@Declan how did this pan out for you with bike choice..?? Just gone through this thread and couldn't help but seek comfort from comments that bolster my decision to build a dual sports 'Unicorn' using the mighty CB500F engine. 140kg is asking a lot mind. Be interesting to see which way you went on this.....

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I currently have a BMW X Challenge. Before I bought it I struggled with whether to get a KTM 500 EXC or the X Challenge.

Are you planning on riding to Mongolia/ Siberia? If your plan is to ride all those miles to get there than get at least a 500 cc bike.

The X Challenge sounds like a good fit for you, but it does have a couple of annoying flaws. It has an aluminum sub frame, so if you break that in Mongolia, good luck. The original clutch cover has a flaw and that is a $300 fix, so make sure the previous owner has fixed it. The stock suspension sucked, so make sure the previous owner upgraded it. You check the oil under the bike's seat which is a super dumb design on BMW's part. Despite being a good bike, it came out in 2008 with the global recession, so hardly anyone bought the bike and BMW has stopped supporting it with spare parts. The good thing about the X Challenge is 3000 mile oil change intervals. It is good both off road and on road. It is light enough that you can pick it up by yourself.

The KTM500EXC has a great reputation but the largest problem is 600 mile oil change intervals because of a 1.5 liter engine. You can upgrade it to carry 2 liters of oil, so you can extend the intervals. At 240 lbs it does not have a sub frame, but it can be upgraded. 240 lbs!

I test drove a Yamaha T7 and it seemed like a good bike, but not a bike I would spend the $$ on.

I have owned a DRZ400 and I think you would really like this bike. They are a lot of fun "off road." The 400 cc's isn't enough if you have to ride hundreds of miles on highways.

The CRF300 rally at 300 cc's is too small.

The CRF450L looks like a promising bike, but it has the 600 mile oil change interval and used ones are still too pricey.

Rather then having to ride a bike all the way to Mongolia and back from the UK, a better idea might be to buy the bike there. Watch the Hubb for sale section and when a bike comes up for sale in Mongolia, negotiate a fire-sale price, fly there and ride it for 3 weeks. When you are done fire-sale it to someone else. If a $1000 bike breaks down in Mongolia who cares?

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