Norm,

Dont worry, the 'Perfect' bike does not exist - what we are able to buy and ride are all compromises in one way or another, the perfect bike would have the performance and long distance comfort of a 1200GSA, handle like a KTM250 in the dirt, have the fuel economy of a scooter, be as easy as a bicycle to pick up when you drop it, would never breakdown and you could service it for $5 every 10,000 miles

I rode a TTR 250 around Europe (all of it) and sold it with 75,000 kms on the clock, one thing is for sure that you get to see everything on a smaller bike as you bimble along and if you are not up against a tight deadline then they are perfectly adequate. They might not be ideal on the long stretches of straight highway in North America and you have to be realistic about the distances you can cover in a day, though I managed a few very long days of over 500 miles through France and Spain. When you get to the dirt though, it will all start to make sense - especially if you are new to riding, the light front end and soft power delivery is great in slippery conditions and if you do get it wrong they are easy to pick up and you wont be blubbing about smashing up an expensive fairing. Combine that with great fuel economy and not chewing through tyres like bigger bikes tend to and they are very cheap to run. Just pack light and go!

At some point in the future you may find its time to move on to a larger capacity bike, but remember they too have compromises.

For some inspiration, check out Lois Pryce riding her TTR250 through Africa:

Trans-Africa 2006

__________________
Cheers
Grif

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