Some common ground here, I reckon ..
I own an '05 ST1300 Pan-European
and an '05 XL650V Transalp. (BTW, my son rides a V-Strom.)
I guess it depends where you mean when you say 'North Africa'. I recently got the heads-up - from
this HUBB thread (thanks fellas) - that it's now possible to catch a ferry from Venice to Egypt. I'm hoping, therefore, to take the Pan on this trip within the next year or two, as it's just the ticket for a run across to northeast Italy, then a Med cruise down to Alexandria.
However, If I were ever inclined to explore around the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, then a dual-sport would have to be the right choice.
Almost any bike can do almost any trip though, IMHO. My mind has been made up on this point ever since I've been following
Peter & Kay Forwoods' travels around 193 countries on a HD Electraglide Classic. Unbelievable! Puts things into perspective, eh?
[.. too much f*cking perspective!]
..
.