning forum.

Colsan,
your along the right track definitely, you do not need a large capacity bike to travel, you just have to realise its going to take you longer and you will ride slower on good roads - where the larger bikes can open the throttle.
Also high altitude passes are taken a little slower !!!

I rode a TTR 250 all over Europe over several summers - and winters on it, did trail riding in the UK, Pyrenees and Alps, used it to commute for a few years and racked up over 75,000 km with no problems apart from routine maintenance. As for long days in the saddle, once I rode from Perpignon to Cherbourg (to catch a ferry) -1100 km in about 14 hours - averaging 80kmh ish, + quick fuel (and coffee!!!) stops.

These are great bikes and already have a combo kick/electric start, you can get a 22 litre tank for them fom acerbis giving a good range, theres plenty of them around - and you can buy one 2-3 years old with low kms for 2 grand in the UK

DR's will do the job - not much difference in power, but finding a good late, low km one is getting a bit harder these days.

Cheers
Grif

__________________
Cheers
Grif

'11 KTM 450 EXC
'09 Suzuki DR650
'00 Discovery Series 2 V8
'95 Defender 90 300 Tdi Overlander
http://gipperstravels.blogspot.ca

i have read on another site that the klx300 has reliability issues.
I'm booking a day at an offroad school in the peak district here in the uk for the new year.
they use drz's and offer begginers courses, 1-2-1 with instructors and guided offroad tours. cant wait

Hi Colsan,
I am currently riding across Africa on a TTR250 (has about 13000 miles on the clock at the moment) and I have to say I am really impressed with it. It copes with everything and it's super tough. I have only had to do routine maintenance so far. I made a few mods for the trip such as making the seat more comfy and fitting the big Acerbis tank. You can see more details about the bike and the kit etc on my website www.loisontheloose.com
I rode a Yamaha Serow from Alaska to Argentina few years ago which is also a great little trail bike, but probably a bit small for most men. So I would heartily reccomend the TTR - brilliant bike!
Good luck with your future adventures.
Lois

__________________
www.loisontheloose.com

Well thank you to everyone who replied and offered advice.

I am now the proud owner of this 98 xr400 .
its got a wiesco 440 kit and it comes with a trailer.
(thing is i aint got a towbar )
gotta get some training and tours booked now